The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-12
THE VIRGINIA RAILROAD WAR.
ron, the Baltimore Sun.

From the Baltimore Sun.
The bill consolidating the Southside Vir-
ginia railroads was made the special order in
the State Senate of Virginia yesterday Our
Richmond correspondent, referring to this
fact, speaks of this city as being enlarged
with the most eager opposition to this South
side consolidation of railroads under the con-
troll of General Mahone," and that ''some
people here claim that it is clear case of
Baltimore VS.. Norfolk" etc. 1t is all very
well for both parties in the above consolida-
tion issue to use all legitimate means for the
success of their own views, but we protest
against Baltimore being made bugbear of
by one party to array imagined State interests
against the other. This city neither opposes
any consolidation of Virginia railroads, nor
considers itself particularly interested in the
results of that policy. The mere matter of
Virginia consolidation is none of its business,
though that of a general and equitable policy,
alike for all the roads of the State, may be;
but in any case it is not apt to meddle with
the good name of other communities In re-
gard to Norfolk, it is shown by official re-
ports that out of the freights transported over
the Virginia and Tennessee road and the
roads working through with it to Norfolk, in
1869, New York received 20, 259, 624 pounds,
Boston received 8,646, ,503, Philadelphia re-
ceived 7,213, 404, Baltimore received
O,cof, 20; dAu IcCtlN6u lJZ,JOZ.
Now, it is entirely for Virginia to decide
whether, for consolidating an Institution (the
Virginia and Tennessee, the Southsde and
Norfolk and Petersburg roads, which gives
to other cities twelve pounds of freight for
each pound of freight delivered to Norfolk,
SIX million of State bonds are not too large
a consideration. Certainly we, who receive
two pounds of freight for every one that is
delivered to Norfolk, are not interested in op-
posing any methodby which General Malone
conceives he can more efficiently ''develop
the resources" We must insist upon it,
however, that Baltimore shall not be abused
because, in response to General Lee and
other prominent citizens of the Stonewall
section of Virginia, who have shown their
State love quite as thoroughly as any of our
revilers, we have promised our aid to the Vir-
ginia Valley Railroad, not asking six millions
nor a dollar from that State; nor because, on
the 18th instant, we are going to vote on the
question of endorsing the bonds of the
Lynchburg and Danville (Va.) Railroad Com
pany to the amount of $3.50, 900, another en-
terprise which asks nothing from the State.
The truth is, as all intelligent persons
ought to know, it is the loadstone of capital
in great cities that draws and distributes the
freight from the interior, producing such
results as are shown in the figures quoted
above. New York, Boston, and Philadelphia
receive by this consolidation line the lion s
share. But supposing that, by means of the
Valley Railroad and the Orange and Lynch
burg connections, the great bulk of freight
should come TO Baltimore, why, if it must
leave the State, may it not as we'll come here
as to Northern cities? In any case it must
pass over Virginia railroads. and, SO far
as the State ut large is concerned it is i'm
portant that all her present as we'll as
future railroads should have business
Altogether, we cannot but regard the
violent and abusive railroad war which
has been waged for some time past by certain
parties at Richmond, in the interest of one
particular section of the State as against all
others, as very illogical and absurd. The
consolidation parties promise to the State p
per cent. of their gross earnings whenever
their line shall he Completed through to the
Ohio river. Whether Virginia shall give up
her six millions in the roads to be consoli-
dated for such contingent consideration, or
hold on to that interest, with view to its
future enhancement of value and availability
for discharging like amount of the State