The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-03-03

selves We have no further commentary to |
make. We dismiss the ribald stuff from our
notice now and forever!
tF--rs -----
= Explanations.
We take pleasure in publishing the card
of Maj. J. b. Dorman, and we beg to assure
him that nothing WAS further from our pur
pose than to do him injustice by our remarks
in regard to the course of the Rockbridge
delegation. on the extension of the Central
CHOW the Chesapeake 4 Ohio) Railroad
We had always heard that it was the jeal
ouss on the part of those who represented
the James River Canal interest which prompt
ed the insertion of the restriction proviso in
the bill for the extension Of the Railroad.
And we had heard, moreover, that the Rock
bridge delegation, representing that interest,
had .partaken largely of that feeling. We
never, for moment, supposed that Rock
bridge cherished any uukind feeling towards
Augusta but we did think, that under the
influence of her devotion to the James River
interest, she had, without intending it, done
injury to our interests, and to her own.
We are gratifcd that the matter has now
been satisfactorily explained and we think
Major Dorman has reason to thank US for
the opportunity to make his explanation pub
lie. Major D. has always been favorite
with the people Of Augusta. Indeed we
claim him, as, at least halfway, an Augusta
man. u IT. ac =
By the way when we wrote our article, we
had no idea that Maj. D. hsd been in the
Legislature at SO early day as 1850. We
thought he was too young at that period to
be eligible! He look. so youthful, that we
supposed he might, in 1850, have been scan-
ming the classics, with which he shows him
self SO familiar, rather than shaping the pol
icy of the State! We are half inclined to
ask Major d.. If it was not his father instead
of himself who was in the Legislature in
1850? ~ s''--
,..- LEXINGTON, FEB, 81, 1870.
Editor Valley Virginion Il must claim
the right of correcting an error in your lead
er of last week, which does me personal in
justice. You state that the 'RoCKBRIDGE
DELEaATIoN.' twenty years ago, moved an
amendment to the bill for the extension of
= the Louisa Railroad, achich prohibited ME
company from locating their road south o'
Bratton Run" Thisis wholly incorrect.
That amendments was made on motion of
HUGH w. SHEFFEY, Esq, delegate from
Augusta. = The Journels ofsthe House of
Delegates, az weflfi-- as private one Of my
own, show'the history of the matter to be
briefly this Attic. session Of 1889 the
jealousy and even hostility then unhappily
existing between the interest North and
South of James river, was. temporarily quiet
ed by large State subscription to the Vir-
GINA and Tennessee Railroad on the one
+, hand, and by acts for constructing the Blue
Ridge tunnel on State account and for a
State subscription to the extension of the
Louisa Railroad to Staunton, on the other
At the session of 18i9-5D, the South western
railroad interest, having obtained all the pc
cuniary aid necessary TO make their road to
Bristol, it was much more difficult to get ap.
preparations to the North side roads Sc
, that when the bill for the extension of the
Central road from Staunton to Covington
= came up it was found that it would be Ger
> tiaialy defeated without the vote Of the Dele
gate from Lynchbure; Mr.. Wills. He de
sired in good faith to co operate with his III
ternal improvement friends of the North side
:whe had helped him the year before bu
the apprehensions Of his constituents, thai
road up-the Valley would meet one Their
= projected from Salem to Buchanan, and head
them off at Salem, were SO strong, that he
deemed it indispensable for his own safety
in accounting to his constituents, to demand
the restriction of the Central Railroad to
the valley of Brattou's Run. Accordingly
en- the 14th of January, 1850. Mr.. Shelley
.''oftered a clause BY why OF ryder" to the
Bill on the 18th Of November, Ferguson
of Boone. offered an amendment to the ryder
aud on the. 10Th, Mr. Shehey had the ryder
reconsidered and amended on his motion
and put into the shape in which it now ap
pears in the law On the 22nd of January
1850, the Bill came up for final action and
was passed by the close vote of 63 to 81
the change OF one vote would have made 3
tie and defeated the Bill. My colleague
Mr.. Patterson, and myself, though naturally
indignant at such injustice to our people, yo-
ted for the Bill and secured its passage on
these grounds: Without this ryder the dc.
feat of the Bill was absolutely certain and
the Ohio connection indefinitely postponed.
We had important local interests to guard in
connection with the North river canal aud
Virginia Military Institute; and appropria-
tions to these would also be defeated by turn.
ing against us the special friends Of the Cen
tral Improvement. Local and great State
considerations combined to make us submit,
under moral duress, to this unjust restriction.
/. The people of Rockbridge understood the
situation, and endorsed our course by rc-elect-
ing LIS to the House Of Delegates, in the
spring of 1850, without opposition; and
when Mr.. Shelley was called to account for
his ryder in the Convention canvass of 1850,
he gave substantially the above explanation
and received a majority in this county of
about 100 over his distinguished opponents,
Mr. Stuart, &c. Does it not seem little
hlrd Sir, in view Of these facts, that Rock
bridge should now be twilted as having COM
s'tHi"'l i,iss;.i,r. by Stanton sl.tot when