The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-08
,,;,.oad Extensions.

paiIroad Extensions.
,,A,,,r,hurc Index is nccdlessly
t CONCERNING the purposes OF the
@sasaneake and Ohio railroad. Inc i"se'
rnst Of Richmond in the matter Is 'n
ereafer than that Of Petersburg, ana 'hcre
II No s,ch alarm felt here.
Tho index expresses the fear that the oln
80. tho Legislature for the cNteii'
49, snd evanston Of the Chesapeake anu
s,s;n railroad Is merely intended 10 ehaoie
the company to build roao 70 eon,e. an
their freight and passengers 10 the Noi'h'
For that purpose there is one railway al |
ready completed which taps the Chesa- |
peake and Ohio, and another in the Valley |
within twenty-five miles of it, and soon 10
be completed to Staunton. They auora
the ready means Of transportation ol
freight and passengers for the North ana
these. so destined. the Chesapeake ana
Ohio road would be compelled to transfer
to these "tappins" roads unless, indeed,
1t arbitrarily refused to allow trade ana
travel to be free and take their natural
coursc-a sort of railroad tyranny that we
believe the linden has denounced. as all fair
and liberal-minded men must.
Now, then, if there are such freight ana
such travel (does the Inde1 suppose there
will not be y what company should be en-
titled to them, the one which has construct
ed the road that bears them from the Ohio
through the mountains Of Virginia, or the
tappers which lie III wait to catch what
comes Every just man must decide that
the Chesapeake and Ohio Company is fairly
entitled TO this business, and should be al
lowed to build branch for its accommoda-
ton.
The Northern branch has this extent, no
more. 1t is the smallest and narrowest OF
policies to attempt to subject travel and
trade against will and tendency to delay
and indirection. Such policy can never
prevail, but must bring defeat upon its
advocates. Why should passengers and
freight that might find a nearer way
through Virginia take route outside OF
the State to avoid this delay which narrow
policy here might subject it to- Would it
not he better to let our railroads have the
benefit Of that travel and trade, since it Will
make them more prosperous, and at least
bring our State into greater familiarity with
the West, increasing steadily the chances
to extend our trade in that dircction'
We cannot see a single objection to the
granting of the right to the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad Company to build this
branch. We should be greatly gratilcd TO
see it unanimously approved, because we
should then feel assured that the narrow
policy of restriction, delay, and indircction
was abandoned. All that any community
can ask is to be accommodated with the
straightest possible lines of communication,
run with the speed that prevails elsewhere.
If with these it demands the further pro-
lection of putting prohibitions upon roads
leading to other places, that community
will not prosper with the help of such re-
strictions, and should be left to its fate. No
such hostility to free commcrcc-no such
trick to force people to do what they don't
want to do. ever built up 4 city, and never
will. Schemes Of this sort provoke the de-
tesla ton Of men, and drive of some trade
that the community rcsorting to them might
get but for the prejudice their illlberalty
engenders.
We tell the IndeI that. from our very
good opportunities of knowing what are
the plans Of the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
road Company, we have not doubt that
they intend TO construct Il railroad by the
most eligible route 10 the nearest point Of
shipment. Mr.. HUNTINGTON, who speaks
the views Of the company, says that their
object is to compete with other roads for
the heavy freight business Of the West, and
that this object cannot be accomplished on
the present route east of Clifton Forge, be-
cause the grades are too steep. Therefore
he is determined, and has been ever since
he took command of the road, to build
branch Tor rather, continue the main track
down James river TO Richmond, with no
grade exceeding tecenty feet to the mile.
With this Improvement it will be probably
the best graded road Of its length Ill the
United States, and, laid with steel rail, it
can transport freight cheaper than any
other line from the western rivers to the
Atlantic cities-possibly ms low as one cent
per ton per mile. Mr.. HUNTINGTON is a
wise man, and intends to use his wisdom
and forecaste for the purpose Of building
up one Of the greatest and most prosperous
railroads in this country.
We say to our friend Of the Mdcr, let us
now act upon broad and liberal principles,
give every facility to trade and travel, and
we shall be rewarded by success that
never can be achieved 10y the narrow, re-
strlctive, CONSTRUCTED, and twisting policy
which hopes TO build up trade by force.
Ulysses Grant, Jr., son o I the President,
y a. Iorxr ,r,iF * bn.