The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-21


burg and Potomac Railroad Company such
restrictions as to rate Of travel, tariff of
! transportation, and the subject of taxation
as will correct the mischief, If any exist,
which, all the circumstances considered. /:
do not believe is the case. Why, then,
shall we not grant that. charterf or upon
what ground shall 1t be better for us to give
the authority to the Pennsylvania Central
Railroad Company BY approving the pre-
sent bill? None Mt all.
se-. BAsELEss CHARGES.
But the speaker denied that there had
been any oppression along the line of the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad. That there had not been could
be fully demonstrated, in spite of open and
secret charges to the contrary. But to this
question he would not address himself. be-
lieving 1t utterly imnnaterial at this time.
Admitting that such oppression had been
practiced, he proposed to correct it in a
way other than that indicated in the bill.
Will you correct it by giving the matter in
charge of another monopoly?
THE GREATEST MONOPOLY ON EARTH,
and put it entirely beyond the power of the
people to correct it, One company has the
power of crushing us, and we can exact
such conditions of the other that they can
not WELD their power to our disadvantage.
Shall we admit to Virginia corporation so
powerful in Pennsylvania that it controls
the Legislature, influences the courts, and
that no paper in the State with more than
200 subscribers dare to publish an account
of a railroad accident with comments I'M
favorable to the company. No impartial
Pennsylvania will deny that such is the
case. Should we not hesitate before giving
such corporation foothold in Virginia
IF we grant this charter, will we not be
placing it in the hands of power that we
cannot manage?
| ON THE OTHER HAND.
Suppose we allow this charter to the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
Railroad Company, we supply the missing
link and give relief against the oppression
alleged to exist without lny drawbacks; a;
whereas if we grant the charter to the
Pennsylvania Central we shall give them an
opportunity to prey upon our roads like
vulture-to subsidize and sieze them. Sirs,
like the vampire upon the weary and worn
traveller, this Pennsylvania Central Com
pany is tanning us into sweet slumber
while they are preparing to
tsUCK THE VERY LIKELIHOOD FROM OUR VEINS !;
for, gentlemen, they knew we were poor.
Indeed, l think it not improper to digress
fright here to notice the twittings Of us by
these Pennsylvania Central gentlemen about
our fogyism and their talk about our pov-
erty, rs also their tauntings of their own
progress and their boasting of their own
prosperity. Mr. Speaker, / cannot refrain
to enter upon this depression, because I
really think that under these taunts
some of our members seemed to man.
tie with shame at our poverty and
talleged fogyiSm. Sir, we are poor, but
am not ashamed of the poverty. What
caused the charred ruins of our cities and
mansions, the badges of mourning and the
habilments of woe still Worn by hundreds,
and but recently dofed by the thousands. the
wounds of the manned in our midst, and
the heroic dust Of the dead at our feet: AL
proclaim that "srim-yisaged war" has
stalked among us; that this is the cause Of
our poverty, not the unwholesomc legis-
lation OF OUR fathers. As TO our
OLD FoGYIsM,
permit me to say that it is doubtless true
that we are addicted to clinging with great
tenacity to the opinions of our fathers
still / can't think that is an unpardonabe
sin. ] think at the last grand assiZc this
fault will be looked upon with tender re-
gard. 1t is true we have had a different
system of education and different system
of society from those which exist in the
State wherein is the chief existence OF the
>. Pennsylvania Central Railroad Company /;
but ours has been productive of all that
makes life happy-the great object of all
human efforts. Without discussing the
question, say to them we give them no
boot. We are satisfied. We have all we
desire, all we need. repeat again, we
ask nothing of them. Our advantages,
mental, moral, intellectual, and physical,
are equal to theirs. Our skies are as balmy
and bright as theirs our lands are as broad
and our women as chaste and beautiful. /
relterate, WE ASK NOTHING OF THEM.
FAIR PROPOSITION.
He was in favor Of granting one of our
own companies the right to supply the
missing link of railroads for more reasons
than one. Not the least was the fact that
by granting another the privilege we would
violate our plighted faith. We could not
do so without interfering with the vested
rights of citizens Of Virginia and others,
who invested their money thirty-four years
ago in the Richmond, Fredericksburg and
Potomac railroad.
The Legislature of Virginia had given
that company certain privileges, and he,
an humble descendant of one Of the men,
bers of the Legislature which granted those
privileges, for one, would never consent
TO VIOLATE vIRGINIA's PLIGHTED FAITH.
He was also opposed to granting the
charter because he believed it to be the pur-
pose of the Pennsylvania Central Company
to swallow up all the railroads in Virginia
and south Of us necessary to give them the
control of the southern trade and to di-
vert it
| FROM ITS NATURAL CHANNELS TO
] PHILADELPHIA.
It is to enable them to construct a great
| through line from New Orleans to Phila-
delphia, for the purpose of sustaining with
our cotton and tobacco new line of oceanic
steamers. . ... .... r---.
| a.. s.s-: THE BENEFITS.