The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-03-06
also that the weldon and WIlmiuotor TRail.I

also that the Weldon and Whining ton Rail-
road Company had come here, crawling
subtly like serpent on its belly, and had.
through secret agents, obtained possession
OF the stock Of the Richmond and Peters,
burg railroad. 1t had done, by eyadings
the law, what the Atlantic, Mississippi and
Ohio Railroad Company was forbidden By:
law from doing and now 1t comes before
the Virginia Legislature to ask It TO protect.
it. Would the Weldon and Wilmington
road dare to make proposition inlits coz
porate capacity TO buy the Richmond and
Petersburg roady Would any member Of
this Legislature dare to vote TO sell it?
Never; and it is by these indirect means
that it seeks to attack and carry the citadel
Of Virginia. I unhesitatingly assert THAT
the Weldon and Wilmington railroad holds
the majority Of the stock Of the Richmond
and Petersburg railroad. I hold the Dis-s
patch, of this morning, in my hand; the, (
organ Of this effort Of, the Weldon and Wils.
mington Railroad Company to secure the
Richmond and Petersburg railroad, which .
/! admits that that road holds $500, coo worth
of the stock of the Richmond and Peters.
burg road. But it is useless to dwell on it,
for nobody doubts the fact. lasgfzss5f. 81 ~,
HOW THE TRICK WILL BE WORKED.
There are three parties to this tyansac.
ton. The Wilmington and Weldon rail.
road owns three hundred thousand dollars' !
worth of the Richmond and Petersburg
stock. Other parties, said to be under .the :
lead of John Robinson, hold a lesser
amount. A sale Of the States interest In
the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad (
Company would be thus, in fact, sale to Q
the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad COM
pany; SO that If we had no regard to indi.,
vidual interests, we would force John Rob. 1s
inson and his party to buy two-fifths Of the
State interest for the benefit Of the three.
fifths to- be bought by the Wilmington !
and Weldon railroad. 1t would be using
the interest of the State to oppress the prl-
vate stockholders Of the road for the bene-
| fit of the Wilmington and Weldon railroad.
THE QUESTION AS A STATE INTEREST.
But I rise higher than mere private in-3
terests in this matter. It Is State interest.
The road was chartered that it might be q
highway between the Northside and the
| Southside, but if sold QUITO the Whining.
; ton and Weldon road would become only O
transit route of a grand road through which .
everything would 60 passing by every Yir- :
ginia city, leaving Norfolk wilderness on
| its side. 1is 1
A RICH PROPOSITION FROM AN INDECENT ROAD.
1 IF it had r,ot bnop y,rouon fhot rho Uf1-
mington and Weldon railroad sought to OBJ
tain possession of the Richmond and Pc
tersburg railroad, the proposition made
yesterday would prove it incontestably.
1t Is notorious that the Richmond and Pc
tersburg Railroad Company has been for
years non-paying institution, with very
limited means, and yet this company comes
forward and offers to build road for the
Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad
Company from Petersburg to Richmond.
to cost 100000. Where are its means q?
Who is to build this road? Why, the offer
| is clear. 1t is made for another companys
WHO IS TO BLAME9 l.gj!t
While some are blaming General Ma
hone for the delay of the Orange
and Alexandria railroad bill here,
it is clear to me that but for the Whining
ton and Weldon railroad interest put In
the substitute of the gentleman from Giles,
that the bill would have been long since
, disposed of. Not that the gentleman offered
the substitute In that interest, but the pro-
visions are for the benefit Of the Whining
> ton and Weldon road. Why, the stock
bought up still remains untransferred on
:, the Richmond and Petersburg Company's
books, in the hope that the Virginia Legis-
lature would be deceived into the belle
that it was selling the States interest in the
% road to Virginia stockholders. af
q 1t is provided that the gauge of the Rich
Z mond and Petersburg railroad shall ever
remain the same. It is not intended to STOP
9 southern trade at Petersburg, or direct il
y by the Seaboard and Roanoke railroad
% though that is cha ged against the Atlantic
IL Mississippi and Ohio railroad. 81
y THE FOLLY OF THE TRADE DIVERSION ARGU
'e MENT. a stsH r
d Is it to be credited that it wants to buy
y the Richmond and Petersburg road, so tina
y not ton of freight nor passenger cal
d pass over it? So far from it, it would b
20 to the interest of the Atlantic, Mississippi
~ and Ohio road to receive from every diree
., ton all the freight and passengers tina
VI could be made to come over the road EoI
~ any quarter to Richmond.
- SHALL WE CONTROL THE RICHMOND AND PI
LII TERBURG RAILROAD Or NOT?; II
p What Is the interest of the Atlantic, Mis-
e sissippi and Ohio road in acquiring th
ls Richmond and Petersburg railroad?s
e. they become the owners Of the road it the
LIB becomes part of the Atlantic, MisstssipI
~ and Ohio road, and Is compelled, under til
~ charter of that road, to take the freight
ns passengers, and even the very cars, fror
IL other roads at the same rates and with th
OF same regulations that its own freight, pa
Az senger, and cars are sent over 1t. But
81 YOU sell it to the Wilmington and Weldo
BIZ railroad (hrough the stockholders Of u
Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Con
ell panyl you lose control Of all this. I'll
dy charter of the Richmond and Petersbul
wv Railroad Company, like the Rlchmon,
p- Fredericksburg aud Potomac railroad, ca
be not be touched, and when it becomes, as
he viii become, part Of the Wilmington ~
in. Weldon railroad, it would pass entire
no from our control. So
Ii, THE ATLANTIC, MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO BAL
ne ROAD CANNOT BLOCK THE WAY OF THRoUt
lse TRADE AND TRAVEL, BUT THE LITTLE y
rnpnrv