The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-14
pa,lroad Wars.

80. tnow that war has been
>.,,e, IN this city for some Gays pio'o-
,sss var indeed but war IN Whlcn thefe
s .sSs heen large expenditure OF dec!ama'
,inn. woeful prophecy, and so forth. Such
mannuyres. such strategy, such terrific
whirlwinds of railroad gas, have rarely peeh
seen or heard. With regard to the pending
deadly struggle we have not taken part
but the halls Of the two Houses ana .ne'F
committee rooms have been strewed hSe
leaves ON the strand" with the cards the
belligerents have been hiding for the grand
" final shock" J.
Yet there Is another war close ut hama " 1
which we will have something to So :. in
regard to which the general pri"' ,.iples Of |
fair railroading and the rights E communi-
ties are applicable With ,eculiar force.
That war is the war ove- the bill for the en-
tension and expans' ON of the Chesapeake
and Ohio rai!ros d.. This is one of the
grandest work. on this continent, and its
pans prosnS e to Virginia an amount Of
prosperity that is inestimable. The distant
'nu'ae' Of opposition to this bill have al
teAoS been heard, and the threat Is that
.ns gauntlet that the Chesapeake and Chic
) to run is one Of the toughest, sharpest'
and highest yet reported in the annals Of
railroad fights. 1870.
We are sorry for this. We don't see why
anybody in Virginia should oppose this
great work. The blu it asks is hostile 10
nobody inside Virginia. 1t is not wonder
fnl that the Baltimore Gazette should OPP
Dose It, because two Of the tapping
roads which lie in wait for what the Chesa-
peake and Ohio brings eastward across the
.Alleghanies that may be Intended for the
Northern Atlantic cities are Baltimore roads.
Now, these ''tappers' would be delighted 10
fasten on to the jugular of the hourlsalne
Chesapeake and Ohio road like lamprey
eel to the gills Of q fat shad. But Mr.. HUNT
1SeroS does not intend that they shall do
anything of the kind if the Virginia Legs
.ature will be fair enough to allow MN te
build his own branch road to the Potomac
Who SAYS he is not entitled to carry TIC
freight the Chesapeake and ONO mas
brought from the West as far as he VII
build a railroad to carry it! We cannos
suppose that any just man "oulo
object to his having this privilege ana we
must suspect the sincerity OF any sensible
man hereabouts who puts his opposition to
the road upon any sucn ground. oucp
pretext can be nothing less than screen
to some other objection. There be men,
indeed, who may be wrong-headed enough
to tp,acine that great injury would be done
the State by according this privilege to the
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, but we don't
speak of such Missionaries. We mean scns'-
BILE men Of some practical experience. Such
men cannot sincerely avow any such pollcS
rs that which would prohlbt inc
Chesapeake and Ohio from BRING
Ing over its line any passengers or reish'
destined for Washington, Baltimore, Phia
delpha, &C., much less could they refuse
to that company the privilege OF CAL
rying the freight and passengers they
hive thus conveyed from the West as
far Us they will build railroad to
take them. Least of all, will such
men aid the leeches and lampreys
which lie in wait to suck the life.biood OF
the great work which is entitled to the bu-
siness Won by its enterprise and forecast!
IF we turn from this northeastern branch
TO the line along Jumes river to this city,
we cannot see any reasonable ground OF
objection to it. No Virginian should op'
pose n single obstacle, not even the Slight
est. to this continuation to Richmond. Il
will restrict the heavy trade Of the West To
that valley, and secure 1t all to Virginia
True It will come to Richmond. Is there
objection to that? If there is, we venture
to say no man will have the ctlrontery &c
announce 1t.
So with the extensions east of Richmond
They will never be made If the facilities
shipment here will suffice. Ii not, thef
they will and ought to be made. This cit!
has no more right to stand in the way
commerce than any community or corpora
ton has to stand in her way OF to rcstrlc
her intercourse with the interior. Fal
play is all she asks, and when she attempt
to defeat the golden rule we shall Withdraw
from her support.
But let the war wage. The assailed II
this case will accept the wager of BATTLE
A more causeless one was never initiated
but. confding In the right, the defender
will accept it and fight il out
A rather inexplicable feature of these
DAYS is this railroad belgcrencv. Why il
itP Are there not certain general prin
ciples upon which privileges should be
granted by the State which would put al
end to these horrible, eXtravagant. and eX
hausting wars? Greed and ambition have
much to do with them. Railroad tyrann!
Is q monstrous thing, but it never holds it
ground for many years. 1t is Away
finally beaten. Commerce is like water, i
will find its level, and the heartless system
which dwarf the public interests am
public comfort to subordination to mer
personal gain and ambition will al
perish and pass away in time. Tn
railroads are, after all, but the public high
WAYS, and must ultimately become tn
conveyers Of the people and their propert.
In whatever route they prefer. Those wh'
oppose the general principles which mus
ultimately prevail are but pismies opposing
with wisps of straw the great forces of ia
ture, the irresistible laws of trade and com
merce, which will annihilatc every OBJ
struction. You mustn't go here, and yor
must stop there !; and shan't carry this, an(
YOU shan't carry that. Oh. stuff! Oh, non
sense Oh, folly Oh, knavery! Let these
ideas be put to death in Virginia.
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TIE MORNING STAR AND CATHOLIC MES
HrIa Sc ,t.r.