The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-09
AN EXPLANATION.


THE ALEXANDRIA AND FREDERICKSBURG RAIL-
7 ROAD CoMPANY-AN EXPLANATORY LETTER
FROM MoNoURE ROBINSON, ESQ.
The following letter from Moncure Robin
son, ESQ, will be of interest apropos of the
testimony of George L. Roberts, Esq, Presi-
dent Of the Alexandria and Fredericksburg
Railroad Company, which we quoted from
the Richmond Dispatch in our issue of last
Friday
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. G, 1S71.-My Dear Sir;
Il received this afternoon the number OF
the Richmond Dispatch of yesterday, mailed
to me by you, containing statements made by
Mr.. George w. Roberts, President of the
Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad
COMPANY to the Committee OF Roads of the
Virginia Legislature of conversations held by
me with him. If these statements are cor
rectly reported, they are not only gross mis-
gepreSentdti0nS and perUerS50nS, but some of
them are altogether and entirely untrue. He
represents me, for example, as saying that I
"owned several steamers, and the Pennsyl-
vania Central Railroad might put freight
down, so as to render them useless"
! Re0er uttered anything like this, but both
Messrs. Roberts and Scott did insist, as a
condition of an arrangement between the
Baltimore and Potomac and Alexandria and
Fredericksburg Companies, on the one hand,
and the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Poto-
mac Railroad Company, on the other hand
(what, indeed, fair Interpretation
of their proposed contract calls for),
that all travel and freight, between Richmond
and Washington, should be forced to take tile
GII-TGG line between those points, and, to this
end, not only that the charge should be the
same by the slower railroad and steamboat,
or mixed line, as by the through rail line, but
that no through tickets or baggage checks
should be given by this mixed line.
You know the very large interest of my
self and family in the Richmond, Fredericks-
burg, and Potomac Railroad Company, and
that my interest in the Potomac Steamboat
Line is a small one (a6SoLttely or IN proper
tiOn), compared with that in the railroad COM
pany. have no interest in any steamboats,
other than those of the Potomac Steamboat
and Baltimore Steam Packet Companies, in
which last my interest Gas in the Potomac
Steamboat Line) is small, compared with that
of myself and family in the Seaboard and
Roanoake line, with which it connects.
You can therefore appreciate at its proper
value the statement of MIR. Roberts, and
the dnSmus which prompted it when he says,
''We understand that Mr. Robinson was able
to sink, and was sinking, his interests in the
roads in which he was interested, in order
that he might make his property in steam.
boats more valuable"
Mr.. Roberts has equally msrepresented the
conversation had with as regards pur-
chase of the stock of the Richmond, Frede-
ricksburg, and Potomac Railroad Company.
In reply to inquiries as to the price at which
the stock could be purchased, l stated that
the stock held by myself and friends could
be bought at price per share, based on what
such road as that of the Richmond, Frede-
ricksburg, and Potomac Company and its pro-
perty would nOl0 cost, and L may have said
(what certainly believe) that the road of the
Richmond, fredericksburg and Potomac
Railroad Company could not nO1C be built,
and its rolling stock and other property be-
longing 10 the company be purchased for
three millions of dollars; but defined no
price for the stock of myself and friends, and
certainly never presumed to offer to sell any
other stock.
In one respect, Mr.. Roberts correctly repre-
sents me-Imean as regards my refusal to con-
sentto q lease to the Alexandria and Fredericks-
burg and Baltimore and Potomac Railroad
Companies Can there, indeed, be imagined
anything more preposterous than the idea of
leasing well-built and well-equipped rail
road, free of all embarrassment, to two other
railroads, one not Cor scarcely begun, and
the other not half finished, and of which few
if any persons know who the proprietors are?
/ may add that 1 should not have considered
such lease much improved by guarantee
of the officers of the Pennsylvania Central
Railroad Company-a guarantee given SO
extensively and for such immense amounts
as to impair greatly not only it's value, but,
with thoughtful men, that of the stock of the
Pennsylvania Railroad also.
You are at liberty to make any use of this
you see fit. Very truly yours,
M. ROBINSON.
PETER V. DANIEL, JR., ESQ.,, Prest r., f. .,
and p. Il. Il. Co., Richmond, Virginia.