The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-02-03
Greaiag State Soalr,sal
FRIDAY EVENING, FEB. 8, 1871
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS.

Now, by st. Paul, the "oiA so'
bravely on!7 The railroad war rage
with redoubled vigor. The Enquirer come
calamity to the rescue Of the. Alexandra
Fredericksburg and Richmond company
and its patron, the Pennsylvania Central
from the bravo-like assault of the Whig
which waylaid it on Wednesday night
and thought to deal IL death blow in tn,
dark. But the brave young Enquirer wa
just over the way, and responded nobly Il
the Mailing sign of distress, arriving il
time to save its friend from the treacherou
dagger. This morning it foils the assault
of the Wing in mastery style, showing
much skill at fencing, but admits that thu
blow was unexpected from that quarter
1t says:
It curious to notice the devices of the op
ponents to an all-rail connection from Rich.
mond to Alexandria, and it is somewhat
surprising that in the hour, when the main
struggle should come, that 1t should receive q
blow "in the house of Its friends"
This company has come before this Legisla-
ture with the honest purpose to give an all rail
communication between the State and National
Capitals, and to relieve, by loU rates and quick
time, the people from the burtheas that have
hitherto dwarfed their interests by close cor
poration, which is bound by its connection with
other lines to deny the ommodation to traffic
and travel which the public veal demands.
1t does not come to injure, much less to ruin.
It's mission is to build up and to improve, not to
pull down and destroy, and 1t boldly and fear
1essly has presented to the General Assembly
its programme.
The friends of the "all.rail line" were
surprised yesterday morning, at the
changed attitude of the Wing; but while
all exclaimed, "And you, too, Brutus," we
did not hear one add, "Then perisbj Cesar"
No. no. The Rubicou has not been crossed
by Our modern Caesar, merely to fall in
the Capitol under the daggers of conspra-
tors.
The motives of the Wig were, of course,
not impugned by any one. Their dsiu-
terestedness was not called in question.
To carry out our classic comparisons, they
were considered as much above suspicion
as Cesar would have his wife to be. Sud-
den conversions are by no means unusual.
st. Paul's was celebrated case, but not
the only one. And although the Wing
may not have seen great light from hea-
ven on Wednesday night, it most certainly
received "more light" from some quarter.
It came in fiery chariot we understand,
and was from the South, not "the East"
"O'Hone Widow McCrea-dee !"
The Enquirer then goes on to show how
shamefully the Alexandria and Richmond
company have been misrepresented, with a
view to prejudice the people against their
enterprise, and defeat it before the General
Assembly:
This company asks no rights and privileges
not given to other railways in the State, and
il there be any who imagine that powers are
included which would place it on higher van
tags ground, and which are feared will work
a wrong, let the powers be indicated, and the
claim will be yielded promptly. Ifitbe feared
thatupiust determinations will be made against
existing roads, let supervision be made forbidding
such, not only to existing, but to roads here
after to be constructed. If the bill is con-
sidered as not providing sufficiently for the
protection Of the States interest in the Rich
mond. Fredericksburg and Potomac COM
pany-amend it SO that there shall be no room
for dispute. Is there anything more to be
done Let the friends of Virginia indicate it,
and it will be yielded.
Now, what in the name OF all that is
reasonable, can we ask more than this?
The people, whose interests will be bene-
fitted by building the through road to
Washington certainly want nothing more
and is their welfare to be sacrificed to keep
a monopoly of all the carrying trade in the
hands of these steamship corporations, at
their present ruinous charges, high freights,
and slow timetables?
While declaring that the new road de-
sires to connect with the Southern roads,
for to connect is the policy of all new rail-
ways,--yet the Enquirer, speaking by au-
thority, of course, says the Alexandria road
has no objection to the erasure OF the
words, "and lease, purchase, and operate
such connecting roads, (which have SO
startled the Wbig,-from the text of the
bill. Then, what more can we in reason
ask?
In denial of the charge in the Wing, that
the Pennsylvania Central has "not acted
frankly and honestly" with the people of
Virginia, but while pretending one thing
has sought another. e.-while profess
ing only the desire to come to Richmond,
it has been actively engaged through its
agents in "buying up our roads and our
Southern connections. so as to have abso-
lutte control of the roads which pass
through the State,-that it might pass
freight and passengers through our State
without breaking bulk or stopping, and
thus bringing ruin upon our "Seaboard
cities"-the Enquirer says
The fact, per contra, is, that the Pennsyva-
MIA Central owns no interest in any of the
roads mentioned by the Wing and we say SO
upon authority of those that ought to know.
In the Richmond and Petersburg road not
one dollar has been invested by the Pennsyl-
yania road, nor by its friends. We have been
informed by the purchasers that such is tn
fact, and that they are Baltimoreans and Viz
ginians, not in the interest of, nor subject to,
the influence of the Pennsylvania company.
We are further authorized to say that the
Petersburg road, is owned in the city OF
Petersburg. e., the controlling power ;
and that no effort has been made by the Penn
sylvania company, nor by any one in its be-
half, to buy up dollar of its stock. Nor has
any offer been made to buy it save by Mr..
Moncare Robinson, who, by himself and
friends control the Richmond and Fredericks-
burg road, and owns, in major part, the Sea
board road.
We are further informed that neither the
Pennsylvania road, nor any one in Phisdel
phia, holds any interest in the Weldon and
Wilmington road that Mr.. Cameron's whole
interest is to the extent of 500 shares, and that
no one else connected with the Pennsy lvanis
road (including Mr.. Scctt) owns share there
in and the whole interest held by people In