The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-16
The amendment MS amended was then
agreed to by. n uiua 5uoce vote, and, fs..a
On motion Of Mr.. COURTNEY, the Dill
was laid on the table, - fLs>s .sS1r!.
I'm the House OF Delegates.

the question pellig upou VIC 'uoP
ton of the following amendment, proposed
by Mr.. THURMAN on Tuesday: ~ @eoeas
".The said Richmond, Fredericksburg
and Potomac Railroad Company shall have
the right to purchase said stock upon the
same terms at any time prior to. the time
when, under the provisions of this section,
said Richmond and Washington Railway
Company is required to purchase the same,
the market value Of said stock to be deter
mined by the Board of Public Works"
Major NELLY, Of Spotsylvania, argued at |
length In defence of the amendment grant
ing the right to the Richmond, FredcrlcKs-
burg and Potomac Railroad Company TO
purchase the States interest in said ROAD
upon the same terms, and subject 10 the
like conditions that had been offered the
Alexandria and Fredericksburg Company.
He proposed now, rs he had done hereto
fore, to confne himself to the subject I'M
mediately under discussion. When the
question came before the House upon the
passage of the bill, he would then speak
to its merits.
-.,.se~- HOW Mr.. WOOD WAS CAUGHT.
1t was matter of some surprise to him
that the able and astutc member from Hall
fax (Mr. Wood should have so unwittlngly
fallen into the pit-fall that had been digged
for him by the member from Bedford (Mr.'
Thurman). If that provision of the Con-
stitution which declares that " no law shall
embrace more than one object, which
shall be expressed in its title" stood in
the way Of the incorporation of this amend
mcnt in behalf of the Richmond, Frede-
ricksburg and Potomac road, how, pray,
could precisely the same thing-the sale OF
the States interest-be provided for rs to
the Alexandria and Fredericksburg road?
If it was unconstitutional to make such
provision for the frst-named road, it was
equally as palpable a violation of the Con-
stitution to do the same thing for the
sccond-named road.
RIGHTEOUS PROPOSITION.
After having pursued this line of argu-
ment, Mr.. KELLY proceeded to argue the
| Offering the Richmond, Fredericksburg
and Potomac road the right to purchase
the States interest in said road. The same
policy had been pursued to the DanVille
road, and, as far as he was advised, the
privilege had never, in Il single instance,
| been denied to living corporation.
These were peculiar reasons why they
should first have the option of becoming
the purchasers. 1t will be recollected, con-
tinued Mr.. Kelly, that by Il resolution Of
| the House the president Of the Seaboard
road and the president of the Richmond,
| Fredericksburg and Potomac road were
required to present lists Of the stockho!d-
crS in their several roads. Those lists were
furnished the House, and l have what l
| consider as authority for saying that copy
of the list of the stockholders in the Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac road
soon found its way
TO THE POCKET OF Mr.. GEO. B. ROBERTS,,
president Of the so-caled Alexandria and
Fredericksburg road And thereby hangs
a denoument. / have been informed, said
Mr.. Kelly, that if an agent has not been
actually dis patched, there is every reason
to believe that orders have been sent abroad
to the English stockholders in the Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac road
looking to negotiations for the purchase of
their stock.
There are 1919 shares of this stock held
in England, and 2,752 owned by the State,
aggregating over 1000, which, with little
over 5000 additional shares, would give the
PENNSYLVANIA Central the control Of the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
road. l do not, continued Mr.. X, want
them ever to become possessed of that con-
troll. If the Pennsylvania Central is to
have a through route from the Potomac 10
the Dan, want it at least to have a COM
petitive route, that it shall not rear its CO.
lossal head over all the avenues of trade
and commerce, debating its terms and issu-
ing its ukases with the mandatory authority
Of one who sways the destiny of empire.
WHAT sPoTsYLvANIA WANTS.
The people of Spotsylvania, and l as
their representative, do not want what
would simply prove to be a change of mas
ters. / have repeatedly announced that /
stood ready to vote for the charter of the
Washington and Richmond road, if l had
assurance and such guarantee as l could
rely upon, that they in good faith meant to
construct second road.
GIGANTIC IN POWER, WEALTH, AND RE-
SOURCES
as the Pennsylvania Central is acknoW-
ledged to be; dangerous as it might prove
in drawing the trade from our own flourish
ing seaports, still l might be willing to
venture the charter when had q bond as
stronga as that of fate, that at worst it could
only be a competitor with parallel roads,
and not the complete, undisputed mas
ter of the situation.
NOT THE ADVOCATE OF ANY RAILROAD.
And here let me say, continued MIR. H.,
that l do not appear as the apologist or
spccial friend Of the Richmond, Fredericks- |
burg and Potomac road. l have heretofore !
spoken of what i regarded as unreasonable |
eyactions for travel over its road, and l |
have denounced it. But, sir, will do JUS |
tice to that road, whatever may deem to |
have been its shortcomings in the past.
Nothing more; and less would be refiec- !
ton on my sense Of propriety. AS long as
the interests Of the Richmond, Fredericks- |
burg and Potomac road run parallel with |
those of the constituency represent, to |
that extent, and only to that extent, may be |
regarded as defender Of that road. When |
hey diverge, as they have done in the past,
and may do again before this charter is |