The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-10-25
CHESAPEAKE AND ONO RAILROAD.

AS green GASES in the desert is
relief to the eye and rcfreshment to the
spirit, the articles i'll the Dispatch, on
this, to Richmond, all-important subject,
are grateful to our feelings, after long
and weary pcrusal of articles in which
we find nothing but the NORWOOD and
ashes of party strife.
The Dispdtch takes the right view of this
question if the selected terminus is to be
east or south of Richmond, it makes little
difference boys phrase, "a miss will
be as bad as mle''; the terminus should
be HERE and quoting the parallel of
leyiathian be with difference. ''If the
mountain chesapeake and Ohio railroad
will not come to Mahomct (RichmonD, Ma
homet must 90 to the mountain -and our
merchants and real estate holders should
lose not a moment in going out to compel,
by every persuasive constraint, the Chesa-
pcake and Ohio railroad company to make
the head-waters of the James, within bow
shot of Rockets, their great freight depot.
What this railroad will contribute to our
prosperity as commercial and manulH-
turing city, cannot be fully estimated; but
when il is considered that it will be the
nearest route by which produce can reach
tide-water from the oyelfowing West, no
estimate of the effect can well be exagger-
ated.
Take The hog crop alone, which packers
prepare for European markets during the fall
and winter months, and the cutmeats, lard,
barrelled pork, with the slaughtered hogs
not packed, will Gf steam transport direct
to Europe can be secured make business
in Richmond active and profitable.
Then The finer grades Of beef, such as IN
dia mess, from the bluegrass region Of
Kentucky, will be sent to Richmond, in
preference to risking a tedious river and
gulf Voyage ria New Orleans
Tobacco from the same fertile State will
will be shipped for choice of market; and
for security it will not be subjected to
damage on the route, and will be judicious-
ly handled by the warchousemcn here.
Baltimore has grown rich on her railroad
commerce from the West, and Richmond
can and will do the same, if she makes
prompt and strenuous effort TO secure it.
When produce is sent from west to
east, it is plainly demonstrabe that goods
will be returned from the cast to the
west. Take one single item Of Baltimore
trade, which she has captured from Vir-
ginia by her superior enterprise the oyster
trade.
The West now cats. Virginia oysters,
canned, barrelled, piSk1ed and prepared in
every other known way at Baltimore. The
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad will give Vir-
ginia an opportunity to recover This trade,
and transfer the profits of the packers at
Baltimore, to those at Norfolk or on the
York river.
But we cannot enumerate the advantages
which may be made to accrue to Richmond,
if the freightagc OF the Chesapeakeand Ohio
railroad for which road we have done so
much is poured into our city. The rail-
road will Of course seek the point most pro-
fitable--prospectively, for itself. Rich
mond must, by her public spirited mer-
chants, make herself the point of terminus
most advantageous to the Railroad, or she
will lose an opportunity which may never
1ecur in our day and generation.