The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-10-25
THAT'S What's the Matter.

That's What's the Matter"
The Wing, noticing the article IN u
Dispatch of Monday, under the heaa
1.-The Terminus ;" exclaims :" what IN u
world is the matter p and it expresses su
prise that the Dispatch should at TINS ID
appear to be alarmed concerning Tue .e' IL
nus Of the Chesapeake and ONO ra''to''
since it has heretofore uniformly seehieo
perfectly satisfied on the subject.
We will tell the Wing what is the ma,te
This paper has not been at all an1io'
about the terminus Of the Chesapeake an
Ohio railroad. under the supposition I'M
everything would he done here In Rfc'
mond to make available all the advantage
OF this locality for the purposes OF con
mercc and the forwarding and receiving
produce and goods on the line of COMMIT
nication with The West uia the Chesapeai
and Ohio railroad. Fulfil that condition no"
and no man in Richmond need fear any
thing about the question OF terminus
that great railway. Perfectly easy "A" 49,
cilitated access for that ROAD 10 si'acio", on.
wcll.constructed whnrYeS on Jaine' ,..
at Richmond. and the deepening OF oumI :,
river N TWENTY-FIVE or more rect At my.
tide, ariH settle The question beyo1o l'e'""
venture.
I'm, without these accommodations the
question is not settled.
Now. then. let Us see: There is com
pquy within the Chesapeake ana oiiio '"'''
road Company styled land coihpa"! :
Several OF the principal men in that eolh'
many are members OF this land company.
TbeIr object is to purchase lands when
NAV he greatly enhanced by running Tue
railroad to or through them, and thus 10
secure a large profit upon their investment
Il is probable that the land company Is
quite able to make an impression upon Tue
policy of the railroad company.
uisam matter of general knowledge that
the land company has purchased large
tract of country in the peninsula between
the James and York rivers, which includes
both Yorktown and Newport News. Some
Of the members of the land company are OF
opinion that great city may be bullt AT
one or other Of these points. we are con-
WINGED that they labor under great delu'
sion; but we are Of opinion that they are
ready at least to make an eXperlment-an
experiment, we believe, which will be at
tended with loss and disappointment. But
orr opinion has no weight with them, ana
il matter of no consequence now.
This, then. is the present attitude Of this
important question. The railroad com
rtny are disposed to avail themselves OF
every facility that the people of Richmond
may afford to them, but the land company,
whose interests may, as we have said, make
an impression upon the policy Of the rail-
road company, Is very indifferent as 10 what
Richmond may do, and would not be at all
urieved il she were to tlout the railroad. 1t
would then be hurried down the peninsula
under the strong impulse of the expecta-
ton Of millions of gains from the founding
of new city on the salt water.
In that event, who cannot see that Rich
monG would sustain a very serious injury !!
Grant that the company shall be dlsap-
pointed in these "great expectations 1t
VIII tax" years to ascertain this, and In the
mean time Richmond would be retarded
and crippled and respondent, just as she
has hecn for forty years, for want of yigi-
lance and promptness-losing the good
she Oft might have won, by apathy, sloth,
and timidity.
On Saturday we understood that the
authorities of this city We're very apathetic
on the subject, and probably averse to
doing anything at all that called for the
slightest expenditure Of money on the part
of Richmond: rumor which derived con-
sequence from the inopportlnc delay in
the consideration OF the question. In
other words, the signs and outgivings i'll
culcatcd the apprehension at least that
there was danger that our authorities were
inclined TO do the very thing which the
chesapeake and Ohio Land Company were
probably DESTROYS they should do. that an
other city might be built and millions thus
made by that company.
1t is against any such folly rs this that
We are demonstrating. 1t is suicidal. 1t is
throwing away the greatest boon ever
offered Richmond, and for the most paltry
OF reasons. We can hardly realize it that
any man Of public position and ordinary
intellect should be so narr0w-minded and
short-siehted ~ to imperil the great inte-
rests of Richmond for so contemplate a
reason. We trust we aIe led into ground
less fears, but we at least think it sale to
tell the people Of Richmond exactly where
they stand.
This, we say TO our friend the Wing, is
the matter. We have lost no confidence in
the Chesapeake Company. We never re-
lied upon them farther than their interests
might concur with ours. But we have le.
lied upon the city OF Richmond, and shall
be wotully disappointed il, by parsimonv
and II stolidness which would prove her to
he incapable OF comprchending the great
opportunity now rendered her, she should
REJECT the chance to make herself the true
terminus OF the Chesapeake aud Ohio rail
road and throw away the inmeasurabl,
blessings it can bestow upon her.
1t would he idle to censure the Lam
Company If they were censurable. The
are doing what they have right to do
and il they can promote their own interest
and those OF commerce by running by Rich
hoilt, VIZ W OUSlI luSlu
But we may censure that folly of Rich
mond-should 1t he committed-whic
would help the company to inflict astu
injury upon her by failing to make avals
bic the superior advantages with whic
nature has blessed her.
AS the Wing said last summer, with III
people of Richmond the question as t
what they shall do to make their city tn
terminus is not one of sentiment or jll.