The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-07-26
The Ghost of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The Enquirer Of Saturday, in its leader
mixes wit, classics and sound sense in pro-
portions, as follows:
The night visions of the WM.gof this city
continue to be disturbed by the spectre Of
the Pennsylvania Central. 1t amounts to
monamania. The mind seems to be afflict-
cd with an incurable melancholy. 1t starts
from its dreams with the cry Look, aohe1
At comes again I" Hial
/ After the troubled strife of last spring
and winter we hoped that June would
prove a ''quiet" month--and that the dog
days, at least, would bring our neighbor re-
pose. But the malady is deeper than we
had conjectured, and the Bucktail imps con-
tinue to yex his sleep. On other topics the
Whg is tolerably calm, contained and ra-
tional the recollection of the "Pennsylva-
MIA Centralo throws it into instantaneous
spasms.
''Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The arm'd rhinoceIos, or the Hyrcan tiger,
Take any shape tut that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble.
v Hence, horrible shadow"
The apparition appeared few days ago
in North Carolina. Yesterday it revisited
the line of the Fredericksburg railroad.
To-day it hovers over the Texas Pacific.
And yet the Wing has made some pro-
gress. Last winter, as we understood it,
it was opposed to 'sforeign corporations"
in any shape. Now it welcomes all but the
Washington and Richmond company. 1t
holds out the olive branch to the Baltimore
and Ohio. 1t even contemplates with tram
quillity the Shenandoah Valley road. Last
winter it persistently affirmed that this was
, nI vail.
never to be built. Now it writes as fol-
lows: % lGg gN
II '.We do not oppose the construction of
the Valley road by Baltimore, nor the con-
structioas of the Shenandoah Valley road by
Pennsylvania. On the contrary, we say go
ON and build these main stems with all the
branches imaginable; for the construction
will help our people in many material ways,
and if damage should result to some, it
will be only such as naturally flows from
competition, by which few may suffer,
but the largest number will be benefited"
This is some progress. Why not open
the arms little wider, and take into the
embrace the Alexandria and Fredericks-
burg road, now being "const,ucted?" Is
it nothing to have an all-rail line from Rich
mond to Washington? The Wing did not
think so last winter. Is it nothing to have
the fare and the freights reduced fifty per
cent !? Is it nothing to shorten the time
from eight hours to five?
But again: Suppose that the Pennsyl-
vania Central should get a line across the
entire State without building one foot of
new road (which is impossible); suppose
this should be the case, and that it should
control a through line to Georgia and to
New Orleans does not the Whig know
that this would necessarily lead to the
CONSTRUCTION of roads as feeders to this
great line throughout the South? Not only
In Virginia, but throughout the South. And
would not the development of the southern
country consequent upon this help the Vir-
ginia cities If the South grows, will not
Richmond, and Petersburg, and Norfolk.
come in for a share of the trade !? Particu-
larly when the freights and passenger fares
are reduced, perhaps, 80 per cent.
Again: The Wig is willing, it says in
Baltimore and Ohio to build road the en-
tire length of the Valley-willing for the
Pennsylvania Central to build a parallel
road the. entire length of the Valley-both
carrying the products Of the Valley direct
ly to Baltimore and New York-and yet
the Wing is convulsed at the idea of grant,
ing the right of way to foreign corpora
tom across this quarter of the State !!
Where is the sense of this ? where is the
consistency We cannot see it for our
life. This stops the WAig forever from
farther opposition to this Washington and
Richmond line. The admission it has made
is fatal, and it can neper recover from it. 1t
has broken up its camp.