The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-12-14
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A Free Railroad Law.

To The Editor n the STATE journal:
AS citizen of Virginia who loves his
native state and desires to see her material
interests promoted in every way possible,
rejoice to find you advocating measure
calculated 80 much to advance the general
interests of the State as that Of free rail-
road law.
The principle is right. Let US have rail-
roads wherever they can be built, and if
built with foreign capital so much the bet
ter. We are too poor to build them our.
selves, then let us take all the help we can
get, and thank our friends for it. whether
ut home or abroad.
Our new Constitution has shut down
upon any more state aid to internal inn
provements.
Our people are not able to build them.
Where are we to look for aid, then, if not
from outside parties? So long as we
have the power land we shall continue to
have iD of controlling such measures by
stats legislation we need not fear the
alarm-cry Of foreign monopoly. That ~
all gotten up to play upon the fears of
the public--to favor home monopolies
and allow one or more favored corpora
ton to fatten at the expense OF other
interests.
If incorporated bodies that have the
chartered right to construct railroad will
not do SO, or having done so, will not ope-
rate their improvement so as to promote the
public welfare. then let others come in and
occupy the ground-the former must just
get Of the way and not expect to be foster
ed at tho sacrifice of the interests Of other
people.
But it is said we must build up our own
cities--we must not sacrifice them for the
cities of other states. Very well. So we
should build up our own cities in prefer
ence to those Of other states, but ct the
same time we should not sacrifice the inter.
ests of the State, or of any portion of the
State, to build up any particular city OF
cities. That is going to the other extreme.
Take my own section of the State 1.-THE
Valley for instance. Forty years ago we
had the offer of railroad line from the
Maryland to the Tennessee border, through
the Valley from one end to the other. Bu
the cry Of the interests of Virginia citiel
was raised. The right of way was denied
The Baltimore and Ohio Company wer,
forced to take a route they did not want
and to this day we are left out in the cold
without railroad communication witt
Richmond OF any other Virginia city, GU
interests languishing, and VIC begging 70
somebody to come and help US build rail
road. Richmond is no better oil, and W
are all the poorer for it.
Had we had free railroad law, it woul
not have been thus with us now. l nee
not refer to the dog-in-the-manger policy
that is hackneyed phrase, but we ar
reaping the sad fruits Of it.
True, we have had of late years tn
privilege extended to US of charter for
: railroad to be build by whatever help "
could get, but it comes when it appears I
, be too late-when we have been circun
. vented by other lines, pursuing unnatur
channels, and though we have, ell the tim
! ! had natures route for great through lin
the privilege Of occupying it was denied u
until now it goes begging--what wou
have been seized upon with avldity yea
j. ago, now nobody seems to want.
The injustice thus done us has, for o.
thing, made me universal, free-chart
railroad man. RoCKBRipoE.