The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-12-13
OF VIRGINIA To BE DE.
FELOPED BY RAILROADS.
BY A CITIZEN OF THE STATE.

the construction OF railroa ds consist chiefly
of iron, coal, lumber, gypsum, salt, marble
and agricultural products.
To develope these resources requ res q
just and liberal policy to attract capital and
labor, and lead to the establishment oil
mills, factories, furnaces, mines, qusrries.
and other industries, but especially does it
require encouragement to parties willing
and able to construct lines of communica-
ton, and afford the greatly needed facilities
for transportation.
1t is not probable that under any general
railroad law any more trunk lines would
be constructed between the East and West
for many years. Nearly ell practical
routes across the mountains are occupied
by the great lines now in operation or IN
progress of construction, but hundreds of
lateral roads, connecting with the trunk
lines may be completed, 30 that every val
ley, every existing settlement, every pro-
posed colony, every county may hBva
communications aftoidllg facilities for
Cheap and convenient transit for persons
and property, and presenting by such tacl,.
ties the strongest pesslble Inducements TO
colonization, settlement and improvement.
What is needed to secure these benefits
is system of cheap local roads that can
be constructed by private capital with
the aid of county or town subscriptions,
and operated either by engines or by horse
power.
The resources Of Virginia, including West
Virginia, are probably greater than those
of any other State, Pennsylvania possibly,
but not certainly. excepted. Coal and iron
ore abound in the Shenandoah Valley, and
in all the western and southwestern coun-
Ties of the State. The great gypsum
deposit of Sny the county j, almost the only
one in the United States, and at low rates
would afford large volume Of tonnage.
This deposit is fifteen miles IN extent.
Great variety Of varelgsted marbles exlsts
, in seyera! localities beds Of iron ore,
adapted to the manufacture of bessaIier
steel are found near the North Carolina
line. The valleys of Virgins are naturally
more productive than those vi Pennsylva
INA, and her mountains are covered with
vegetation to their submits, and capabi. o
furnishing blue grass pasturage to subssL
every description OF i've stock, while those
of tho Northern siates are rocky, sterile
and Of lutte value, except in the coal ls-
glons, for their mineral production.
Any iInpt dinent thrown III the way Of
the construction of railroads by taxes or
otherwise, must retard that development,
which it should be the object of legislation
to encourage.
That the railroads of the South should
be purchased and controlled by Northern
capital, that combinations should be FORM
ed, and local lines consolidated into great
arteries OF trade aud travel, Is BY some re-
garded with disiayor, but il the results are
desirable, and il the South has not the cap
Is! 10 secure them, why object to the
source from which the necessary capital is
derived? Is there the most remote posi-
biitv that these combined lines can or will
be operated to the detrment o. Southern
interest Are not the owners of these
lines disposed to make their property re-
munerative, and III what other way can
this be done but by developing resources
and increasing business -anC IL not this
precisely what the South requires? ? Is it
probable that line Of policy which has
been attended with the most beniticent re-
sui q in othtr 5 ate would be abandoned,
wien cltizens oil those ates become inter-
ested in Southern railroads?
What has been the policy of the Penn
sylvans Railroad Company? Nearly
twenty years age, when tile business OF that
road was but $50, 900 tons per annuu,, and
1t was embarrassed by state taxes and ad.
verse legislation, TINS policy was prescribed
in one Of its annual reports: !" Log rates
with moderate dipidends must Indicate the
settled policy upon which the operations of
the road are to be conducted. Increase OF
trade, activity Of business, and the exten
sion Of our great cities, constitute objects
OF greater Importance than large profits
upon transportation. 1t is inmeasurably
better for the interests OF every portion OF
the state that the road should do large
business, even with small profits, rather
than realize tine same profits on smaller
tonnage"
Such were the views expressed and such
the policy adopted in 1854, and what have
been the results? FROM 100000 tons the
stream has swollen 10 over 100000 tons
per annum, and ON the Reading Railroad
the m lvernent Of freight has reached eqnil
proportions. The last report OF j. Ed-ar
Thomson states that the average charge per
net ton per mile upon all treights during
the wear was only l.38S-l 900 cents, but
little more than cent and third per ton
per mile; yet the receipts on irelghts alone
reached fourteen millions of dollars, the
whole receipts nearly nineteen millions,
and tho net profits nearly seven millions.
Contrast these results with the official re-
ports Of the Board Of Public Works Of
Virginia fpr 1870, the most recent in pos.
session of the writer. The first column
gives the whole number of toi S cerrlet.
and the second the average charge per ton
per mile:
Tons. OF
Virgins and Tennessee. 80. l64 500 26e
= s3outnsine. l7p "
Norfolk aud Pc tersbui g...-.......... fp9 $50 ~
Richmond and anvlle....". II ,aos 637
kichmond ana Peterehng..... 81 '6i 40
Riehmoi d, Fiedg aud to nse.- 1885, b.ol
Ora, ". Algebra ann Manassas II 81 500
CHESAPEAKE aud Ohio ..........". 66,os6 ~
Look at these contrast. Seven millions
OF tons per annuIn carried Oh Pennsyl
vanla road at an average charge for all
freights Of one cent and one-thrd per
ton per mile, while only 81, 500 tons were
CO RED on prominent Virginia railroad
forming the only outlet to the North, ut
at a charge Of eight cents per ton per
4 Il