The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-19

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men solye 1t as ] have solved it Won will
agree with me that The wisest management
of these two roads Is that or one head. who,
In tho interestsiof the Fredericks sburg road,
should see that passenger and freight rates
on the Seaboard should not be put down at
such ruinous figures as would exclude bust
ness from the Fredericksburg road. IL this
is true as general principle, how Is It fortl.
fed and strengthened, Sc far as the interests
OF the FredericksburgToada are concerned, by
the fact that the common bead of both routes
has twice us lurge an interest in the Frede-
ricksburg road as he, has In the Seaboard
road and Bay Liner That fact is before the
committee in evidence.
When George B. Roberts, the President
ofithe Quantico road. aud Vice-President OF
the Pennsylvania Central, was before the
House Committee some two years ago he
was asked whether this interior line OF 240
miles could compete with seaboard line OF
shorter distance. "Oh!" said Mr.. Roberts,
"aS to heavy freights, they would so BY a
seaboard line, and one would be maintained
for that purpose" Of course that result
would be accomplished by the purchase Of
the present road by the use of the same
agencies that have been employed to sub
be by the construction OF O parallel road y
cannot but suppose, MIR. Chairman, that
this committee has long before this seen the
conclusion which have been endeayoring
to reach In the presentation of these facts
aud infercnces. believe / am warranted by
the developments of this case in declaring
that Mr.. Ragland never has had, and has not
now, any bona .tsde purpose Of building a
railroad between Petersburg and the Poto-
mac; but that the whole movement is q
tion of S249, 600 to himself and his associates,
anu ending with sale of the franchise,
if obtained, to the Southern Railway Secu-
rity Company.
No man can look at the map for five min
utes without being satisfied that, the natu-
raj and profitable route. for thrQagh freights
from Petersburg is by City Point. Mr..
Chairman, in that route Norfolk finds COM
petitor have already said what thought
Of the advantages of the Seaboard route for
heavy freights, but In spite Of that, / have
no hesitation in saying that the City Point
route If inferior at all, IS but slightly so. You
have eighty miles of railway between Weldon
aud Portsmouth. The City Point route has
but seYenty-two. At both there Is deep
water. As a compensation for the advantage
of eight miles of railway, you are nearer to
northern markets by some three or four
hours. The rates from City Point to Balti.
| more are the same us those from Portsmouth
| to Baltimore. Dir. McCready, the man who
| is said to be hostile to Mr.. Ragiand and
| friendly to Mr. Robinson, takes freight from
City Point to the North on the same
| terms that he does from Portsmouth.
Even with Mr.. Robinson's shadow and
Mr.. McCready's hostility, Mr.. Ragland OBJ
tains at City Point alI the advantages which
Dir. Robinson holds at Portsmouth. This ID
! the route which the Petersburg road sough!
when it broke faith with its allies in 1916
| 1t then saw its advantages, and has always
professed to see them until modern events
taught it to hold different doctrine. Lei
me give one illustration Of tho advan
tages Of this route to the Petersburg
Company: The sum of 1924 IS now
| charged by the Seaboard route to Baltimore
The same sum is charged by the Petersburg
road by way of City Point to Baltimore. d
this amount the Petersburg road receive!
one-half. If Mr.. Ragland had continuous
line of railway from Weldon to Baltimore o
course he could not charge more than tn
Seaboard route does--to wit, $2.24, Of which
sum the Petersburg road for its siXty-tw'
miles could only receive 56 cents. Will any on
believe that Mr. RagIand or the Petersbur
road would surrender line upon whic
SLIP was received, and send freights by on
other, receiving only 56 cents? l repeat
that even if Mr.. Ragland owned a continuou
railway from Petersburg to Baltimore, h
would not send freights over it if he consult
ed the interests of the Petersburg road.
At this point, the hour Of twelve hayln!
arrived. the committee adjourned until Mon
day the 18th instant, when Judge Quiz
would resume bis argument.