The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1873-12-18
The Government Compromise
With Southern Railroads.

The Washington correspondent of she
New York Journal of Commerce, who has.
for some years past devoted one letter
year to the condition of Southers railroads
and their attitude to the government, writes
now more cheerfully on the subject than ey-
er. lie says,
At the end Of the war the government
had in its possession an immense amount of
rolling stock and other railway material in
the South, aad in order to help the railroads
there and to realize the value of the propf
erty, the Secretary Of War under executive
coolers, sold it to the different southern rail-
road companies on credit. The demeraliza.
ton Of business interests by poverty, free
dom Of slaves, reconstruction, &C., delayed
prosperity, but some Of the companies paid
up promptly aud discharged their indebted
ness. Others lost money, went into bank
ruptcy, and the government got its share
Others asked extensions and got them; but on
the whole they paid up very we'll under the
surrounding circumstances and showed that
their intentions were not fault From ad-
vanced sheets Of the auartermaster generals
report the following statement apperrs:
At the close Of the war, under executive
orders Of 9Th August and 18th October,
1865, there were sold on credit to various
railroad companies, principally in the south,
railroad material to the appraised value of
1885, 33 IS. There remained due and
unpaid from certain Of these railroads on
Both Juoe, 1872, 1913 ,442 43. During
the past fiscal year, interests and expenses
accrued upon this debt to the amount 5l01,-
573 95 Payments during the year on ac-
count have amounted to S15l 1893 Al. On
the Both June, 1873. the debt uncollected
amounted to $44,558, 924 OF, exclusive OF the
the sum Of $25,7S8 81 which debt is lost by
the bankruptcy OF the company. The total
collections on account Of this, to 3Oth Junt
1873, amount to S5,l16,605 So. There
were originally Fifty railroads indebted. o.
the 30th June. 1872, there were twenty so
but out Of these tAe Alabama
and Florida paid in full january s, 1873
the postal earnings Of the Alabama and Chat
tanooga will more than liquidate its debt;
the Iudianola discharged its debt May "a, |
1878; the Mississippi ana Tennessee dis
charged its debt May 81, 1873. aud the Pa
cifc railroad Of Missouri paid in full July I
II, 1873.
The roads yet indebted are the Alexan-
dria, LoudoSn and Hampshire, (Which has
paid s73,55A and now owes SGss13;) Ala
bama and Florida, Qor repairs;) Alabama
and Chattanooga; East Tennessee and. Geor-
gia East Tennessee and Virgiuia Edge !
field and Kentucky; Indianola; Knoxville |
and Kentucky; McMinnville and Manches-
ter; Mississippi, Gainesville and Tuscaloosa;
Mobile and Ohio; Mississippi and Tonnes
see Me.nphis, GAINESVILLE and Louisville
Memphis and Little Rock Nashville and |
Chattanooga; Nashville and Northwestern
Nashville aud Decatur; Pacific railroad OF
Southwestern branch Pacific
railroad Of Missouri; Selma, Rome and
Dalton.
The aggregate amount of property sold
The companies was S4,965 354 : amount paid
to July, 1, 1873 $2,697 1872; amount due
July !, 1873, 81, 658924.
IL addition to the above the following
named companies discharged their indebted
ness to the goyernment, amounting, principal
and interest, to 1857 1867 30, except the
New Orleans and Ohio Company, which be-
came bankrupt, and the amount (23 68S 81
was therefore dropped from the list of indebt-
ed companies:
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Patomac;
Georgia Railroad and Banking Company,
Southwestern Macon and Western South
Carolina; Museogee; Petersburg; Memphis
and Charleston; Mobile and Great Northern;
New Orleans, jackson and Great Northwes,
tern Mississippi Central; Virginia and Ten
nessee; Montgomery and West Point: Vir-
ginia Central; Rome; Western and Atlantic;
Orange and Alexandria; Manassas Gap; Wil
mington and Weldon; Alabama aud Florida;
New Orleans, Opelousas and Western; Nor
folk and Petersburg; Western North Carroll
ma Atlantic aud North Carolina; Macon and
Brunswick; Selma aud Meridian; San Anto-
MO and Mexican Gulf; Washington, Alexan-
dria and Georgetown; Memphis and Ohio
New Orleans and Ohio.
These companies have discharged their in
aebtedness in the order named between their
dates Of January l, 1866, aud October 81
1871.
According TO the detailed report of Major
NJ. l. iIudington, quarternlaster, III charge OF
this business, seven companies, the AIexan
dria Loudoun and Hampshire, the Alabama
and Chattanooga, the East Tennessee and
Georgia, the East Tennessee and Virginia,
She Nashville aud Chattanooga. the Nashville
and Decatur, and the Southwest Branch IA
cific railroad of Missouri, reduced their in
debtedness s94 800, o. These companies al
so paid on account Of Interest s. ,456 ,62,
making their fetal payments during the year
S96,095,64.
Il ia believed that TIE bill introd pced in
Congress by Senator A'eorn, of Mississippi.
authorizing the Secretary Of War to COM
promise, upon such terms as may be equ.-
table and justiaud settle the existing indeot-
edness to the gnvernnant, and will cause an
end to the whole business by the last of next
June, by enabling the Secretary of War to
make the best compromises he can with ev-
cry company still indebted.
WoMANLY MopEsrY.-Man loves the
mysterious. A c!opdless sky, a full blown
rose, eayes him unmoved but the violet
which hides its FLUSHING behind the bush,
and the moon, when she energies from be-
hind cloud, are to him sources of inspi-
ration and pleasure. Modesty is to merit
what shade is to figure in painting; it gives
it boldness and prominence. Nothing adds
more to female beluty than modesty it
sheds around the countenance a ha 10 Of