The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-17

| him of sacrificing the Richmond and Frcde.
| ricksburg railroad to the Seaboard and Bay
Lines, "that many man has built tavern
and locked Il up1n order to keep. a monopoly
| in anotber place; and to all intents and puT-
poses the history Of this road here aud the
history of that road there develops this fact:
that this has been locked up to divert trade
down yonder." That is the published i'm
putation against 3Ir. Robinson. Again, he
has invoked the indignation Of the repre-
sentatives Of the State because the States n-
terest in the Richmond, Fredericksburg aud
Potomac railroad has been sacrificed, as well
as the interest of the other stockholders, to-
subserye the avaricious and sordid policy
pursued by the "Robinsons," as he called
| them. Sir, can there be more vindictive and
yenomous assault upon the character Of a
public officer, or Of q gentleman, than this
MADE, too; before committee OF gentlemen!
Is this charge to be f1ippantly made, and not
established by the striciest and fullest proof?
10 what single fact before you did he point
| in this connection to prove it? Not to one.
After having exhausted his anatomical simiIe,
In which he represented that the veins and
arteries of the commerce Of Eastern Virginia
had been tied up by the "Gobinsons," he
dared not venture 10 point to one single fact
upon which 30 grave an iDputation could
| rest. This accusation was repeated before
| this committee time and again, and in yet
more offensive and unjustifabie forms. l
mean offensive, uBjustifable, unless the most
irretrasable evidence was produced TO justify
them. Upon page Al of this record he says:
"Mr. Chairman, rise in the interest Of the
rUBL1o before committee Of the Senate to
saw that it is the very gist Of this inquiry that
the Seabcard and Roanoke Railroad Com.
pany has been controlled in connection with
tne Baltimore Stean.Packet Company by
cne strewd intellect and one strong will,
under the influence Of 5lG,0 900 year to do it
well. and that he has faithfully taken care
that the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Po-
tomac Railroad Company does not get within
shine of the Baltimore Steanl-Packet Com
pany, which is foreign corporation. For
my purposes. sir, press it; insist upon-it.
I say it is the duty Of the committee to 60 10
the bottom Of it, And, again, upon page 43:
"The Bay Line is monarch of the Chesapeake
bay. and has an interest Of 20 to 25
per cent. per annum, while the Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac road
has paid no dividend since May, 1854,
except when the Seaboard road was down.
Whenever the Seaboerd and Bay Lines are
In operation this stream Is dried up. The
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
road has not paid cent. When that line
stopped this line paid proftahlv. There is
an irreconclabie commercial antagonism be-
tween the route from Weldon to Baltimore
Uia Portsmouth, and the route UiG Rich
Dond." And, again, upon page 5G Of this
record lie SAYS. The question, as stated by
the Chair, is this l.: That if we can show by
testimony that the States interest IN the
Fredericksburg road has been unproductiyc
| because it was worked purpose|y by an able
mind and a strong will to Dmke loss, that
is the question before this Virginia Senate.'
ought, perhaps, in justice to the gentle
man, to state that these ideas have grown
with his growth and strengthened with his
strength; that he learned them wfeD BOY
| from the roces dna5igIds which perraded
the atmosphere he breathed, and, Gn'ortu-
| natelv for the cause Of truth, they were not
| whippcd out of him. When he comes be-
fore committee Of grave senators to retail
| 10 yclI the rumors that he heard when he
was 4 boy be says: 81 know the fact that
ever since I was boy it has been common
| ,1W that the Robinson dynasty Sllo con-
troIIed the Seaboard and Roanoke railroad
| and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and fo-
ton,ac railroad, have always had no use for
the one except to help them make money on
the other" Now, sir, Is 1t matter OF
surprise that Mfr. Robinson should feel the
| force OF these imputatlons OH his character
as q public officer, bis character rs private
gentleman, or that lie should dc.ire that you
should give the subject the gravest and most
careful scrutiny and deliberation. He ill.,
yokes YOU in the first place to protect the in
tercst of the State in lhe Richmond, Frede-
| Dntn ro;1vn.l Iipf
saw in this behalf that the interest OF the
State in that road has been better protected
than in any railroad of this Common~ eath-
far better; tlat il is the only road an the
Commonwealth that las nerer asked sub
sidy from, the State that !: is the only rooG
in the Commonwealth hat has paid her back
her money iarested-erery doHdr O "-and
tl;jrty-scycn per cent. Of her Investment De-
aides. rs the proof before you discloses; that
| it is the only road in the State i'll which The
State owns an original subscription that
erer promises to pay a afarlhlnJ on Ills STOCK
Sir, because the Legislature pleased at the
time this road was chartered to grant it the
riybt of way that should not be contested
for thirty wears the gentleman has made that
q ground Of assault, as if that were crime
to he imputed TO this road in the presence Oh
| This Legislature, which has done aud Is DO
| ing now the precise thing that was done 10
that dav, comforting bounties upon public
| IMPROVEMENTS to get them constructed WneT-
ever private enterprise was insufficient for
the plrposc. You are now trying to give
evav the canal, which has cost us ten nil
lions of dollars, and wisely, in order to secure
IFS completion. A charter was granted
to construct the Richmond, Fredericksburg
and Potomac railroad more than thirty year:
auo-it was one of the earliest ever granted
! Attempt after attempt was made TO construcl
the road. The Petersburg road was built
lonr before it, and it was running ana pay
inc dividends before spade had been stuck
in lhe ground to open the path OF this Fred'
er;cksburg road, because no one could De
| foupd to come forward to build 1t. Why.
sir. tile building railroad from here to
| Washington was at that early perloa fal
more wonderful feat-a more Startling ana
gigantic achievement than it would be now
TO construct q road across the continent
Tom Moore, nearly seventy years ago, had
sung in faltering verse the troubles OF The
war, and Dickens bad more recently sketched
them with his brilliant and graphic pen, and
the exclusive right ofway between Richmond
and Washington for thirty years was granted,
and the road was at length constructed. Ii
paid dividends at u very early day. It was
laid with thin strap rail, common in that
day, and was comparatively cheaply con-
I Quoted. It received NO AID PROM TIE STATE
except the s275,oc0 Of stock which the State
subscribed for. What other road III flr'
giniu has worked its way without subsidy
from the State until it has become the best
the most comfortable, and the safest road ID
the Commonwealth Every other was bul!I
bv thrce-tifths subscription from the STATE
and some received her aid in loans as well
l .lo,. ,,,l,i i'll, "a Gknfn