The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-03
8ithn1ond 1ispattll.
sE- TIE CIRCULATION OF THE Dis
CATCH Is LARGER THAN THE COMBINED
CIRCULATION OF ALL THE OTHER DAILY
NEWSPAPERS OF THE CITY.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 8, 1873
A yerCE F1,OM THE PEOPLE.
No. g.


Suppose there was no railroad from Wei
don to Washington, and that one was con-
emplated-supposc there were two parties
seeking charter for such road from the
Legislature; that one of these paGties was in
possession Of a present CHARTER, running by
4 different route not only to the same point,
but to several other, practically to all other,
points, with exclusive arrangements by
which there could be no competition on that
route, whilst the other party had no route
at all, would not every reasonable and I'M
biased man say "Of course, give the charter
to the man that now has none, for the other
man las route already, and If he gets this,
he will be sure to harmonize the competi-
ton. whereas the other will make the two
lines compete. and The pubic VIII get the
benefit Of both ?"
But suppose, further still. that whilst one
Is asking for the naked charter, the other de-
mands that the State shall give him, rs a
bonus, S275,200 of her money without in
tcrcst or dividends for many years; shall
allow him to run the new road in subordi-
nation TO the interests of his other road and
its connections. so that the people Oh the
new route shall not have proper facilities for
shall allow him, also, to
waste time III his travel, TO toreSo all diVi-
denR on his ncw road, to pay what it earns
TO the other road, and TO invest the earnings
of both in foreign corporations at both ends
of his cid route, and to violate his charter
mt wiil--would not judicious legislature
say Man. you have one monopoly now,
and YOU ask for another in the interests OF
that at the expense Of the States money
and its citizens welfare. Ii were so dis
posed, have no right to grant your request;
| am estopped by the organic law, one OF
whose lcldin. and most emphatic declara-
tions is that mo man, or set of men, are en-
titled to extensive or separate emouments
or privileges from the community but in
consideration of public services You ask
for the second. not in consideration of pub
lie services, but to protect the other"
But. suppose this greedy petitioner should
reply. You had better grant what / ask i;
out of three railways, or four, besides my
own, which are now represented in your
Legislature, am in league pro hoe utn with
two; We three play into each others hands
we have a strong party when we combine,
and we mean to combine aud force you TO
give nc this double monopoly to advance
me this money without interest or dividend ;
to allow me to work one road at the expense
of the other; and denying to the people
thus taxed any relief, to keep them on this
unequal footing forever, and generally to
violate the law and spirit of my charter at
will; would you not feel that you were
asked to pcrpetrate and peJpetudte an
outagc-that you were menaced, II you re-
fused. with the displcasure of the trio? Or
would you simply think the man was iesting
or was crazy! And yet this series of sup
positions does not in any one item violate
probability. They ere simply the hypothesis
Of case that has been proven by themselves
in every detail before the Senete's committee
sitting on the petition of Reuben Ragland
and others for naked charter, with such
limitations to guard all rights-I say rights
that may be affected as the Legislature In it,
reason may see fit to impose. Every feature
in the suppositions is fact OF common no.
toricty already proven with agSravations-
proven so clearly that one wonders when the
Governor and Attorney-Gcncral, as i'll duty
bound by their caths, will proceed against
charters.
Now, against whom is this double mo.
nopoy, their "eXcluSiyc privileges with.
out the consideration OF public services, .
to operate? Let us sec. Taking the coun.
ties, cities, and towns alphabetically, it ap'
pears that Alexandria, Brunswick, Caroline,
Chesterfield, Dinwiddic, Fairfax, FrederickS'
burg, Grcensyille, Hanover, Ilenrico, Hing
George, Petersburg, Prince George, Rich.
mond, Stafford. southampton, Spotsyiva
MIA, Sussex, are all greatly interested, some vi
tally, in this petition. In 1861 they contained
Il white population of l25 $50; a slave popu'
lation Of of 11l,6S3; real estate valued
Mt $l1 1892, ,620; personal estate valued at
$64, IT'S, $50; capital invested in manufac
lures S4,15G.975, and they made, of wheat,
| ,451 500 bushels, aud Of corn. 5,002, ,S73,
Then they were happy people, worth not
less than Sl20, 1000, 900. What are they worth
to-day, and what are their prospects
Wherein the change? Need tell that along
every foot Of this line there was a battle !;
that Alexandria was captured, Frcdercks-
burg sheled, Petersburg beleagured, and
Richmond burned that the substance of
the intermediate country was consumed by
both armies, and all troddcn into desolationi
ashamed Of her unhappy but glorious lot,
this line Of country asks not for charity, but
that she be placed on an equal footing only
that-with other parts Of the State; and
she finds herself opposed by an old mo-
" hich makes common csusc with a line OF
Baltimore boats that made money whilst she
was bleeding and starving. She finds that
monopoly backed by that president of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad who aided to
dislnembcr The State, and arould lop of
Berkeley and Jefferson that he might run
his trains securely to the West. And,
strangcst and saddest of all, she finds some
of her most gallant and cherished brethren
siding with this alliance against her progress.
This last l cannot understand.
l know how capital, in its trade and habit
of accumulation, becomes as hard and keen
as q diamond in the hand of intellect;
know that the unchecked enjoyment of mo-
nopoly makes its owners as greedy as the
daughter Of the horsc-leech | expect corpo.
rations to combine against the people at
large; but how men who have riskcd their
lives to defend people shull afterwards vote
to oppress these same people; shall refuse to
do, net charity, but bare justice, shall pre-
fer the interests OF strangers to the welfare
Of their ellow.citizens-this, repeat, I1can-
not comprehend. My understanding and
my experience finds for associated capital
an excuse and Il liberation which the
heart does not sanction. Not so with the
peoples representatives. They have seen
the funeral of the Republic of Virginia, the
prescription of her. cherished doctrines. the
defamation Of her honor. They know, if they
know anything, that our only hope, under
Providence, is to rebuild on new iounda-
tions; and shall they refuse Us access to
bricks and mortarf
Under a plea similar to ours the people
living on our east and west line from
Norfolk to Bristol received five aud q
half millions of dollars, for debt of that
magnitude was forgiven her railroad at
her instance, for her own sake; and now
to US, in far worse case, Frustrated by far