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

NO. 81. !
4G9, ,43s 63, and the excess OF the Fredef7cks-
burg road was 81, ,526, $4,000. That excess OF
receipts is greater since the WAT than it wns
before. Now, sir, is 1t possible to aDswerth he
foul allegation made against the Robinson
dynasty ''by more econclusiyeand oyerwhelm-
Ing evidence. Upon what does the. charge
rest that the Seaboard road and Bay Line
have been worked in the interest Of their
stockholders to "dry up" and destroy the
interest of the State and the interest Of the
stockholders Ia the Fredericksburg road. ]
affirm in the most positive aud emphatic
terms, and am justified in so affirming, that
it has not one shadow OF foundation in
fact, and not one sciutilla or proof has been
brought to sustain ii. On the contrary, our
testimony yindicates the conduct Of these
honorable aud valuable gentlemen from the
charge preferred against them, while 1t shows
that their generous efforts have been gratc-
fully acknowledged by this Petersburg and
Weldon road, the present complainant. 1t
Is impossible for human reasoning to lend
strategy or force to the conclusive character
of these solid facts and these unerring figures
that have here been placed before you BY the
treasurers of the two companies.
So much for this passenger question.
THRoUGH FREIGHTs OVER THE PETERSBURG
RAILROAD. s&~-l.. 1
Aud turn now to the question Of freigbt..
Assuming that the producer, who had
learned his produce by the sweat of his
broH,n "stood at Weldon balanced in mind,"
undetermined by which route be should
ship his produce" as the counsel has por-
trayed him; what are his opportunities
There lies before him the Seaboard road;
there lies before him the Petersburg road.
charged by each route, and the same.
water transportation awaits hfs produce
to Baltimore aud New York. Why should
he not take one of these linesS How Is IL
that the Petersburg road is obstructcd in its
freight transportation along its line? Was
not this committee amazed aud amused with
the absurdity Of the idea which possessed
the minds of Mr.. Sprieg, and Mr.. Ragland
aud his counsel, that because they had no
means of communication between Peters
burg and City Point those means ought to
be furnished them by somebody l1itaout
cost? Because they had to pay for trans
portatiou of their freight when they bad no
railroad and DO method of carrying 1t they
called that payment
TAx!t
They have railroad to Petersburg only.
How do they expect TO get their freight to
City Point ,cathout paying for sts transit ?
City Point Is the natural terminus OF the
Petersburg road, to which it has been always
pointing-a terminus which its presidents
have united In conlmen0iug and urging; to
which President Collier eIoquently referred
in his report in 1869 US the goal of oil his
hopes "tbe great seaport Of Petersburg" =
a terminus which the stockholders and Mir
Rpgland, Of the Petersburg railroad, twice il
1872, once in March and once In June, de-
clared to be OF vital importance to the pros
perity Of tho road, and had resolu
ton in March, requiring road to be
built TO 1t. passed by its stockholders
That resolution was drawn by John Lyon
the representative ut that meeting of Rag
LANDS interests, and S500,000 was ordered
to be raised, part Of Which was to be uset
to construct il; and this resolution was, a
the meeting of the stockholders in June, re-
affirmed by the report of Mr. Raglaud aDt
the directors, aud they reported that step!
were being taken t. bring it out. Thi.
is what they did as late as June 1872. Why
that road has not been built, which would
have cost but 0,000-why they have no,
spanned the nine miles BY Tailroad-we dt
not certainly know. We only know tha
this great and crowniug policy of the Pc
tersburs road to reach its natural seaport
niue miles away, has been abandoned. 1t ]:
fox-t. tlraf
opposition line of steamers from Richmond
to New York bad ceased to run. Ther'
was but one steamboat on that line in Marcf
and in June Of TT. l feel very confident i
was perfectly well known in March and
June that that line, for lack Of funds to buile
its new steamer, weuld have to be aban
d9ned. 1t Vas sold out in July to the com
letting line upon the express stipulation, as
have been informed, that the merchants II
Richmond and Petersburg should pay The
same rates of charge the opposition
line had been charging; ard now Mc'
Crcady's line is conveying at pre-
ciscly the same rates, except some little
advance on cotton from Petersburg (about
% cents) to cover cost Of transportation to
City Point. No material change has been
made at all. The Baltimore boats are run
ming at precisely the same rates now as then.
What has changed this policy OF the Peters
burg road! What is the difficulty, If their
real objec! was to get to City Point, in sub.
scr1bing enough stock to the opposition line
to New York to have built their boats? Mr.,
Raglaud was in funds, and might have sub
scribcd literally. They could have built q
boat of their own for the Appomattox, and
carried all their freightto City Point. They
could have bought the Fannie Lehr, now run
ming Mt loss, Tor their accommodation, by the
PoWhatan Steamboat Company. No effort
of any sort was made. They have wantoniy
deserted the seaport of City Point and the
fixed policy of the Petersburg Company
since its foundation, affirmed and reaIhrmec
in 1872, and the means provided by them
selves to accomplish it. Now, suppose Thai
road OF nine miles had been constructed
deep water would have been reached
offering the same facilities aud tht
same charges that the Seaboard anc
Roanoke ruiroad enjoys when 1t reache:
Portsmouth, except that the Petersburg
road has ten miles less Of railway coustruc
ton and transportation in its favor. Why
| is not all this enough to induce the partie.
who own the Petersburg road to go on VIII
the Utmost alacrity il the construction
their railroad to City PsintS 1t was pre-
tended they could not get the facilities the!
wanted at City Point from the Powhatai
Steamboat Company. To silence this, com
munication has been read to you from Dir
Foster, the agent OF that line, who says boat
shall be furnished to any extent required b!
the Petersburg road-one day II necessary
"All we want" he says, "is freight. ".
| will take all you can bring with pleasure
Therefore they have nothing to do but t
get freight to City Point--a distance frou
Weldon of only seYeniy-two miles, while b!
the seaboard road it S eighty miles-to reacl
dep water, and the precise charges are mad
from Portsmouth rs are made from CIT.
pnirt Go that both % Baltimore aud New