The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-18

tribute to bis exalted worth and expressing
sincere concern for the necessity which, com.
PEELED him to leave the beuch-that Judge
vino, while president Of this road, had con-
strued the net of Assembly which have read
as mandatory upon this road
TO PAY ITS TAXES TO TIE STATE
and he paid them regularly. And no ques-
| ton has been raised about that obligation
until now, Of which have ever heard.
The amendment to the charter asked By
| this bill would subject all the property ac-
quired under 1t to taxation; SO that
PROVISION TO THAT EFFECT n THE BILL WOULD
DE sCPERFLUoU5. .--
Well may the counsel be willing to accept
such ali amendment, as there is now law
subjecting The road to taxation!
proceed to point out another statement
made in the speech of the counsel because it
involves the conduct of Mr.. Mopcure Robin
son. 1t is charged that he had for the first
time capitalized the non-taxpaying feature
of the Fredericksburg and Potomac Compa-
ny's charter, estimating it at million Of dol
lars, in the offer to sell the road for four mil
lions TO the Pennsylvania Company. l do
not know where the gentleman who made
that statement got his information. I am
authorized by Mr.. Daniel to say there is not
word of truth in that statement. did not
understand the gentleman to speak Of it as 4
fact that he knows.
GEORGE B. RoBERTs's oREpIBrLrrY.
Dir. Lyon: Of course not; but have fled
before this committee two copies of the re-
| cord of the testimony taken before COM
mttee of the House of Delegates in 1871.
The first copy l filed Mr.. Daniel said was
garbled. then asked him to furnish me
with copy that was not garblcd and that
| also IL before the committee. The commit
| tee may decide between them.
Mr.. Daniel: Although did not intend to
say anything in this argument, yet, at the re-
quest Of the counsel, will quote the record
| TO show the truth Of this matter. In the
first place, want to show the credbility
| of this witness, who is quoted as making
| that statement on the occasion referred to.
| This witness introduced printed copy of \
contract which he certified to he the con-
tract which he offered TO make with the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
Railroad Company, word for word, and cir
cuated it among the members OF the I'egis'a-
ture. The original contract, in the hand
writing Of his clerk, presented by him to
Mfr. Robinson, happened to be in my hands.
| 7 also obtained from the clerk of the commit
tee n certified copy of that contract, which
| Mr. Roberts presented, and had them print
ed. as is here seen, side by side, showing
that he oar5lcd that contract, emitting or
! altering the very words OH which depended
| lis mcaning. So much for the credibility Of
the wtness upon that point. Mr.. Roberts
| was under examination Oh oath before that
committee. j will quote from his testimony
| 10 show the utter unrciiabllity of this wiz
| ness rs shown by his own statements. his
own contradictions, as well as the contradic-
| ton OF Mr.. Robinson rs TO what the witness
said. The first OF these contracts, here pre-
scnted in parallel columns, was the one
| originally proposed to the Fredericksburg
Railroad Company. 1t was rejected because
| it was one which tied Tie Fredericksburg
road incXoabiy TO Tie exclusive connection
| with this Pennsy lYania road when it cane
| to Quantico creek, and authorized this Penn
syyania road 10 make contracts for through
| freight transportation, ut any rates they
| pleased, with the southern roads under its
control, without giving the Fredericksburg
road any voice as to what those rates should be.
| OF course il was rejected. and substitute was
proposed by NLr. Robinson to Alr. George B.
| Roberts, and in the presence OF Thomas \.
| BiddIe, one Of the first citizens of Phiiadci-
phia. This substitute was, as / am prepared
| to prove in court, read four or five times over
| in the presence Of MIR. Roberts, and was also
then read by him, holding it in his hands
| and here i'm this room, before this commit
tee, as well as before that of the other House,
when | asked him about that contract, Inc
said, 1ader oath, he had ncrcr seen it, 1hdt
is the reliability of this witness. | will read
q portion Of the testimony. Said Mr.. Roberts
! "NLr. Robinson submitted the proposition
TO Mr.. Daniel. president oil his road, and at-
terwarGs said it WAS rejected, and gave scvc-
raj reasons for it zone OF them, that he ewncd
several steamers, and the PennSl lyania Cen
tral might put freight down so as TO render
| them useless. We then made another pro-
positiop: To lease the Richmond, Frcdericks.
! burg and Potomac railroad, and pay to the
shareholders per cent. That was refused
| We then offered to buy out the stock at 5L
| per cent. above the market price. That was
refused. We offered to buy his stock, and
he fixed the price at $4,00D.000. OF course
that was out Of the question. We could
build II road at hal(the money. He estimated
the value of the road at $4,000 and its
not being taxed hy the State ut 81 10000
additional. We didn't believe that the State
would long exempt it from this taxation
aud thought the value set was fictitious.
| Now, hear Mr. Moncurc Robinson's state
monts as to this testimony of George b. Ro
berts, with Mr.. Robinson's affidavit ap
pended:
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, january 6, 1871.
"My Dear Sir,-I received this afternoon
the No. of the Richmond Dispatch of ycstcr
day, mailed TO me by you. containing state
ment, made by Mr.. George w. Roberts
President of the Alexandria and Frcdcricks
burg Railroad Company, to the Committee
on Roads in the Virginia Legislature, Of con
versatioDs held by me with him. If these
statements are correctly reported they Art
not only qroSs misrepresentation md per
rersi0ns, but some of them are altogether ant
oatirely untt.ue. He represents me, for ex
amnlc. ;ls saying that o,caed several steam
ers. ard the Pennsylvania Central might pu
| frciGet dorn so as TO render then
nsciGss,' | never uttered anything hk'
this: but both ,Messrs. Roberts ant
Scott did iastst, as a condition of and ar
ranycmrnt between the Baltimore and Po
ton.ac and AlcxAndria and FREDERICKSBURG
companies on the one hand, and the Rlcll
mond. Fredericksburg and Potomac Rall
road Company on the other, (what, indeed,
fair Interpretation Of their proposed con
tract calls for) that all trauet and freight be
tween Richmond and Washington should b.
!, forced to take the ali-rail line hctweeI
those points; and to this end, not only tna
the charges should be the same by the sloWe
railroad aud steamboat, or mixed, line az d.
the through-rail line, but that no hrou9
tickets or baggage checks should be given b.
the mixed line.
".You know the very large interest of my
self and family in the Richmond, Fredericks
burg and Potomac Railroad Company, an'
that ny interest in the Potomac Steamboa