The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-20

I,ouDIs, aud ne my Keep HIS pass and g6sso
Heaven with it, Give us simply the right
! TO pass ourselves. Why are our ADVERSE
ries 80 fearful of this simple privilege
why so timid 2 Why do they obstruct so
resolutely every measure proposed to de-
velop this great Highway ? The waves OF
the Chesapeake Bay murmur back the an
swer to these questions. f..
Solomon in his day said that in multi
tude of couusellors there was Safety But
when men start out to follow error, IN the
multitude of councillors, there is peril, Tor
they run against each other. Ny learned
and eloquent friends upon the other side'
blow hot and blow cold with the same
breath, and necessarily contradict them
selves and each other. They tell US at one
time that Tom Scott, and W. I. Walters
and all the Pennsylvania set, tiouted
Reuben Ragland and treated him with
contumely, aud in the next breath they
swear that we are in league with the
pennsylvanans. Mr.. Chairman, why IS
this How is it, MIR. Chairman, that our
! adversaries have access to the drcdna-to
the most secret things in the history ana
records of that wonderful Southern Secu-
rity Company-confdences which we have
never en- able 10 reach, but which 1t has
been their felicity to reveal. And here
will say, that when on last Saturday week
a measure was about to be
STRUGGLED THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE,
! Enthusiastically in the interest OF that
Southern Railway Security Co., which
these men pretend to dread SO much, ana
whose shadow sits upon them like per-
petual nightmare, what was the conduct
of the friends Of our bill ? No sooner had
the serpent shown its head than we
scotched it, We did not stop to count the
risk of offending those friends OF the
| Southern Security Company, and OF the
free railroad bill, whose votes we
might have counted on, because the same
principles that would induce them to vote
! for ecery body's railroad must compel
| them, if they are honest to vote Tor any
bodys railroad. We trusted to the honor
ard sincerity of Yirginian legislators, and
deemed our peril light. notwithstanding
! this, my friends, the..encmy, still trembling
; " assert that we are
IN CONCERT WITH BUCKTAILS.
! God only knows the human heart, ana he
! ONLY knows how sincere men are, there
| fore | will not undertake to penetrate the
motives of my advcrsaries; but | will say
this, that no man whose judgment is not
warned by an interest iii this controversy.
either personal or professional, can believe
for one moment that the Petersburg Kali
road Company IS in concert or connection
with the people Pennsylvania peo-
pe-whom our friends affect to fear.
We ask the right to establish
A FREE COMMERCIAL HIGHWAY BETWEEN
WELDON AND WASHINGTON.
At Washisgton we meet two competing
railroads, one the Baltimore and Ohio rail
road, controlled by John Garrett, your
bon ami, your longtime ally; the other
called the Washington and Potomac, con-
t,ulled by Mr.. Du Barry; both meeting lis OF
the foot Of the Long Bridge over the Poto-
mae, each holding out greedy and anxious
hands i'll competition for all the passengers
,d freight that we can carry and de-
| yer there. At Weldon again returning
| South, laden with all the merchandise
which northern merchants send to supply
! southern wants, VIC meet two competing
, railroads one, the Raleigh and CASTOR,
owned by MIR. Robinson, the other, the
! Wilmington and Weldon, owned by the
Southern Security Company, and controlled
by Mr.. Bridgers. The gentlemen whom L
| represent oUly ask permission to do the
work which commerce requires shall. be
done between these competing lines and
competitive points.
| WISH, Mr.. Chairman, that there were
within the sound Of my voice ten thousand
VIRGINIA LABORER:,
men diigcnt in business, aud therefore fit
10 stand before kings, that they lSht hear
not nc, but my learned tl1cnds, the
gentlemen upon the other side, talk about
! these two railroads, and these two great
! connecting lines Of transportation, as II the
railroads and the transportation companies
were the only subjects worth consideration.
Here, in the presence Of this committee,
,hcv have tainted nc with their ability TO
| lr ak us down. | heard years ago that
they had calculated to cent how much OF
their great profits it would cost them to re-
| duce the Petersburg railroad to the condl-
ton of the grinnng skeleton | described q
! while ago. Let the railroads compete.
Let them underbid each other. Let them
reduce the fares, and whatever may DO the
fate Of the stockholders will not the people
be glad? Living in
TIE GLARE OF THE GLORY OF THE THRONE,
near which my hoDored friends go con-
! s.cn ly abide, they have no eyes to sec out
side the palace gates that laboring people,
whose happiness and whose interest that
throne was built to secure.
am amazed that in a Virginia Senate
snch urrcpublican sentiments should be
uttered and reiterated. repeat the phrase,
such unrcpublicln sentiments, and | scorn
70 qualify the phrase, for if there is a fool
WHO docs not understand it, will let the
iool answer himself according to his folly
rencat, sir, that | am amazed that such
sentiments as VIC have heard during the
last few days should have been uttered
once and again and nothing but my per-
sonal experience of the long suffering OF
this CoMMITTEE could make me understand
how you could listen with patience. The
people have the right to drag these mo-
| ncpolists to duty. I call upon you, sena-
tors, as representatives of the people, to
let down the bars, remove the INSTRUCTIONS,
and let Vi.einia's highways be free, and ii
the monopolists shall thereby be compelled
to reduce their fares and tolls, the people
will lie glad the song that swcetens labor
will be sung with a quicker air, and the
recompense that comes home to the family
board will be more abundant, in proportion
to the reduction of the expenses OF tram.
portatiOn.
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