Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-03-10
The Valley Railroad Extension
Scheme.

Scncne.
The Norfolk Vrgininn, in relation
to the eXtention of the Valley road
beyond Salem, says:
Our concern in this matter is
the endangered interests of every
Virginia City. Every man must
know that this proposed competing
line from Salem to Bristol can have
but one object, can bring but one re-
salt: the diversion of the Western
trade to Baltimore, the destruction of
the through traffic from the South
west over the Atlantic, .Mississippi
and Ohio railroad, and the sublection
to Baltimore of another huge slice of
Virginia, to be added to that other
Virginia which the Baltimore and
Ohio load tore from us by the folly
of a Legislature and the apathy of the
Commonwealth,
This amendment is blow aimed at
every one of uc. There exists no pre-
text for it but the plrpose to destroy
tie existing through line, in which
Virginia owns 81, Goa, ,000 mortgage.
and on which depends Virginia's hope
of future cOmme. cIal power. The
amendment, establishing a parallel
line cheek by jOwI with the Tennes-
see road and giving to the Baltimore
and Ohio a charter right to flank the
terminus of that road, is an amend
ment that might better be called a
cOnfl5catiOn act, and should be follow
ed 10y law offering to sell the Ten
nessee road to John w. Garrett fer
the price of the rails upon it. Let the
amendment pass and Baltimore swal-
lows Richmond, Petersburg, and Nor
folk, and the commercial indepenu-
ence of Virginia will be but an idle
dream.
A Scheme that Should be VCnti-
lated. -
From the Lymchburg Vir-iran.
We have good reason to believe that
there are parties now in Richmond
who wish to throw bone of cOnten-
ton into our Legislature that can only
consume time, provoke angry cQStro
veIsy, invOlvea useless waste of the reO-
pies money in prOtracting the session,
and come to nothing in the end. We al
lude to the project to secure AN amend
ment to the charter of the Valley Rail
road Company that would make BriS-
tOl or some point beyond the western
terminus of that road, instead of Salem,
as provided in the charter. We take
it for granted that no Virginia Legis-
lature could countenance a scheme
that would leopard the interests of
line already built and in operation
a line in which the Virginia cities of
Lynchburg, Petersburg and Norfolk,
and, to some extent, Richmond, have
n 81 an In Of
We cut road at vast expense through
the mountains of Southwest Virginia
to secure its trade and that of the rich
region lying beyond, and now that we
are embarrassed and groaning under
the weight of taxation which this
work devOlved upon us, would the
Legislature consent to the construc-
ton of rival road that is not needed
by the people of Virginia to divert
trade that legitimately belongs TO us,
to outside. cities?
And further: Is the Legislature
willing to cripple a line that is indebt-
ed to tie State to the extent of four
millions of dollars and deprive it of
the ability to discharge its obligation?
Can it consent to adopt this suicidal
policy? Could it be induced to make
our cities mere way stations for little
local trade, and allow the great
through business to be switched off at
Bristol and whirled down the Valley,
debouching at a Western Virginia
county, wrested from us by means
that we do not care now to expose, to
reach the northern bank of the Poto-
mac in foreign State?
We do not believe that it would be
possible to secure such an amended
charter. The scheme is too mGnstrous,
and, therefore, we do not fear that it
can find favor with a majority of our
Legislators. We only deprecate its in
PRODUCTION at this time for the reasons
stated in the beginning of this article.
But We shall be prepared to ventilate
it thoroughly and expose it in all of
its eDormity, if occasion should re-
Quire.
As it was understood at the outset
that there should be no railroad war
during this session, and that the Leg
islature would devote its whole ener-
gies to the consideration of other ques-
tlons of more pressing importance and
then adjourn, TO the relief of the tax
payers, we hope that IL will adhere to
this policy and pay no attention 20
hired attorneys lobbying in the inter
est OF such schemes as the one cited.