The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-04-23
The Gauge question.

Carolina to Greensboro, theEe W
with the North Caroliua railroad. IL was
not until the war and under the great pr
snre Of the demand of the military seiti'.
that the right of way was gran,eu, aAa !
was Granted with tho condition that inc ioau
,.~,, n.nvi,,e to Greensboro should &c OF
49, 49, foot 81 inch gauge TWAS accordingly
built. ,,oT, ,;s.
,s,ure this gauge was changed to five feet
the company hoping that the gauge Oh inc
rood from Greensboro to Charlotte would al
IN carly day be also changed, giving k,ch-
mond uniform gauge into South Carolina
With the present combinations u,a A'lant''
we should now have uniform gauge ~
Mobile and New Orleans.
When the Pennsyivanians Tor whoever
they may beg, who purchased large interest,"
in the Danyille line, succecdedin leasing Tue
North Carolina railroad, it was thouShs
there was an end to trouble, and that INC
line between Greensboro and Chariotte
would be changed to the fiye-foot gauge
but when the change was about to be maze
IN INJUNCTION was gotten ous-not Dy Nortn
Carolinians, but by corporations OF virginia
and other StA.es-to prevent it. The lillga'
ton growing out Of this injunction Is sui
nondinv. and heaven only knsws how long
it will continue.
The Danyille Company next essays e gel
nermission-should it deem it proper to
change its gauge in Virginia. And "hs op'
noses their petitionl The same parties who
got out the injunction in North Carolina.
Wby daes this same enemy appear every
where! Because the Danville road sunci'
the serious Inconvenience Of several oreahs
uhich enure to the advantage OF Wose .0"o yos ~
ont The Injunction. Therefore they VIII not' II
.bov can nreyent it, permit the DanViIle ROAD
;, ro,i.,e itself of the difficulties so adTan-
,ovcous to them in the competition they carry
on against IL.
This is the whole matter in brief. And as
thc Danyile road is now the most important
Of the tributaries to the commerce OF Rich
mopd, lust as that road is injured by the en-
ioiners and their allies seeking to perpetuate
the breaks that are so hurtful to the DanvliIe
road are we of Richmond hurt in our bus'-
ness, The wound Indicted by these people
upon this city cuts near to vital point.
There are other matters bearing upon thlS
question OF deep interest, but all go 10 sho"
the absolute necessity Of liberating the Dan
VILE read from its breaks. 1t is crippled in
its competition with other roads-one OF
them the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio
roa,l-and that is another hint to find out
the contents of the cocoanut That road
spreads its arms west and southwest and
south to Atlanta and the region thcreabout.
To Atlanta the route from Richmond
IS an airline. 1t has She advantage In
distance and in grades over the Atlantic,
Mississippi and Ohio +; but if the Danville
IAN be tied TO its breaks they go far to Grip
pie it and take away the advantages it pos.
j sses. So it is no wonder that the Allan.
:ic, Mississippi and Ohio Should be greatly
aroused at the idea Of relieving the Dauvllle
road from some of its disadvantages
Indeed the active opponents of that road
in North Carolina and Virginia direct their
whole efforts to the obstruction of its bust
ness by continuing its breaks.
Now, to divert the public mind from the
real merits of the case, Il hullaballoo is made
ever SCOTT and GARRETT-GARRETr, who
has been General MAnoNE's =" BIsMAEcK" at
one time and his ally at another. And what
IS the "bubble"! Why, that GARRETT and
Scorr have sold Virginia, and established a
through line ria Alexandria, GordouSville,
&c.
There has been q pressure upon our
borders for fast southern and northern
passenger and freight line through Virginia.
It cannot be resisted. It must come through
somewhere. SCOTT desired it to come
hrough Richmond; but if he cannot get
brounh Richmond, he will get through
else. Virginia cannot be the
,nly State that is without such line. She
should oppose no obstacles to it. Opposi-
ion to it has not been made by Virginia
proper; but only by such combinations and
interests AS are peculiar to these days, and
with which the people have nothing to do.
The getting through is called selling the
SLATE yet those who SO term it have never
80 called the getting through from east 70
,pest, and uice DerSd.
a fear expressed has been that the road
from Lynchburg to Dauville would get by
Dauyille on a four-foot eight and half inch
gauge. AS to this fear the " enjoiners " and
others say they will prevent that by repeal.
ing the ten-mie railroad privilege. .
We doubt it. The question is one we are
not sufficiently Informed about to discuss,
but we venture to say that the Lynchbnrg
road is in the hands OF very shrewd men, and
the learned lawyers and railroaders who
think they can bride tue Lynchburg horse
will find themselves mistaken.
But even if they do net deceive themselves
concerning present franchises, let them Pc
ware of a Panhandle" war. We never
knew one in which the heads of those who
opposed the passage Of road over bit OF
land were not broken by that effective in.
strument, the panhandle.
Unqucstionably in this state of things a
contingency may arise in which nothing can
save the trade of Richmond but change OF
gauge OF the Danville road from the farthest
possible break. That road asks for the dis
cratioporv authority IN nata c,,ch , nt,onpa