The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-05-22
rr,a National Agricultural Convef'lon'
i llc IN IL S.|'A> NJ, ,rcot nr,,-

r,aS.t:onal Agricultural Conven'aon
Tho bali continues to roll. i"c s,e"s p.o
go. =. The James River and ha'a" n' '"""'
stcsdi,v gathers strength from Gay 10 oas
n,ri,r the present year II mas receive" y
..;ao,.e ahich it never enjoyed before,
which we say with duo remembrance Oh INC
,,n,o,t which il has received during
.,,o WAS, three or four years from inc N"-
,;,,a, R,ara 0, Trade. the Boards OF ifaac
>>r,n,.,;nr cities, and tho Legislatures "' va
S,,to< In January it received inc
',.,,,,.,.,,o,,o, Of .hc National Transportation
'"'l, which met in Washington.
a,a which meets sgain IN 'h'S Guy Oh
49,. ~, IF Tune. 1t then received the
1',a,,-..ne,t of all the members OF the
,,,ox, n Engineers which examined the
1890 !, February last, consisting OF General
D,rx.Bp. MIR. LArRoBE, General GILMORE
ro;o,d CsA;culLG, and General ElTztl"
.rhe Central Water-linc is also ore OF tue
,,,,- ,rcot routes recommended in the cIaoo-
rate report of the Senate Committee o"
yrapsnortation. This committee, II Is true
suggest the prcpricty Of surveying Inc fooe
o. freight railway Ms we'll as reSur'cy OF
r,crtions of The canal route but, practically,
the report is an endorsement Of the water
line from the Mississippi TO the hanawha'
ard the question Of 4 canal or Il railway from
the Ohio to tiGe-water is Of secondary lm'
ror.ance. and ,riU end in The canal.
The latest endorsement of this great me
yyos given 4 few days since NJ the National
Agricultural Convention, which met at Al
,.n,,. The leading champion of the route
There was gentleman from Virginia who
has distinguished himself prominently
on less peaceful arena: We refer to Colonel
Ur>yy F. PEYroS. Of LoudouD, formerly OF
General LEES staff.
Colonel PEYroN was the chairman in the
National Agricultural Convention of the
Committee on Transportation, and is the
author OF the report on this subject which.
after a warm contest, was almost unani
mouslv adopted by the Convention. We
clip The following from the Atlanta ConSti-
tu!t0n:
Coionel r.y;on. of Virginia, submitted the re-
r"rt of the committee. III Is oriei' but concu-
sive: ~
{: the oHmoditics of country is Il necessity OF
agricultural prosperity and national DEVELOPMENT ::
That the agriculture OF the interior of our cUuu-
try l. now paralyzed for want Of facilities tor
r.,u: poI .a,ion of its products 10 the seaboard:
That while we recognize the value of railroads
aNf the necessity OF further railway extension, We
iec the cost of transportii Inc crude nlodusts OF
aic 10 the OF water carriage az 10 rerdcr I'M
per,ivo the duty OF Congress 10 improve the naEl-
sailon Of Tic rivers Of The interior an con.ect
iheln with the ocean by artificial water ways thus
giving 10 the Mississippi valley continuous lines OF
w4ter .raLht TO the Seaboard;
and that the Railway system has cngcndtred mo-
nopo.y and unjust discrimination. The evils of
wh.ch can only bc ohviatcd by completion Of water
lines under Government control;
7Htrerore De il reSotred By The National dyri-
caunri Congress, That 1t is the dn;y OF The Ma
l!onai Guv.rnmenl- which Nus SO ciis ana so noe
rally 70; tered foreign commerce, To enter al once
upon the work OF constructing system of walcr- |
ways adequate to the present and prospective wants
o: inland transportation, and 10 continue IL by AZ,
nual insial Of ala 10 full ompleltnn. until
unrestricted channels OF trade shall be opci!cu not
only through the entire length Of The MISSISSIPPI,
hut CONNECTING that great river with the At'ant tic
ocean by way of the lakes. by the ONO, hanawha'
and James, and by the Tennessee and savannah
rivers.
RtS0lr<d. That this Convention consider arpro-
pria,i"ns b: Congress for such system. wise ma
tonai lnyt Isl nenls which VIII. al 10 distant day.
repay The Government by increased revenues Gre
ated by enhanced production and developed wealth
of the country.
OF Virginia General Bishop, Of Arkansas; Clad
NY. Of Mi>sissippi: c. ~ Ho~a and 4. {. How,
ard Q: Geors' awton: OF sonin CaT" .r,on x ss
ar able aud eloquent ole. 1hcreport was adopted
Several motions were made designed TO
defeat the report in the way Of amendments,
and sharp running debate ensucd; but
we are happy to say that, owing to
the skill Of Colonel PEYrcS, and the fact that
he was thoroughly Informed on the subject,
the paper was finally adopted, without modi-
tcation, by an overwhelming majority.
1t covers the whole ground, aud says no.
thing about freight railway"
We congratulate the friends of the Central
Water.line on the assured prospect of success
ahead OF them. \ year will end the con-
tes.. The canal is IN fat accompR.
The suicidal policy of our Legislature has,
so far as the railroads are concerned, left
Richmond at the mercy OF competing cities.
We are seriously threatened with diversion
of the trade and travel to which we were
Justly entitled. 1t seems to have been the
object of the Legislature in their railroad
policy to run around Richmond, rs if it were
Il point to be avoided rather than aimed at.
Our hopes now centre on the canal, worth,
80 far as trade is concerned, many railroads;
Tor, if half OF the hopes of the friends OF
this great improvement are realized, tue
freight brought over this route will be equal
to the business Of three frst.class railroads.
4 single canal-boat of two hundred
and fifty tons is equal in capacity to train
OF twenty-five freight cars. The estima-
ted tonnage that will pass over the James
River canal " hen the central water-line is
established amounts to some 100000
tons per annum-ten times the tonnage Of
all the railroads in Virginia. With water
transportation all the year through from
Richmond to st. Louisiana beyond st.
Louis, up the Missouri and the Missis-
sippi--the products Of the West would be
poured into the lap of Richmond and Nor
folk, while the iron and coal and salt of Vir-
ginia and West Virginia would be within
our reach at cost Of Sl.75 per ton for freight
as against the present charge of IS per ton
by railroad.
Senator WINDOW, of Minnesota, Chairman
- 20 rop, ;ttoo op 'rropc