The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-09
"A Line as is a Line

.rs 400 most estimable, and py
.,,o,ns an impulsive, gentleman OF inis
H.. wbo was in Toledo, Ohio, wrote let
tor 10 his friend in this city, which was pup
,;sbed in the Dispatch. This letter ses'eo
that the people Of Toledo were anxious 70
have communication by rail with the 'iue-
water Of the Chesapeake, and were earn
es,ly considering schemes that pfomiseo
IA connect them with Huntington
and afforded the best hope they e"'
tcrtsined Of etfecting that desirable conncc'
.iop. Little attention was paid to that iette''
7. ,ras read as amongst the MARVELLOUS s'a's
> ,,er,s NJ newspaper orrespondents-a'
tbnnch entirely private rs ii W1s--ano very
little thought was given to II after 'hc uas Vi
its appearance. People here knew not "hefe
-r,,sdo WAS located, and seemed to care less.
They did not know tina. it was AZ Tue west
.erp end of Lake Erie, very near the hne OF
boundary between Michigan and Ohio, and
a. a point OF considerable accumulation OF
commerce and wealth, which could in no
sense be prejudiced by the power Of Chicago;
far such was the eastward tendency that mel
Their trade nor produce originating cast OF
Chicago could ever find its way there. .
Therefore little attention was paid the
letter Of gentleman who was incapable OF
deception Of exaggeratlon from
impulsiveness. Those three years have
passed, and perhaps that letter has been en-
tireIy forgotten; but its predictions have
been in the steady course of tulhlment, ana
now we are almost in the possession OF the
fruition Of all his expectations.
The people Of Toledo looked steadily TO-
wards connection with the Chesapeake ana
Ohio railroad. They at last discovered that
the prospect of the construction OF the
Scoso Valley railroad was placed beyond
doubt. and they saw that il they built rail-
road to Columbus, Ohio, they would with
the Scioto road be placed in connection
with the north bank Of the Ohio river
by q route not far from straight 10
Huntington, and they determined at once to
build a road. to Columbus. Our readers
know that we have recently announced that
thc Scioto road from Columbus, the State
capital, 70 Portsmouth, on the OHIO river,
WAS let out TO contractors, and that it would
be Immediately commenced and finished next
wear. The floods have interfercd, and the
WORK is slightly delayed. And now VIC nave
the following important news:
. COLUMBUS. August 4.-Thc contract for
constructing the Columbus ana loleuo rall-
road was awarded by the directors, lo-nigh''
to BENJAMIN Il. Smith and nine associaIes
from Columbus and Cincinnati, including
Colonel Orlando Smith. Thefe were ~
bids. of which nine were for the Whole line.
smith. was the lowest. The contractors
40, about sd 600 per mile, taking sl,O64,0oo
ar the conI,nn,'s bouds al eighty-.hfee cents,
RECEIVING the balance OF their pay III cash.
rrhrv mt down onc-half steel and one.haif
iron rail. sixty pounds TO tho yard, anu all
bridges are 10 be of iron: the company
10 furnish the right Of way, stations,
and ,olipments and the whole cost OF the
road viii be about $4,000 Ter mile. lis to
be completed November l, 1876
Thi. IS very admirable news. We see now
that really there is but forty-cight miles be-
tween us and Toledo; that the statement OF
our accurate and earnest correspondent IS
completely borne out. We not only have
IL way to Toledo less forty.eight miles. but
VT Rave also and equally way to the great
cay of Chicago by line as direct as any that
We could probably make. Once at Column
bus, Ohio, we are in connection with sys'
yc;n Of communication with the entire North
west that can hardly be improved.
Cincinnati, the ruling city of the Ohio
Valley. comes in just here. 1t was for her
to complete the grand line from the OHIO to
the Chesapeake. She has turned her atten-
ton, under mistake, as we think, directly
to The South to The neglect OF the line East
and West, in which lie her peculiar force ana
prosperity. We find that lake city mas
sought that union which Of all others should
have attracted her highest sympathies ana
hopes. That lake city has, in fact, achieved
connection by "perpendcuar line
with the Chesapeake a9d Ohio rail
road, It is true this line is ut right
aorles with the Ohio river. But that Is
all the worse for Cincinnati, for her interest
is in making the commerce of the Ohio hug
the Ohio river and find its way to eastern
si,ie.water with as little deviation from the
la,irudiual line rs possible. Manifestly her
interests are impcrlled by this railway from
The lakes TO the Ono ~ right angles with The
line which is properly hers. Now, then,
what will Cincinnati do? That Is her affair;
but .f We we're to decide for her. she would
reach Portsmouth With her river road before
that from Columbus is flushed. We shall
see what she Will do with it.
The facts here stated are quite enough 10
produce 10 little excitement in Richmond.
People may laugh at us for the remark. II
30 We beg them to get their Biographies and
aliases and see the real bearing Of the points
in question. We think they will hardly
laugh when they have made the proper eH-
amnationS.
Clearly, in our view, the great volume Of
commerce flows around the globe in the
middle temperate zone. On this latitudlnal
line are the depo:s Of distribution. 1t would,
indeed, be folly to start produce South that
could End no mail et and should go North ;
and produce once started South can hsrdlS
be reversed 10 It's direction. But The deto!
or point OF distribution in the middle tenn
perare region Is the point from which ship
mepts can be made With equal facility North
and South, II is 10 the lttitHdinous line
That the great volume of trade travels, 1t is
upon that line tha. man preserves in the
highest degree his meutal and physical
yteor and encounters the fewest climatic OBJ