The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-06-28
TO THE PEOPLE OF augusta COUNTY

| III HE fEUfLE UE AU0OoAA CVoNA Il
FELLOW CITIZENs:-It was my wish, at
the close of the last session OF the General
Assembly, to make public address to YOU,
at the Courthouse, on some suitable occa-
sion, for the three-fold purpose of returning
| to you. in person, my sincere thanks for the
many evidences of confidence and kindness
| which have received at yonr hands; OF ex-
planning what.I had aimed to do, as one OF
your Delegates, for the last four years. in
| the General Assembly; and OF announcing
to Won my determination to decline being a
candidate for reelection. But, as the con-
dition of my health disabled me from speak
ing at the April Or May terms OF our Court:
and my engagements, as Rector OF the Uni-
versity of Va, will require me- to be absent
lat the June Court, have concluded to make
gny address to you through the press.
ta Forty-onc years ago was flrst caiied Dy
Your fathers. under very flattering circnm-
stances, to represent the county of Augusta
4 in the House of Delegates. / was then an
active young man, and was chosen because
| of nv known devotion to the cause OF inter-
nal improvement. x.s r.,
1t is difficult for men of the present gen
Grafton to realize the condition OF things
which existed in our county forty years ago.
Then the only mode OF transporting our ag-
ricultural productions to market was by
cumbrous and expensive road-wagons, and
the only public vehicles for the conveyance
of passengers, from place to place, were the
old-fashioned stages. 4.4
The flour, whisky, bacon, and other pro-
duets of the county were hauled, either d.
rectly to Richmond or to Scottsville, whence
| they were sent by the James River Canal to
| Richmond. The average load was from II
| to 10 barrels of flour, and from ton and a
! half to two tons of merchandise. A trip to
Richmond and back occupied about two
weeks, and to Scottsvillc, from five to eight
days. The cost of hauling flour to market
| varied with the condition of the roads, from
| a dollar to a dollar and a half, and other
things in proportion. The cost Of getting
the products of our farms to market was
generally from 20 to 33s per cent. of what
| they would bring in market. The hauling
was not only slow and expensive, but it was
attended with personal exposure Of the wag-
oner, and great injury to the horse and wag-
ons. In the winter and early Spring, the
roads were almost, and sometimes alto
gether, impossible. 1t often happened,
therefore, that when the farmers and their
teams were at leisure, they could not be
employed in hauling their produce to mar
ket, and when the roads became passable,
the time for preparing the spring crops was
| at hand.
The consequence of this condition Of
things was, that all products of the farm
brought very low prices. have known
flour sell in Staunton as low as $3.50 per
barrel, and it rarely brought more than 81
or S.. Butter, poultry, eggs, &C., brought
but little more than one-half the present
prices. If a rise in prices took place in
| Richmond or Baltimore, we could not avail
| nr1rco 1uoc nf yuo or dol ivyovs
our commodities promptly in market.
| The return trade, in groceries and dry
goods, was burthened with similar difficult
| ties. Our merchants went to market for
goods twice year, generally about the lst
of April and September, and their goods
were delivered at heavy cost for freight and
insurance, in from three to five weeks after
they were purchased; and the farmers who
bought them were obliged to pay all these
high charges, in the form of increased prices.
| 70 give you some idea Of the facilities OF
travelling, which existed in those days, I will
refer to my own experience in getting from
Staunton to Richmond in December, 1886.
l left my house in Staunton in the stage, at
2 o'clock in the morning, and after labo-
rious days travel, walking up the mountain
at Rockfish Gap, and, after we got into the
red lands OF Albemarle, occasionally assist
| ing in przing the coach out of the mud with
fence rails, we arrived at Charlottesville after
night. The second day, we left Charlottes-
| vile at O'Clock in tie morning, and after
a labo1ious journey of fifteen hours, arrived
at Wilmington in Flnysnnp alRs III rhi afs,
and arrived at Richmond an hour or two
| after dark. According to my best recollec-
| ton, the stage fare was $ll or $l2, and the
cost of eight meals and two nights lodgings,
| at so cents each, was So, making the aggre-
gate cost Of the trip sl6 or $l7.
Other parts Of the State .labored under
8, ill greater difficulties. Until 1889, there
". as no passable wagon road from Staunton
to what is now Highland or Pendleton coun-
ties. The tow linen, maple sugar, bees
way. deer-skins, and dried fruit, which were
then tie principal marketable commodities
of til at country, were brought to Staunton
on pack horses.
in many of the tobacco counties, the con-
dition vi things was no better. Men are
now living, who rememberwhen the tobacco
of many sections was packed into tight hogs
heads, into the ends OF which spikes were
driven, to which shafts were attached, and
they were thus drawn or rather rolled by
mules to maIke
| It is not, therefore, a matter OF surprise,
that the people should become impatient of
| the intolerable evils and Inconvenience un-
der which they labored, and seek relief from
them by improved and cheaper means OF
transportation and travel by turnpikes, ca
nails, and railroads.
was personally cognizant of these griev-
ances, and was commissioned as one Of the
representatives OF Augusta, to urge the
Legislature to provide for the construction
of the desired improvements. 1t was known
that we had no money in the treasury to
| %I,o< f,f Than xUnr
the people in a condition to bear very heavy
taxation. But they believed that the con-
struction of these works would increase the
value, of their lands, and of the products of
their farms, and thereby enable them to pay
the taxes necessary to meet the interest on
the money borrowed to construct them.
In the session of 1867, Gen. Kenton Har-
per was my colleague. We labored earnestly
but unsuccessfully, to get relief for our peo-
nile. In the sessions of 1878 and 1889
lGen. Harper having declined reelection
MIR. VIM. Kinney was my colleague. At an
early day in the session OF 1888, l moved a
reference Of the general subject of improve
|, ment to a committee, and was selected by
that committee to prepare report on the
subject. !, accordingly, did prepare re-
/ port, which will be found among the docu-
ments of 1888. In that report, Indicated
almost.all the great lines Of improvement
(which have since been constructed. A long
= | and able debate ensued on the adoption oil
3 that report, but the general scheme was de-
, | feated by a small majority. Not disheart
ened by defeat, Mr.. Kinney and 7 brought
! forward and succeeded in carrying as separ
ate and independent measures, the Valley
McAdam Road, from Winchester to Aiding
don, and the Staunton and Parkersburs
road, through the mountains, from Stauntor
n | ~ - %l,o