The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-03-12
Northwestern and West Point Railroad

Northwestern and West Point Railroad
THE House OF Delegates had last week ..
hit q, a sensation over a bill to charter the
Northwestern and West Point rasiroaa,
which Messrs. DooLEY and GILMAN %
Richmond, exposed in rather an unia'oi'-
HE light. It was charter for roao run
ming in rather an impractical line ana
man OF experience would be lnchnea "
wonder how any one would think . ran.
way by such route to such apiace Us Co
poin, should be deemed at all ADVANTAGEOUS.
Rut the gentlemen alluded to sho"cu 'nas
ono ~ the corporators had been ensaseu
!, snecnlating in charters, and inferred 'u"'
..ss;n,r .his charter was desired for resale
at can advance"
The business OF acquiring charters LOT
t,n n,,rnose OF selling them has been prac-
t,ced 70 a considerable extent in tins couh-
try. and has been the means OF deVesop'ns
good deal Of sharpness in the stfatcs!
With legislators and with railroad pros
nectors. A good general railroad law
giving the right OF way under certain re-
str,c.;ons TO all companies which in good
earnest will go to work upon roaos anu
t,n;sh them in due time would be far better
than giving special charters to men OF straw
who have no means and do not Intend 10
bn;ld railroads at all, but whose only pur-
nosa ia to sell their charters to somebody
else. This is u way OF swind'ing. Charters
are always issued under the idea that the
intention of the corporators Is TO bulid Tue
works authorized by the charters. "hen
the corparators have no such ldea, put
mean simply to sell the privilege granted
nv the State, the State is deceived, and
the charter is obtained under false pre-
tences.
The line upon which the road authorized
in the pending charter is to run, II II runs
al all. is not one Of utility. Railroads are
no, wisely run that terminate ut places
where there can never be- consideraoie
towns nor considerable freights. Sucn
roads cannot have passengers, nor can ready
freiehts be found by them. Railroads can
not prosper, save in rare instances, WIN
ont travel, and transportation cannot DC
reasonably and readily had at mere ham,
lets. where there can be no extern
sve accumulation OF freights and
sufiicieucy OF inward and outward trans
portation. There is not on any OF the pays
and promontories Of the Virginia tide east
NJ Richmond and north of Norfolk single
position upon which large town Is likely
ever to be built, and every project that
looks to any place other than the two we
have named for terminus on hde-Water
must prove an abortion. We state this pro-
position and believe in its truthtuiness for
yery many reasons that are conclusive.
While upon the subject we take occasion
to refer to feature OF the Legislation OF
Virginia for years-a feature that we have
deplored as both unwise and injurious.
There has been an evident inclination to
facilitate plans that in some way omltted
Richmond in their distribution Of adyan-
tages. or were alien to her interests. There
seemed to have been facility OF comolna-
ton to carry all such schemes, While the
very moment any project for the direct
benefit of Richmond was presented hos
tility; was summoned against it from all
quarters. The Southside legislation has
been signally characteristic in his respect.
The Virginia and Tennessee railroad was
designed originally to terminate at this city.
Richmond made liberal subscription to it,
and no other town east of Lynchburg did
subscribe to it. Yet Petersburg and the
legislative "ring" led by it made the road
to Blacks and Whites and thence to Burke
Vile, and finally, by adroitness and perse-
verance and the helpof the State treasury,
finished road to Lynchburg under the
name OF " Southside road" ,-s
This done, for years afterwards naked
charter for road from Richmond to Lynch
burg was denied to US. It was not until
the war that such charter was obtained,
and then under the color Of a war-measure.
Thus the State furnished nearly all the
money to extend the Virginia and Tennes-
see road to Petersburg, and denied for years
the simple charter for road from Lynch
burg to Richmond-a city that is equal to
all the other so-called cities in the State in
he, contributions to the treasury. Was
this wisdom? Was this justice? It was
neither. 1t was the work Of rings and a
great deal Of folly and narrow-minded-
ness.
The :" Southside road" reaching Lynch
burg, the, next step was the road
from Norfolk to Petersburg, which was
finally consolidated under General MA
HONE, paid him $4,000 per annum, and
went In the hands OF receivers. The con-
solidation was not in the line Of benefcence
for Virginia-it was in the line that ,seri-
ously injured Richmond, and broke down
the canal by the distractions thrown in the
way Of transshiplnent at Lynchburg. We
feel assured that we speak truly when we
say the consolidation did no good TO Pc
tersburg, and has bestowed no material
benefit upon Norfolk.
By the impolicy which has in good
degree grown out Of the policy that made
this city point OF attack as way to sue
cess, the property Of the State in railways
has been devastated, and the commerce OF
her principal city, that pays one eighth OF
the revenue paid by the whole State into
her treasury, has been seriously impaired.
We trust that public men will take q
wiser view of State policy in the future,
and not allow themselves to be deluded into
schemes that can do no good to the State,
and that are sure to do harm when they do
no good.
Papers are pretty full Of sayings OF Presi-
y1y1,z L.