The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-03-09

FRIDAY.
The Canal.

We are not of a suspicious nature, but
we tell the Legislature and we tell the people
OF this city that the scheme for piecing out
the thirty miles from Buchanan TO CHIFFON
with railroad is fraught with serious oal.
gers. The safe and sure way to proeec'
Richmond and Virginia is to adopt al th's
time the water-line.
We cannot believe in the frankness anu
sincerity of The promoters OF tue ra'," ,.'.
The scheme began not with the canal "u'
the president OF that company ana MS 49,
c;ates were brought over, we suppose uhue.
the apprehension OF the failure OF ,lieh o .sua
efforts TO continue the water-lne. !ney w.
not only brought over, but claimed Tue ~
80 h,,i,d and direct the railroad. winch Tue
ra;,road.men were sharp enough TO grant,
and now mark: What evidence OF sincerity
Ala rho promoters OF the railroad "tall-
niece" show to the canal company Dia
they produce the means to hu'id the road
or any portion Of them?
The answer Is, No. The canal company
was left 10 hawk about its discredlted Sc
cpri,ies without obtaining a purchaser; ana
finally, when the charter was about TO eN-
nire before the work had been begun, Inc
canal company sent up a corporaFs guard
q, dirt-diegers to "break ground " and save
the charter.
was that u proof of capacity IN the canal
company, or proof OF the sincerity Oh the
friends OF the railroad who boosted SO M
menscly OF what the road when built wou'd
do Eo.h sides failed but the failure OF
the promoters means more than appeaFs
upon the surface. ......
II means this: That the canal company,
which had been inveigled into the railroad
scheme. should break itself down with Its
misunderstanding $50 foreign TO It's eXpe-
r;ence). and then the promoters would step
in and gobble up the canal. They could not
believe that the State would be able to
rescue the canal when it came to GRIEF, ana
the venerable corporation would be prone
and at their mercy.
What would follow? The canal property
would be theirs. That pass in the Blue
Ridse-which may be compared to the pass
OF Thermopyla-would be theirs, and al
the rentals in and near Richmond-tht
dock, Sc.-woud be theirs; and poor Viz
rinia and DOOR Richmond would behole
their wealth possessed by men whose only
motive would be their private gains, ant
whenever the public interest confiicted Will
that motive the public interest would go tt
the wall. -.
1t is idle to say that shrewd speculator
have not considered these matters, and it il
public duty that the legislators and tn
people OF Richmond should not only con
slider them, but take care to protect Virgins
and Richmond from the danger which mos
plainly threatens them.
The canal with "tail-piece can deriv
no benefit from the " tail-piece," while tn
"tail-piece," alien to the canal, cannot b
benefited by the canal save as the locus
that bores the branch OF the tree may b
benefited by the destruction OF the brancl
in the process OF reproducing itself.
By all odds, it is wisest and safest to con
tinue the canal for the short distance to tn
foot Of the Alleghanies, where it will &C
auire terminus, and bv which the noun
tain-gap in the water-line is .diminishe'
enoughsto increase the prospect of com
pleting the mountain section of that line
It is better to do this and hold on to tn
property while we take time to conslde
whether we shall abandon the canal or no
than to charter railway that will destro,
the canal and put that valuable propert,
and the gap through the Blue Ridge out Q
our hands.
The question is Of very great importance
We may well beware Of the powers tina
are in reserve moving the actors in thi
Legislative drama.