Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-06-19
To the People Of Augusta County.

cere thanks for the many evidences O
confidence and kindness which l have
received at your hands; of explaining
what I had aimed to do, as one of YOU
Delegates, for the last four years, in tht
General Assembly; and of announcing
to you my determination to decline be.
ing a candidate for reelection. But, al
the condition of my health disabled me
from speaking at the April or May terms
of our Court, and my engagements, al
Rector of the University Of Va, will re-
quire me to be absent at the June Court
have concluded to make my address tt
you through the press.
Forty-One years ago / was first called
by your fathers, under very flatterine
circumstances, to represent the county
of Augusta in the House of Delegates.
was then an active young man, and was
chosen because. of my known devotion
to the cause of internal improvement.
1t is difficult for men of the presen,
generation to realize the condition OF
things which existed in our county for.
ty years ago. Then the only mode OF
transporting our agricultural produc.
tions to market was, by cumbrous and
expensive road-wagons, and the only
public vehicles for the conveyance oi
passengers, from place to place, were the
old-fashioned stages.
The flour, whiskey, bacon, and other
products of the county were hauled
either directly to Richmond or to Scots.
vile, whence they were sent by the
James River Canal to Richmond. The
average load was from y to Is barrels OF
-four, and from ton and a half tc
two tons of merchandise. A trip to
Richmond and back occupied about
two weeks, and to Scottsville, from five
to eight days. The cost of hauling flour
to market, varied with the condition OF
the roads, from dollar to a dollar and
a half, and other things in proportion.
The cost of getting the products of oul
farms. to market was generally from e
to 333 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 wagner
and great injury to the horse and wag.
ons In the winter and early spring
the roads were almost, and sometimes
altogether, impassable. It often hap.
pened, therefore, that when the farmers
and their teams were at leisure. they
could not be employed in hauling theil
produce to market. and when the roads
became passable, the time for preparing
for spring crops was at hand.
The consequence of this condition oil
things was, that all products Of the farm
brought very low prices. Ihave known
flour sell in Staunton as low as $3.50 pei
barrel, and it rarely brought more than
S4 or S.. Butter, poultry, eggs, &c.
brought but little more than one-hall
the present prices. If rise in prices
took place in Richmond or Baltimore,
we could not avail ourselves of it be.
cause we could not deliver our commod-
tiles promptly IN market.
The return trade, in groceries and dry
goods, was burthened with similar diff
culties. Our merchants went to marke
for goods twice year, generally about
the 1st 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.
To give you some idea of the facilities
of travelling, which existed in those
days, I will refer to my own experience
in aetting from Staunton to Richmond
in December. 1886 L left my house in
Staunton in the stage, at o'clock in the
morning, aud after laborious days
travel. walking Up the mountain at
Rockfish Gap, and, after we got into the
red lands ofAlbemarle, occasionally as
sisting i'm pfizing the coach out of the
mud with fence rails. we arrived at
Charlottesville after night. The second
day, we left Charlottesville at 2 o'clock
in the morning, and after laborious
journey of fifteen hours, arrived at Will
mington in FIuvanna. The third day
we left Wilmington at II o'clock at
night. and arrived at Richmond an
hour or two after dark. According to
my best recollection, the stage fare was
II or 12 dollars, and the cost of eight
meals and two nights lodgings, at so
cents each, was S., making the aggre-
gate cost of the trip SIG or ST.
Other palts of the State ]abOred under
still greater difficulties. Until 1899,
there was no passable wagon road from
Staunton to what is now Highland or
Pendleton counties. The tow linen,
maple sugar, bees-waX, deer-skins, and
dried fruit, which were then the princi-
pal marketable commodities Of that
country, were brought to Staunton on
pack horses.
In many of the tobacco counties, the
condition of things was no better. Men
are now living, who remember when
the tobacco of many sections was packed
in tight hogsheads, into the ends of
which. spikes were driven, to which
shafts were attached, and they were
thus drawn or rather rolled by mules to
It is not therefore, a matter of sur
prise, that the people should become i'm
patient of the intolerable evils and in
conveniences under which they 1abored,
and seek relief from them by improved
and cheaper means softransportation and
travel by turnpikes, canals, and rail-
roads.
was personally cognizant of these
grievances, and was commissioned as
one of the representatives of Augusta, to
urge the Legislature to provide for the
construction of the desired improve
ments. 1t was known that we had nc
money in the treasury to pay the cost of
constructing them, nor were the people
in condition to bear very heavy taxa
ton. But they believed that the con.
struction of these works would increase
the value of their lands, and of the pro-
ducts of their farms, and thereby enable
them to pay the taxes necessary to meet
the interest on the money borrowed tc
construct them.
In the session of 1867, Gen. Kenton
Harper was my colleague. We labored
earnestly but unsuccessfully, to get re-
lief for our people. In the sessions OF
1878 and 1889, (Gen. Harper having
declined a re-election) Mr.. VIM. Kin
ney was my colleague. At an early day
in theNsession of 1888, / moved refer.
ence of the general subject of improve
ment to d, committee, and I was selected
by that committee, to prepare q report
on the subject. I, accordingly, did pre-.
pare a report, which will be founG
among the documents of 1888. In thai
report, indicated almost all the great
lines of improvement which have since
been constructed. A long and able de-
bate ensued on the adoption of that re-
port, but the general scheme was defeat
ed by a small majority. Not dlsheart
ened by defeat, Mr.. Kinney and ]
brought forward and succeeded in car
rying as separate and independent meas
ures, the Valley McAam Road, from
Winchester to Abingdon, and the Staun
ton and Parkersburg road, through the
mountains, from Staunton to the Ohit
River. The State paid the entire cost
$3.50, ,O0O) of the latter road, and agreed
10 c,,hcor;h1 %l,roo ft1o ~