Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1878-01-19
COMMUNICATED.

A communication from Col. Il. w.
Baylor appeared in the Shepherdstown
Register on the 9th instant, in relation
to the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. 1t
was written apparently as an intToduc-
ton to the republication OF an article
understood to have been prepared by
Mr.. George H. Bardwell, and by him
published in the Philadelphia Sunday
Press. The object of Mr.. Bardwell's
article, thus sent by Col. Baylor for re-
production in the Register, seems TO
have been to oppose an extension OF
any aid on the part of the Federal Gov
ernment to the Texas Pacific Railroad
and instead, to advocate the construc-
ton of line by the aid of the United
States. from the Eastern end OF the
Texas Pacific road in Louisiana, through
Memphis, through the Shenandoah Val
lev, crossing the Potomac at Shepherds
town, bridging the Hudson at the Mar
rows and thence on to the city OF Bos-
ton.
Col Baylor in his predatory and COM
mandatory communication taxes occa-
sion to discuss the advantages OF the
narrow gauge over the broad gauge
road, and illustrates the success OF the
former by statistics drawn from the OPP
erations of the Royal Land Company s
road running from Orange Court House
to Fredericksburg.
He then asserts that "The Shenan-
doah Valley Railroad Company has
sunk s61, 800 of our County bonds for
which We never will receive an iota of
benefit" And he proceeds to say ''out
if the county can get rid of the present
company she can build narrow gauge
road with the county subscription unex-
pended, from the Potomac river to Bcr-
ryvilie, and the county of Clarke will
continue the road to Front Royal.
He then states, in single paragraph,
that "the present S. V. X. X. company
is fic,itious-it has no legal existence,
For the last two years the Board OF Di-
rectors have been illegally elected and
their charter has been forfeited. The
present company is so helplessly insoly-
ent, and so tettered by mortgages, that
capitalists will not touch it. If we rid
ourselves OF the present do nothIng cor.
poration then we can build the road.
The grounds upon which these state
ments are made are not given, nor a
single fact referred to in coroboration
of them. They are asserted, however,
with absolute and unqualified positive
ness,
The undersigned directors of the 5.
V. II. Il. Company, residing i'll Jetfer-
son county, and claiming to represent
company that is not fictitious, but has a
legal existence, and to be members OF
board of directors that have been legal
ly elected by corporation that has not
forfeited its charter, respectfully submit
that it is due to the said company and
to the people of Jefferson county, for
whose eyes this communication was
written and who are intended to know
it, what proof there is to sustain these
allegations, so utterly destructive, if
true, of all hope of accomplishing the
great objects for which this enterprise
was brought into being.
1t is proposed 10 examine the correct
ness of the startling announcements
contained in the communication of Col.
Baylor
is then the conclusion or opinion cor
rect expressed therein by him, that 1.-THE
S. V. r. k. Company has sunk SCI 500
of the county bonds, for which the
county will never receive an iota OF ben
eft 2" 1t is true that the amount OF
bonds before mentioned has been IN
vested in the S. V. Il. r., Of the $780,
600 of the subscription of the county
This investment was in pursuance OF
the terms of the contract between the
company and the county, aud represents
work and labor actually done and mate
rials actually furnished III aud about
the construction of the road in jeff. Go.
There are nineteen miles OF graded
road within the limits of the county,
and upwards of 60 miles in the same
condition between the Potomac river
and Page county, Virginia. These 10
miles, thus completely graded, cost the
company upwards of $4,000, and the
right of way secured aud also paid for
by the company about $2S,0OO. These
figures are exclusive of large expendi-
lures for engineering and other necessa-
ry OUTLAWS. The county then has with
IN its own borders work whose con-
struction cost largely over 100000 to
represent its actual expenditure of SOL
500, besides the latter amount of stock
in a work that has cost several hundred
thousand dollars. Why should this be
lost unless the attempts succeed so
strenuously made from time to time to
break down and destroy the corporation
that has accomplished this much OF the
important work it has undertaken TO
perform, and whose manifest interest it
is as well as that of the county to pros
ecute the enterprise to its full consum-
nation. And even il the event, by
some mode not indicated, the present
company or the present dO-noihiEg cor
poratiOn shall be "gotten rid Of" and
the scheme suggested shall be carried
out of the construction, with the unex-
pended balance of the county subscrip-
ton, of narrow gauge Oh the graded
line of the S. V. K. Il, from the banks
of the Potomac river, where it will nei-
Their have connection nor outlet, to Ber-
ryville and Front Royal, it would hard
ly be said that the 5. V. Il. r. Compa-
nv has sunk 1850 of our county