Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-10-18
ONE MORE EFFORT.

REPREsENTED-RESOL TO AP-
PEAL TO THE LEGISLATURE.
&C., &C., &C.
correspondence of the Staunton VINDICAToR.I
LEXINGTON, Oct. 18th.
Stretching along to your left as you
drive out OF Staunton for Lexington, you
see broken sections of railroad embank-
ments, looking like the old earth-works of
war days. Asyou pass mile after mile of the
stage road you see these embankments at in
tervals untilas you enter the to wn the last of
them lies about two miles from the corpo-.
rate limits. 1t is the story Of these yellow
dirt piles that brings me here to-day. The
narrative is tedious, and has been repeated
in Staunton every year for four years at
the stockholders meetings OF the Valley
Railroad Company. Ex-senator Ander-
son, Of Rockbridge, has told it with
measured eloquence by the hour, and con-
cluded with some proposition, which has
been referred to committee, another
name for the Company's waste basket.
The late Col. M. II. Hartman has told it with
impassioned words, and with more success,
for he once got the road leased to the Shen-
andoah r. r. Co. His reward was-being
turned out of the Directory. D. E. G.
Brady, the remarkable Supervisor of Rock
bridge, who has joined Hartman in better
country, has told it with equal singleness
OF purpose and equal perseverance, but
with no better result. Major j. b. Dor
man is still telling it, and is to-day leading
changed. He is doing less talking, and
coming more practically to the point.
He is like the little boy you have seen fol-
lowing the big boy around who has taken
his hat, ana begging him for it, and
that has at last stopped down and picked
up IA brick. He is aboutto throw it. And
this is the brick: The Valley stockholders
In the road, who hold about one thirdof its
stock, have determined to appeal to the
legislature OH two grounds-one that the
company never had legal existence-the
fact being that thelaws Of Virginia forbid
foreign corporations to hold controlling
interest III road in this State, and the
city of Baltimore and the Baltimore Il
Ohio r. X. hold a Two thirds interest in
this one; the other ground being that the
company has forfeited its charter by non
compliance with it's terms.
Before the hour for the meetingat which
it was expected the city of Baltimore and
the Baltimore Il Ohio road would be rep
represented, but which it had been learned
by telegraph they would not be. [ talked
with several gentlemen on the subject.
One assured nee that the people of Rock
bridge could and would stand this taxation
without getting a road, no longer. Anoth-
er, a staid proxy from Botetourt, told me
that the people of Botetourt could and
would stand taxation without getting
road, no longer, and gentleman of Lex
ngton told me that the people Of his city
could and would stand taxation, without
getting a road, no longer. The proxies
from all points walked about moody and
gloomy until about IL o'clock a ray of
cheerfulness was caused by the arrival of
a hack with the Staunton proxies who
brought huge bundle Of books and docu-
ments which being mistaken for the dead
body of President Garrett, who it was
hoped they had killed on the road, caused
a genuine but trarsitory feeling of
thankfulness. To express an opinion that
there might be two sides to the question
of the past, present and future perfidy of
the Baltimore & Ohio r R. Co. was not
popular and when I ventured to do so to
gentleman from Rockbridge he instantly
began regarding me as near relation of
the late Judas Iscariot. The fact is these
people have ceased to look at anything but
their own sufferings. Taking Rockbridge
for an example, these sufferings are not
small. Her crop is lying idle because it
cannot be moved unless at cost that
would be ruihous, the canal disaster has
added to her troubles, she is land locked,
taxed to pay the interest on the railroad
bonds and they every day see the red en-
bankments Of a road without a rail and
which if it were finished would change the
whole condition of affairs. The game lit
tie town OF Lexington is in the same fix,
and 50 is Botetourt only in a modified form
Our sympathies must be with these people,
and Staunton, think, feels their situation
and JOINS them, at least so far as that
something must be done, and if somebody
can't do it, why, then somebody else must
The meeting at the coul t-house to day
was very unlike other Valley r R. meet
ing have seen. There was no supertluous
talk. Jacob Peters, of Butetourt, was in
bridge, Secretary. The county of Bote-
tourt was represented by Lewis Linken-
hoker, James M. Spiller and Jacob Peters;
Rockbridge, by w. F. B. Leech, A. L.
Barclay and J. B. Dorman; L .xington, by |
]. B. Dorman, and Staunton by Robt. w. |
Burke, Jno. B. Evans and l. Witt. Shares
to the amount of 1851 were represented, !
but no representatives were present of the
10000 shares of the B. Il o. r. r. and the
city Of Baltimore. The following changes
Of the bylaws, to be proposed to the annual
meeting to be held in Staunton, November
18th, were adopted:
First, that the president OF the road shall be
.itizen OF Virginia and reside therein, and shall
not be All agent or officer OF any other corpora
ion and his salary shall he ~, 500 until the work
If constructing the road shall he resumed sec |
md, that the board OF directors shall consist OF
'even, one from each of the corporations who are
su bs eribers to the stock. but the five members
representing the Valley corporations shall be cit
gems OF Virginia; third. the office OF the attorney
or the company shall be abolished fourth, the
principal office of the company shall continue IL
sinultou. The fifth provides for the appoint
nent OF directors to fill vacancies.
The conference also adopted the following pre-
IN BILE and resolutions
rWhe reas the counties and towns along the
inc Of the Valley railroad having made repeated
forts with the said Valley Railroad Company to
AVE the suspended woi k from Staunton to Salem
and completed at an early day, so that
he subscriptions from said counties might be
made avaih Bile and they receive the benefits of
completed ODD. according to the promise OF the