Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-09-09
The Virgins Midland gsnlirGssa-En.
fcErieH with Pres!deut ssarb0Ec.

feEview with EresIdeut asusb0Hr.
President Barbour, Ct tho Vifsln!s Mitlard
RsilWsy, who has been specdios The last ten
day 81 The Greentrler White Su|phu. Springs.
has been Interviewed.
REPORTER: There seems to BE- somo misun-
ders'andiog. or OF least very considerable dis
play OF Ignorance. corcsrnicg The absorption Ct
your road by the Richmond and Danyilla eyu-
dicate2"
Mr.. Barbour: There hss been 90 absoIp-
ton. The Richmond std DanvilIo has not
bought the Virginia Midland. Lu. they have
been brought under ono management. Their
Interests are possibly in somo measure c0mpetl
| tive, but they could be operated moro cbesplV
aud batter for tho interests Of their stnckhold-
ers ard thlir patrons il held in q common inter.
es Approaches we're mado TO us by the man.
ayers OF the Richmond and D.nylIe, but |
knew enough OF paper ensrRDues 10 know that
they can always be broken whenever either
party chooses 10 do 80. aud il may or may not
pay to enforos them. The Virginia Midland
| was pledged to certain cxtonlions, and it could
| never afford to permit itself to lGSa its entire
Independence. Finally parties hoidsg con.
trolling interest proposed IL Mo to secure tho
controlling interest in tho Vl1sina Midland,
these two interests to Do held By tho DOW asso-
clatloD, so that they could revEr ba separated;
any sale of any part in this interest to carry
| With it an interest in both The Richmond and
DanviIle syndicate and the Virginia Midland
| an alliance 10 which mother should be sacrificed
| to the other. When such plan WAS proposed
| to me, said that Wo had at ltnst basis for
| Ao ni.;J Ion I 10
OF the plan, had first to setufo guarantees
from them that the North Carolina Midland
would be pushed 10 completion, and that tha
| interest of Baltimore city, which Nlr. Garrett
| had so zealousy guarded, should not bs Injured
| 10 tho least and, | may add, that il WAS under
stood that Baltimore was to bo made tho port
OF export for tho enormous cotton tIaffio of tho
| combined roads. | could not 20 to Mr.. Garrett,
| and. holding tho views that he did, he Certainly
could not entertain any proposition for the Snla
| OF the Baltimore and Ohio interest to which
| was not party. | went 10 him. assured him
| that all his projects should be carried cut IS
agreed upon, and that there should ba 20 dis.
| elimination against Baltimore or the Baltimore
| and Ohio. When tho certainty OF this was
shown him, it took US 7ory i:lo time to sot~
tie it,"
When was the matter decided urct2
ABOUT fortnight ago.
"What doyou thiLk of the future of The allied
| cOrDorstions?'
They can be mado immensely profitable to
their stockholders and be OF inc llculable benefit
| 10 the region through which they run 10 rr0-
portion as they 90 operate with tho people aud
develop the country through which they run
| have never boon a railroad spcculator and
have always thought local development tho truo
policy to pursue. In tact it was abcu! on that
platform that was elected 10 Congress. told
| the people of my district that their prosperity
| c>uld be reached only through tho s,mo means
ns 10 The North; that they must develop their
Industries AMI become s,t supportiog. There
was 10 use 10 trying to rslso grain agate st tho
West, but they had vast mineral wealth 10 tho
ground. AID they could raise option and tobac.o
aud establish manulsoo sits. Tho war wipcd
| out all orr values. swept away al our railfoad
stocks. our bank stocks and our bonds, AID wo
must recover them or clvllZ ,iioD will iall Of its
otl'ci and tho race will 90 backwards. There
must be progress or retrogrossiOn. md every.
| thing is favorable nov fer he Industries Of The
Siuh."
Does your road fully occupy tho fcld?"
so fully that thc,G oau DO no ohasoo Of
rivalry hy laterals into the Biuu Ridge. Wo
can go up the natural oouroas of tbs streams
| which can gain an outlet only aver Gu: road
We have now our lfrhakha Narrow 0uage
Branch TO fino beds OF El!sllnpr steel ut RGcsy
Mouot, Va, and aeisl lines of ten or twelve
miles 10 Amherst couary, Va, wI tAks us 10
other ore btds on the James river"
why do you consider Ii nters;fy 10 Gu.
limo the North Carcllss Midland, which is, in
a MEASURE, parallel to tho Rem ,ni col D,u.
vul ?"
'Wo are pledged to 10 az. anl TIA, pit DE
must BIO redecmtd hui. aside from that, it will
give us virnSll7 dJuGln Track though eome
distance apart. and at tho aama lime develop
new district and give us all n good Traffic from tho
Charlotte and Slrai,svla Rad. 1t will euable
Us to do more busine.s iiau with a:ilrii road. !"
10 the courss of the o"uv,r.n,ian, President
Barbour said tho business of tie road had
largely inereased duting the past yeai; that it
was now 10 so good physical condition that l..
could DO kept up without apy extraordinary tx
| Dendilures, and that it had cared icuriiea
m2nths' iutcr 81 10 six no1ihs' GpsrRtiog.