Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-09-21
General Malone and the Richmond and Danville
Railroad.

RICHMOND, September -. 1881.
To the editor of the Dispatch:
l have waited few days for the return Of
4 gentleman, on whom relied to notice Il
card in the Richmond Wing of September
18th, in which Mr.. II. H. Rddlcbtrgcr I'M
peaches the accuracy OF certain statements
Of mine i'll my letter to Mr.. Massey rs TO
his relation to the proceedings in the late
regular and extra sessions Of the Legislature
in regard to the Richmond and Danville
Railroad Company. | am obliged to Mr..
Riddleberger for these contradictions. as
they enable me 10 go somewhat more into
detail Oh the subject they suggest than would
have suited the plan Of my letter.
But before doing that l wish to exonerate
the anti.coalition gentlemen, who have
done me the honor TO publish the letter rs
a campaign document from the censure in
sinuated in the charge that the document
varied from the original. These gentlemen
had nothing to do with that. made the
additions myself with the same right that
every other man has to revise, alter, and
amend any original publication in subse-
quent edition. only regret that | did hot
at the time of his second publication possess
certain other information which now have
very damaging TO some Of the officers under
would certainly have used it,
For convenience ! take up FIRST Mr. Rid
dlehergcr's denial that IA resolution to in
Senate who had become one of the LOBBYISTS
OF the" lRichmona and Danviicj road
was opposed by Mr.. Riddlehcrmrr and de-
tcatcd.' The facts are these: Mr.. French.
the Sergeant-atAr OF the Senate. was;
said to have opposed one of the bills OF the
Norfolk and Western Railroad Company in
the House committee. Mr. Fowler. brother
Of the Speaker Of the House, and 4 repre-
sentative of the Norfolk ana Western rail
road, resented that, aud charged Mr. French
with having received money i'll the Capitol
rotunda from a lobbyist OF the Richmond
and Danvillc railroad, and offered to pro-
! dllce Il sworn witness To the transaction
| MI. French said the sum. only 81. furnished
him to buy whskey and cigars for a special
meeting Of the Committee on Roads, which
he Was instructed to call al the lodgings OF
the chairman, Mr. Rawls, to report one OF
the Richmond and DanVillc railroad bills.
This scandal having got into the papers.
Mr.. Dlggs the senator for Campbell county
4 member Of the Committee on Roads
brought the matter before the Senate.
stating that himself, Mr.. Hcaton. and another
senator, opposing members. had not been
summoned, and asked IN explanation OF the
chairman, who, in very few remarks. init
mated that he had never ordered such II
call whereupon Mr. Dlggs said that if the
chairman was willing to let the matter res;
where it was, he was satisfied, rs it did not
reflect upon his side of the committee.
And then Mr.. Riddlcbergcr rose AMI made
speech, denouncing the newspaper article
and its author, who had suggested an in
quiry, and helitted the whole affair.
but said not word in favor of an invcsti-
gatlon. BY the light of this explanation
winch ! get from gentleman who was
present and oilers to back his account with
his name, the public can correct my state
mcnt OF what occurred, and can also Judge
how far it would have suited the lobby Of
the Richmond and Danvillc railroad and
their allies in the Senate to have ordered
an investigation of this affair Two hundred
and sixty thousand dollars lost to the state
next take up his denial OF my statement
that IA law was introduced ana actively al
vocated by Mr.. Ridtlebergcr, chairman OF
the Senate Committee on Roads, by which
in its prescribed mode of settlement of an
old debt, the State lost and the company
publicly claim TO have made upwards oil
S2G0,0N." He says he did not Introduce
the bill referred TO, nor did he advocate the
bill as introduccd,' and that he was not
the chairman of the Senate Committee on
! Roads. Observe, said nothing about the
introduction or advocacy of Il "tW" said
"a TAR was introduced and actively advoca-
TED, &c., referring TO the law that was
passed. Read Mr.. Riddlcbcrgcr's cxplana-
ton:
The biIl,,, he says, was introduced by
Senator Walker, and went necessarily TO its
appropriate committee, of which | was n
member. ! opposed it, and it slumbcred
there'-but only for Ten. days of active SEES
sion, he might have added as the Journal
proves. Then came Il bill to increase the
caplal stock OF the company, which was al
SO opposed by some Of the Ron1 (Sicj Com
mittee at a meeting at which Twas not pres
emf. l subsequently had an interview with
the gentlemen interested in this company,
when resulted III an agreement that they
would accept both bills, so amended as that
they should discharge their Indebtedness in
bonds funded under the new debt bill and
would surrender their charter-cxemption
from State taxation. | wrote the amend
ments to both bills, and both were reported
ana passed, being from that time forward
the advocate of BOTH
30 1t appears that as chairman of The
Committee OIL Fin0ncc-for such he was
though he does not state the fact he wrote"
and had 'reported' and ''advocuted" '!he
laW.' which said he had introduced" and
''advocated' as chairman of the Senate
Committee on Roads. The public may iinl
out the difference if they can.
But what are the facts in regard to The
amendments? That one which allowed the
railroad to pay in coupons operated accord
ing to the following figures, as of March 80,
1882, Il gain TO the road at the expense Of
the State, which | state thus:
Of the original loan to the Danvillr
road by the State of Virginia there
is now due for money borrowed. 100000
Six months interest $4,000
There is also due Il Judgment on ac-
count of stock purchased, 2G,51l
With eleven years interest thereon l1,53G
slii..U,
For convenience, say, in round num-
hers SiT5O 600
The Senate bill allows this sum to be paid
~, No 70 Il. Ill IA, -;