The Huntington argus. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1872-1905, 1885-01-15
The LuII in railroad Building.


The LuII in Railroad Building.
The figures are not yet exactly
ascerlained, but it seems to be certain
that the railroad construction OF 1854
will fall a little short of 1000 miles.
In 1882 it exceeded 11,OOO miles,
Allowing the difference to be only
1000 miles, and placing the cost of
construction and equipment at $780,
600 a mile, which is below the aver
age, it makes a difference against
last year of $21O,OOO,OO expended
for labor, rails, lumber, tools and
supplies of all sorts required for such
work-a difference that will go very
far towards accounting for the general
depression in business experienced
during the year.
It might be worth while to enquire
what caused this heavy falling off in
the building of railroads. We do
not propose to enter at length into a
discussion of that question at this
time. 1t is probable that the most
frequent response to such a question
would be that the present needs OF
the country are pretty well met, and
the further supply has diminished
because the demand has diminished.
We doubt the correctness of such an
opinion. In the South alone there is
large room and great need for more
railroads. The undeveloped sources
of wealth in this section to be vital
lied and made available by the con-
struotiou of railroad are incOmputa-
BILE in value. Man very attractive
schemes of this character have been
projected, and some carried into par
tial execution, but they have fallen
into allegiance, The cause of the
present lull in railroad building is
not that the occasions for building
has ceased, nor is it that there is less
money in the country than there was
in 1882; the fact indeed is the re
verse; the cause so far as the South
is concerned is to be found principal
ly in the fact that politicians haye
taken hold Of the railroad question,
and are proposing all sorts of wild
legislation such as no one dares to
suggest with reference to other forms
of property and business, and some
of which if carried into effect would
operate the practical cOnfscatiOn and
transfer of the proprietOrship from
the owners to the public. 1t is this
more than anything else that has
caused men of enterprise to pause
and capitalists to draw their purse
strings.
Virginia, we are glad to say, has
been less unjust and agrarian in this
respect than some of the States far
ther South, but even here there have
been ugly and threatening demon
strations on the part of INSCRIPTIONS
persons, and Virginia has had to
bear her share of the common evil
inflicted by the creation of general
feeling of distrust, and the palsylng
effect upon the business Of the coun-
try which the withdrawal from all the
avenues of trade of the great sums
that would, but for the causes ad-
verted to, have been spent in railroad
building has exerted.
The subject is one which should be
kept constantly under observation by
conservative and just-minded men,
lest the mischief already done by
demagogues and their dupes be ag-
gravated till general calamity results.
As business is now conducted rail-
roads are so necessary to the devel-
opments of a country that their
absence entails poverty, ignorance