National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-27
RAILROADS IN VIRGINIA.

4 Review OF the Resistance to Their
tulis.
STAUNToN, VA, Feb. 26-Tlere Is no
people more suspicious and jealous OF rail-
road corporations than those OF Virginia.
In this day Of commerce they seem not to
realize that state is prosperous as 1t has
facilities for intercommunlcation aud trans
portation. Commerce is the key to thrifty
enterprise and wealth, and In this age, with
out railroads, inland commerce is practi-
cally failure. No matter what may be an
inland country's wealth IL 1t is not rail.
Toaded II is soon outstripped by its rail
II AIDED neighbors, Just as the road
wagon is .outstripped by the speed
of the locomotive. Still, very large per-
CCnt9ge OF the people OF Virginia, In spite
of their boosted Intelligence, seem blind to
this striking fact. They deliberately say
that the tendency Of railroads is to sap the
very life-blood Of the manor, and that their
highest duty to themselves and their state
is to hedge about such corporations with
every possible Encouragement Virginians
are disposed to think that railroads are
lurden. an imposition, aud a curse, and that
their discriminating rates are downright
robbery, althouehit is plain to every person
Of common sense that there can be but
little material progress for an inland sec
tion Of the country In which no railroads
have been built. Still, no sooner does a
railroad penetrate such section Of the
Old Dominion than a universal howl goes
out against 1t No matter what may be
! the ext eEse of building railroad and
keCpiIg II in repair, II is thought that there
should Lever lie any discrimination in
charges for carriage; that roads should
always have uniform charges for passage
ard transportation, not q faction higher on
one road than on another
il seems next to an impOssibllity for Fir-
giDians to take common sense view ofauy
busint IS owned or controlled by n corpora
tion. Such business Is always thought to
be an inexhaustible mine OF wealth, what
ever may be the disadvantages under which
| 1t may labor. 1t shout be remembered,
| however. that The business of a corporation
is run at as great, II not greater, disad-
vantage than any ordinary business,
and in a country like Virginia, where
| there is such a wide difference in the cost
Of building railroads, the idea that there
should lie no discrimination in rates is per-
fcctly preposterous, and our legislature
could not have done a wiser thing than to
have stricken out the thirteenth section, re-
| curing uniformity Of rates. which, though,
could not have been effected but for the solid
vote Of the Republicans.
1t is very plain that railroads are the very
| life blood OF an inland country, and that
without them there can he but little thrift,
enterprise, or wealth Still, Virglnians eS-
poet TO get their roads without paying their
worth. Demagogues and shallow-brained
politicians cry out monopoly and oppres-
sion and the people are alarmed and fear to
| give to railroads or any corporation the
unrestricted rights Of an individual. 1t Il
true that such is the law Of business tina,
there is not a successful enterprise that IL
not at first somewhat of monopoly. Now,
just 80 soon as II is known that 1t pays
others invest in the very same enterprise
Thus competition reduces prices In momen,
by the natural way to the actual aver
age profit of all other pursuits. Upor
this principle, for the early development Of
country's wealth monopolies are indls
pensable. If this were not true there would
not be a single capitalist bold enough &c
undertake an untried and hazardous enter
prise. Without railroads Virginia's rich
mines Of gold, copper, iron, ana coal will
not be worked, and her dairy and fruit
growing facilities will not be developed
When railroad is built its rich mines ar,
opened, manufactures spring up, lands arr
cultivated that before were in waste, ant
reciprocal thrift Of every character is created