Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-02-12
Consolidation In Virginia.

4 diapa,ch trcm Richmond to tie New
York Herald snys:
"1here is growing feeling Of uneesiuess,
amounting almost to alarm, among Tbs mer-
camille and farming classes throughout the
South 80 they witness the absorption of all
their Sfailroad lines by the Richmond and
West Point Terminal Railway and Ware
house Company. This is the monster rail
road devil fish CT the South, as the Western
Union company is the telegraph octopus of
the country. Ali competition, except by
water routes, is destroyed between the P0-
tomac and the Gulf, the Atlantic coast and
the Mississippi river. AS General Manager
Fink eau in his New York otfics dictate the
freight rates and charges over TED thousand
miles of roads, SO Can the traffic manager Of
the Richmond Terminal Company in his
Office here regulate the rates ~ the great
territory south Of and including Virginia,
and 81! east of the Mississippi river. The
people Of this section have much TO fear
from the close consolidation oi aii the rail-
road lines under one management, Gnd inst
in Wall street, Nsw York.
The merchants, toe manufacturers, The
farmers and the travellers are beginning 10
realiZe and TO make up tber minds to the
fact that under the present monopclistic
conditions any competition or sny low rate
Of freight or fare is cut OF the question.
With this outlook staring them in the face
some of the merchants in Virginia, North
Carolina anG other States are eagerly cast
ing about for Ineasura that will give them
relief and justice at least in the matter Of
controlling the railroad lines that they them
ho, huii ta
in this direction is dim and OBSCURE, but
with the close rein which the Terminal pro-
poses to draw there is certain TO be reac-
tiop, aud the State Legislatures Of next ear
will ring with appeals from the people TO
afford them some protection against thia
monopoly.
The Richmond and Danville Railroad
Company which wss incorporated in Sep
tember lS47, was prohibited By its charter
from acquiring any competing lines or from
owning stocks or bonds in any such lines.
withstsndng hisprohibition the con-
pany evaded the provisions of its charter by
leasing number of railroad properties in
this and the adjoining State Of North Caro-
lima, up to and including the year 1850. The
leasing process was not found to work quite
satisfactorily, aud on September is. 1880,
the Richmond and West Point Terminal
and Warehouse Company ~as Incorporated
by the Virginia Legislature The charter
gave that company authority to acquire
ownership in lines and stocks and
bonds in railroad companies in North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ken
lucky, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi
and other Southern States, and the
charter, which was granted iu the interest
of the Richmond and Danville system, was
further amended to allow the Terminal com.
pany to increase it's stock without limit to
consolidate with other companies and to
change the name at will to the Richmond
and Danville and Southern Railroad Com
pany.
From this period forward the Terminal did
the "gobblng," and the creature began by
swallowing its creator-the Richmond and
Danville and ell its leased and controlled
lines. The railroad properties now owned,
leased and controlled by the Richmond and
Danvlle and the Terminal companies con-
sst of four grand divisions and nearly fifty
roads and their branches namely
Mileage
Richmond and Danvillo....... 921
Georgia ......:..... PIG PIG
East Tennessee Virginia and Georgia......."l ,623
Georgia Central
Total m1leage....... zoo