Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1892-01-08
DON'T FIGHT THE RAIL
ROADS.

@ho ioiio"ibS ci'uely drIcle upon
railroad legislation is copied from the
Manufacturers Record While few
members of The Virginia Legislature
are honest in their opinion thet the
public demands an interference with
tho existing order of things, they are
either mistaken or act without a
clearly defined idea of what they
want, or they have failed to acquire
thnt information on tho subject
which it is the duty of every publ:
man to acquire before he assumes TO
pass laws.
Virginia is in no condition to ham
per railroad enterprises. She will
stand in her own light if she thus
discourages the investment of for
eign capital. II is the cas- tern part
of the State that is bent upon this
business and the Southwest wants
none OF it,
Let our developers alone.
There is no State in the Union more
indebted to its railroads for their great
work of development than Virginia.
They have made possible the magnili-
cent industrial progress already accom-
plished. Not content simply to do an
ordinary railroad business and caro- for
the traffic that came of it's own accord.
they have bent every energy to SYM
pathetic, broad-mintlcd work of dovcl
opment. Tho Norfolk and Western i'm
ten years has drawn into Virginia by
the most vigorous work upwards of
$lS5 O00,00C, including the cost of its
own road. 1t has made Virginia coal
world wide famous and created II bust
ness ut Norfolk which is destined tn
make that place one of the greatest of
American seaports; it has secured the
building by careful business men of
dozens of furnaces, rolling mills and
kindred enterprises that will make Vir-
ginia one of the leading iron States of
the Union, and yearly add millions of
dollars to its wealth; il is stretching out
its lines to the West that it may OMEN
still wider fields for Virginia's products
and draw vast amount of Western
stuff to Norfolk for export. These are
but few-of the things which that road
has done and is doing.
The Chesapeake and Ohio, although
later in the field in tli.s line.of work.
has accomplished marvellous results.
Through its connections il has given
Virginia the finest shipyard in the world
ut a cost of nearly 50 900 600: n 1.5OO,-
600 bushcl grain elevator, regular steam
ship lines to Europe that are building
up an immense foreign trade at New
port News; 1t has opened up splendid
mineral and timber regions and erected
; towns where open fields or forests
stood two years ago; it has given splen-
did transportation facilities to bring To
Virginia resorts thousands in search of
health or pleasure, and is now spending
great sums to establish one of the finest
health resorts in America.
The Seaboard Air Line, although not
so distinctly Virginia road, has been
doing similar work, and is now steadily
building upa great traffic at Norfolk
ana yearly increasing the trade of that
port. And thus it has been with all
virginia roads. To the measure of their
ability they have done their best for the
prosperity OF the Old Dominion.
And yet, regardless ofthesc facts. the
politicians are seeking to impose the
most burdcnsome restrictions upon
every railroad in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
that are so utterly absurd as to provoke
mirth, but for the TREMENDOUS harm
which they would do to The State and
10 Tie roads. One of thesf proposed re-
strictions is that every passenger train
snail stop at every station. Under such
law what would become of express
tralns' and who would tr4 vel on Vir-
gihia trains when they co bid possibly
reach their destination Sohth or West
in any other way?
The business men of Vire inia are the
people most deeply Interested in the
matter. They ow, it to the railroads. for
inc marvellous work which they have
done, to themselves, to their own pros.
perity and to theorosperty of the State