Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-03-25
WHERE THE KENT BILL WOULl
HAVE SETTLED TT.

HAVE SETTLED TT.
The Strasburg Virginia1a published in
thriving little town which furnishes good
deal Of business to the two railroads touch
ing the1e, publishes a letter which is so
good an illustration Of the way in which
the railroads do business at leisure and
make the people wait, that we copy it. It
is a model railroad letter. 1t appears that
the people of Strasburg have been for a
long time complaining of inferior depot
facilities. It was brought to the attention
Of the State Railroad Commissioner by the
town newspaper and he called the attention
OF, presumably both, railroads to it and
from one got an answer as follows:
BALTIMORE, Nd, Mar 9th, 1892.
Gent j. c. HILL, Railroad Commissioner Of
Virginia, Richmond, Va.::
Dear Sir-Replying to yours of March 9Th
in relation to depot facilities at Strasburg:
The road from Strasburg to Harrisonburg
is known as the Strasburg q Harrisonburg
Railroad, and is a part of the Virginia Mid
land Railroad, and leased to the Baltimore &
Ohio railroad for ninety-nine years.
About three and half years ago. contro-
versy arose as to the exact point Of terminus
OF the StraSburg end OF the road The Viz
gina Midland Company claimed one point
and the Baltimore & Ohio another The
Midland road fixed the terminus two miles
west OF the present depot, and proceedings in
court commenced to make this point the ter
minus. About two years ago, the two General
Managers agreed upon terminus at point
midway between the Midland depot and the
Baltimore & Ohio depot. Their decision was
submitted to the Executives OF the two roads
for approval. The Baltimore Company APP
ton from the Midland road that they would
approve it; and, of course pending conclu-
sion of this matter, we could hardly be ex
pected to make any improvements, as the ter
minus might be fixed at point some distance
west from our depot location.
| will take the matter uD again to-day. and
if we can establish the exact point where our
line commences, we can then consider the
question of depot, but, until this is establish
ed, we cannot consider it.
Yours truly,
J. T. ODELL,
General Manager.
Two years after point of terminus is
agreed on and still nothing done Settled
by one Executive, settled by the General
Managers, and yet the other Executive"
not heard from in two years by the waiting
people, about a little depot that probably
would not cost $1,000 at most. Such
| unbusinesS like transactions as these indl-
cate nothing short OF an utter Indifference
Of the railroads to the wants OIL demands of
the people. How would this have been
bettered if the Kent bill was in operation :?
The Commission would repair to Stras-
| burg, investigate the matter, decide where
the depot was to be built, order it to be
| built and if the railroads did not like their
decision they could go into the courts. But
there would have been no going into the
courts about it: These railroads know as
well as anybody else that such neglect of
! the reasonable requirements of the people
is unjust. and they are only waiting for a
strong hand to make them do their duty.
The Virginia legislature just adjourned
averted that strong hand, but it will come
/ III time, There is no great business in this
country carried on with so little regard to
the requests, protests and interests OF it's
! customers, as the railroad business in a
State where there is no Railroad Commits
! sion as was provided in the Kent bill.