The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-14

boldest amongst them. Col. Crozct. NAM
tanned that they could scale mountaini',
and In their might, draw vast trains nh
ed with passengers or products. chari~s
Elicit concurred in these scientific de-
auctions from then established facts. and
between them they converted the public
mind of Virginia. so that when the Leg
islature met in 1876 a working MAORI
~ we're on the floor of each house, ana
the Southside Railroad Company was
,ncornorated on March 5, 1876. 10 build
a line from Petersburg to LynchDurg,
and a year later on March ., 1871, the
Richmond and Danyille Railroad Com
many got It's charter. TO unite Richmond
with Danvllle.
Whitmef T. Tunstal. Of Pittsylvania,
was the enthusiastic father OF this great
work. of whom more anon. Another
year later. March "a. 1913. the Virginia
and Tennessee Railroad Company was
incorporated 70 rrn line from Lynch
burg to the Tennessee line, over 300 miles
This was the NEST daring or AL rail-
road schemes yet undertaken IN VIZ
ginia, for IL meant purpose ana at
tempt to cross both the Blue Ridge ana
the Allegheny mountains. IT was great
advance idea AT the date. and by many
regarded as chin ericaL But the intel
lectraf ability OF John p. Floyd, George
w. Hopkins. Ballard. Robert, Thos L.,
and Walter Preston. all OF the great
Southwest, anf John Robin McDaiiei
and John NJ. Speed. Of Lynchb1rs. were
its SPONSORS, and inspired faith in the
success OF the scheme.
The same year. March z, 1888. the Bar
bours OF Culpeper. Robert J.. Scott OF
Fauquier. and the Merchants, OF Alex
andria. got a charter for "a line from
q .I..taI Ill
meet the little Louisa road which. under
that noble Virginia gentleman col. Ed
mona Fontaine. had slowly worked It's
way that far westward; and then, as
piring to greater things. asked for. and
on the 5th OF March. 1919. got an amend
mont OF its charter, and changed It's
name from modestly "The Louisa Rail
road Company" 20 the more ambitious
and significant corporate name or ne
Virginia Central Railroad Company.
with power to cross the mountains ana
push onward to the ohio, ana 10 nave
it's own independent entrance into Rich
roond bv a line from the Junction TO the
citv. This ends the initial railroad acts
of the Legislature up 10 1850. ana az the
writer entered the House Of Delesale5
that year. fl marks an epoch IN MS own
humble life. and fixes a point AT willch
IL Is convenient 10 drop railroads lot
q while and revert for a moment TO
other important matters OF public CON
Germ. .,-.
AS the internal improvement sentiment
grew I'm the State. it attracted Hn'h NJ
tention 10 the fact that the eastern coun-
ties had an undue voting power over the
western in that clause Of the State Con-
stitution Of 1899 which counted as
population, on which representation was
based. three-nfths Of the slaves, so large
" held in the East. and I'm such fmail
numbers west Of the mountains. whist
the people Of the mountains were rs
true as those Of the east I'm resisting All
encrOachmcnts from any quarter Oh ne
rights Of property I'm slaves, they rex
Kceniy the injustice Of giving p0hticai
nover f. slaves 10 he exercised through
their masters. and 10 be welded in op-
position TO State aid TO works Of inter-
nal Improvement, education. &c, the
need OF which was so keenly felt by me
western counties. So a demand was
made bv the west in 1889 for a Conven-
ton TO revise the Constitution, and was
acouieeeed in by the east. and il lSo
an election was held for delegates 70
Unconstitutional Convention, which met
I'm Richmond simultaneously Win tNe
LEGISLATURE I'm December, 1850.
In nv next letter some "reminiscences
of the personnel and business or tnat
Convention viii be given, that az inc
time evoked great interest but seems
now TO be almost forgotten by the pres
ent generation. a GRANDFATHER.