Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-10
FRIDAY. MARCH 10, 1899.
THE VICTIM or SCHEDULES.

That Richmond is the victim of pas
senger-train schedules we pointed out in
our issue of Tuesday. We then salts
fed ourselves with general complaint
as 10 outgoing morning trains; now we
purpose going into particulars. The sit
uation is vastly worse than we had sup
posed before giving 1t minute eXamina-
tion. and we know 1t will be a revelation
TO the public. Indeed, we doubt If the
railroad men themselves even the
makers Of these schedules, know TO what
extent Richmond is bound down, ham
percd. and crippled by their time tables.
The Dispatch holds to the doctrine
which has found unquestioned acceptance
in all the "go-ahead" communities of this
country-that wherever a city's newspa-
pers are shut out from a given territory,
difficulty will be found by that city in
maintaining trade relations with that ter
ritory.
The newspaper is confessedly the best
advertisement Of the resources. enterprise,
and progressiveness OF a commercial
community. Wherever a newspaper Sc
cures a large number Of readers, whe-
Their in town or country. the city in which
II is published will find it easy to estab-
fish and maintain trade relations. That
this is a fact is so well known it would
be a waste of time almost, to argue it;
but if there be any man who has doubts
on the subject, let him talk to the drum
uers who are engaged in representing
Richmond houses.
If the especial desire of the railroad
Companies had been to detaln the morn
ing papers of Richmond until the news
papers Of Baltimore and Washington
could get here and go out of the city on
the same mail-trains with ours. they
could not have arranged the schedules
better. However, we do not charge any
said, we believe the facts we have to
present will be a revelation even to the
schedule-makers themselves. They have
never viewed the situation in it's entire
~; they have been satisfied TO be on
easy terms with connecting roads, and
have been deceived as 10 public opinion
because no great cutlery was made. NOW
the people are going to make themselves
heard. This sort of thing has gone on now
long enough. 1t IS useless TO talk about
"Richmond's enterprise" or TO indulge
hopes of her future greatness" so Ions
as the newspapers. and the commercial
organizations of this city, and our City
Council consent that Richmond shall b.
the accomplishing victim Of set o
schedules that subordinate the interest.
OF Richmond TO the interests of oul
northern business competitors.
That our community has cause for com
plant; that the facts in the case bear on
our statements. may be seen from th'
following resume:
1. On the Fredericksburg road the frs
mail leaving Richmond Saving and ex
cepting the $50 train. which is too earl!
for the morning papers, starts at Si'
This train reaches Washington too lat
for the noon delivery of its mail by tn
letter-carriers and the consequence !
our papers are not delivered until late i
the afternoon-so late indeed that news
dealers do not care TO handle them.
Members OF Congress- from Virginia, EN-
ployees from this State in the various dc
parlments. and those of our people VIII
may be visiting the national capital, I'm
papers there from several times the dis
tance that Richmond is from Washinsto
before ours make an appearance. But.
the other hand, II is considerably pre-
vided that the northern papers sha
reach Richmond by $40 A. MI.
We have 10 complain further again'
the schedules OF the Fredericksburg roa'
notably at boswell. Penola, and Milfor
that the Richmond mail arrives just e
-