The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-03-21
Communicated.
THE STEAMBOAT QUESTION
Another Letter Prom mr.. Beverley On the
Subject.


To The FREE LANCE:
] Since my last letter on this question
| have seen a more detailed account OF
the action of your Business Mems AssO-
citation, and while our upper river people
had no one To look after our interests,
we can see something OF the motive that
prompted their decision, and which was
certainly an ill-adyised aud short sight
ed policy. and one which, We think. our
good friends in your city, TN second
thought. will not wholly endorse. Some
times in such meetings bodies who show
the greatest amount.of gas have the
least of substance. Questions We wish
To ask your people are these: why, II
your people cannot consume or Ollcr ~
market for more than twentieth ol our
produce, do YOU wish To deprive ~ oi II
good price elsewhere, gained 10y getting
quick transportation! Why should you
begrudc us getting our toms OF truck,
fish, beef. etc, which youcannot use, INTO
market i'm saleable condition. We can
not believe this dog manager pol
icy reflects the best thought of our long
time city friends Don't you know that
by getting good price for our produce
and trucks il will better enable us To
deal with your merchants and manu-
facturcrs? Our plan, which | wish 10
emphatically state, il not advocated 10y
n few individuals but 10y hundreds and
hundreds OF signatures of practically all
the population ON both sides Gf the river
from Tappahnnnock TO fredericksburg
| saw. our plan works no harlships on
your city's interests. while your action
depriyes IN of the chance of n lifetime,
without any apparent good To you. We
do not object To your river boat II IL
does not curtail our shipping facilities
II your people can support II go ahead
and get il. but for Heavens sake don't
place an embargo On our only OppOrtu-
nifty To develop our section. The lower
river has boatalmOst every day. Your
city " i'll have the same steamboat iacill-
ties we have. besides three railroad com
panies running trains thrO' your city.
We do not want the whole earth; just n
chance To- make an honest living. Under
our system. while we will have more di-
rect transportation with Baltimore, We
will have equally increased facilities with
fredericksburg. Baltimore would take
our produce that cannot, under any cir
cumstanccs, come to you, and you could
not use il il il did, and your city would
get the bulk of our shopping trade on the
upper river az the distance To yOu IL not
| half so great and the expenses about hall
az much, in your favor. II you insist ON
defeating our plan remember that you
must not strike Ms stunning blow in
| the face and then pat III on the back and
ask for our custom Remember it is an
ill-advised policy that would impoverish
W.. as an inducement To get us TO trade
with you. There must be- a system that
combines facilities for shippingas well ~
! travel Ours does this; yours does not.
| Our system gives almost equal facilities
| for travel that yours does, and the ship
ping interests which ours would enOr-
mously stimulate yours would add moth
ing to. We still hope that this question
NAV he amicably settled satisfactorily 10
all concerned. you persist in ignoring
~. and by your action succeed in depriv-
ing w Of facilities vital to the develop
ment Of our section, and still wish our
trade, you must not be surprised II the
old adage. Vinegar seldom catches fiies, y
would again obtain.
Yours. etc,
Robert Beverley, Jr
Caret. Essex Co, Va, March -, 1901.