Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-03-30
the NEW r. r. LINE.

1t Is announced by the T.. s. y. that
the contract for the construction Of
the Potts Creek railroad from Coving-
ton to the great iron ore deposit In
Allegheny and Craig counties, was
awarded last week to d. II. Pitts, P.
r. Cowherd and l.. Hawkins. The
line will be extended a distance of %
or 80 miles to connection With a
branch line to be built by the Norfolk
& Western.
1t Is gratifying to know that this line
Is at last to be built. 1t is a line which
has long been one of the most inviting
of any OF the branch line projects in
the State, but it was not built for
many reasons. One reason seemed to
be to prevent the short route or con.
nection being made between the G. &
o. and N. &. W. 1t is seen at q glance
that traveller can 80 from Coving| on,
Va, to Pearisburg, Va, over the pro
posed line travelling only about so
miles. whereas If he undertakes to go
there under present conditions he will
have to travel not less than $50 miles
II he goes by rail-and there is no other
way of going-but to walk.
A curious fact creeps out in the
building OF this line, and that is the
observance of an unwritten railroad
law as to territorial lines. The public
does not know it generally, but it 10 a
fact that the railways, among them
selves, have parceled out all the terri
tory Of the United States, especially
in Virginia and adjoining States. Be
fore the creation of the Corporations
Commission in this State a charter
could not be gotten until the existing
railways had all examined 1t and with
drawn objections. At the beginning
of every session of the Legislature the
railway attorneys went to Richmond
and remained during the session to
watch this and other movements OF
that body, and a new charter was the
exception, and the only opposition
came from the existing roads. This
was a sad condition for Virginia.
The railways acting like hornets, some
one was always kept on guard at the
entrance to the nest. For a time at
least this custom has been partially
broken up, but they still have chance
to control the Corporations Commits
sion. a thing it is predicted they will
eventually do. Now it Is observed
that in the building of this little line,
the G. & o. will build about rs miles,
and the N. 81 w. will build about %
miles. Thus the c. s. o. cannot 20
over into the N. & W. territory, nor
can the N. u w. come over into the G..
q o. territory. When the G. & q. was
building up the Greenbrier valley sew
eral years ago, the w. Va, Central
was much outraged because it seemed
to think the e. & o. had gotten over
the line. So 1t hurried and built to
Durbin where 1t stood defiantly dar-
ing it to come further. The W. Va.
Central was not then large enough to
be seriously considered, or more def
erence would have been shown.
The reason for calling attention to
this fact Is that the people may see
how deeply enslaved they are by these
corporations. Now throughout the
whole United States the sections are
treated as vassals by the railways.
setting themselves up as lords. For a
long time everybody sat idly by and
said nothing. or went to sleep indiffer.
emit as to their fate. They are awak.
ening, but it will be much harder to
uncoil the reptile now. than before it
had wound so many times around US.
Did any of our readers ever see pictures
OF the Laocooon. The statue repre-
sents an old man struggling with SER
penis which have bsset him. He has
two soDs, little boys, whom be is trying
to save. 1t is a horribly realistic
work. bat no more 30 really than ours,
we mean our fight with the corpora.
lions.