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Staunton Vindicator: July 22, 1870Go To Page : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
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(Column 01)Summary: Prints Senator Lewis' defense of himself against the accusations made against him a few weeks before. Editor then proceeds to refute everything Lewis says and calls again for his resignation or for the people to elect a Democratic majority in the next election to oust him. Main accusations are his flirting with Radicals, past association with the Confederacy, and betrayal of the Conservatives who elected him.
Full Text of Article:The Valley Railroad. Facts and FiguresSeveral weeks since the State Journal leveled a very pointed and, we thought, uncourteous article at us, charging us with a "spiteful mis-representation" of the Hon. Jno. F. Lewis, to which we replied in terms we deemed called for by the Journal article. To this Mr. Lewis has responded in a letter directed to us, a copy of which appeared in the State Journal on the day on which his letter reached us. Were we so disposed, this would be sufficient reason for a refusal on our part to publish his letter, but we, nevertheless, give it below, being willing to give him a fair hearing before our people, and invite their attention to it, as we shall have a word or two to say in connection with it.
U.S. SENATE CHAMBER,
Washington D.C. July 12, 1870.
W. H. H. LYNN, ESQ.,
Editor Vindicator, Staunton, Va.
SIR:--Some days ago I was shown a copy of your paper in which various charges were preferred against me. The article alluded to affirmed that I had been elected to the position I now hold as a "Conservative," that I had opposed the appointment of Mr. Akerman to a position in the Cabinet because he had served on the staff of Gen. Toombs, &c., &c. I told the gentleman who called my attention to the article that so far as the charge related to my having opposed the appointment of Mr. Akerman there was not one word of truth in it, and that he had my permission for so denying it. As to the other charges, although they have been made and reiterated time and again by all the democratic and other papers laboring in the interest of that party in Virginia, I have not considered them of sufficient importance to require a denial.
I find, however, in your issue of the 8th inst., that you reiterated the charges made in your former article, and add others which have not the least shadow of a foundation in truth. I propose to reply briefly to those charges , with the hope that you will give my denial a place in the columns of your paper.
First, then, I was not elected as a Conservative, but by them, and this without any pledge on my part to any one of any party. No honest member of the Legislature will dare attempt to controvert this statement. It was well known not only by those who elected me, but by every man of intelligence in the State, that I was an open avowed Republican, a warm supporter of Gen. Grant, and in favor of his nomination and election over any and all other persons. Gov Walker and myself were the "True Republican" candidates. To prove this I have but to refer you to the platform on which we were placed by the Convention which nominated us, and to the speech of Gov. Walker in accepting the nomination--to the columns of almost every newspaper in the State now laboring in behalf of the democracy, in which it was daily and weekly asserted that ours was the only real "True Republican" party in the State. But this is not all. In further proof of my position I refer you to the speeches of Gov. Walker before the Reconstruction Committee, his proffer to Gen. Grant of a cordial, earnest and undivided support, and his unqualified declarations of earnest sympathy with the Republican cause made to every Republican Senator with whom he conversed prior to the admission of the State. I made like declarations and pledges, and have endeavored to faithfully and honestly carry them out. I was not aware then that these solemn pledges were made on the part of any one simply to deceive, and as cloak under which to get back into the Union. No, neither Gov. Walker nor myself were the Conservative Candidates. Mr. Withers was the standard bearer of that party; and he did not withdraw until some time after the nomination of the "True Republican" ticket.
As to my opposition to Mr. Akerman: Every gentleman with whom I had any conversation on this subject will bear me out in the statement that, when I found there was no probability of securing the nomination of Judge Rives to the position of Attorney General, I did what I could to secure the position to Mr. Akerman. My colleague (Judge Johnston) who is a democrat, will certify to this fact. That I did not deny the charge earlier was because I was absent from the city, and was not even aware that such a charge had been made against me until it was shown me by the gentleman who I authorized to contradict it.
You say I am "mis-representing my people." You are certainly very greatly mistaken. If I could bring myself to believe for a moment that the democrats are "my people," I would not be slow to acknowledge the truth of your statement.
Believing that I am "mis-representing" the democracy, you think I had better resign my position. With the kindest feelings in the world toward you, and without any intention to reply curtly to your suggestion, I desire to inform you, and through your paper all others whom it may concern, that I have no taste for the position of United States Senator, and that while my health is greatly suffering from the confinement to which the position subjects me, nothing but death will cause me to give it up before the expiration of my term of service, unless a legislature is returned which will elect an avowed and earnest Republican to take my place.
And now as to the charge that I voluntarily made or sought to make any contract with the Confederate Government I pronounce the charge utterly false. During the war I, with others, was engaged in making iron. We had a contract with Jos. R. Anderson, Esq., a private citizen of Richmond, by which we were making money.--This contract a military despotism, calling itself the Confederate Government, made us relinquish and required us to deliver to them a portion of the iron made at our works, as an offset to which we were to be furnished with a sufficient number of conscript soldiers to carry on the works. This is all there is to this charge. But you go on to say that a friend had to "go forward, at my instance and vouch for my loyalty" to the Confederate authorities. I should be very much pleased to have you name this "friend," and get him to make the charge over his own signature. The charge is utterly false.
Again you say that I "gave information and guides which came near enabling Gen. Early to bag the force of Custer, at the Cave," near my home. This charge is in keeping with the other charges preferred against me, and is false from beginning to end. If necessary I could prove by Gen. Early himself that I never, on any occasion, furnished him with either information or guides. I can further prove that, on the occasion referred to, I was not within seventy miles of my home. Had I been there Gen. Sheridan would not have destroyed my property.
I cannot believe for a moment that you desire to do me intentional wrong, neither can I bring myself to believe that you place any faith in the truth of the charges which you have preferred agrinst me.
I remain yours, respectfully
JOHN F. LEWIS
Mr. Lewis, whether intentionally or not, would lead those who have not read our articles to believe that we had asserted that he was elected as a conservative. We made no such statement. We said positively that he was elected by and as the nominee of the conservatives in the Legislature, which he corroborates. And we assume further that whether he made any pledges or not, in terms, that the acceptance of their nomination and, by virtue of the election by conservatives, taking his seat in the Senate was a tacit pledge to represent them. That he has failed to do this, and has gone directly against their wishes and sentiments, and the wishes and sentiments of a large majority of the people of Virginia, is well known and is our cause of complaint, and we again assert that he does not represent his people. By this we meant what we said. Mr. Lewis seemingly, desires to make the impression that we meant by "his people," the 'Democracy.' No, by no manner of means. We insist that he mis-represents the large majority of the people of the State.
Though the "True Republicans" was the name of the party on whose ticket he ran for Lieut. Governor, the ticket was elected mainly by the Conservatives, and we insist also that he does not represent those who elected or advocated that ticket. They were conservative in sentiment, while he has left them, high and dry, for radicalism. But the "True Republicans" did not elect him to the Senate. It was Conservatives, (elected as Conservatives to the Legislature,) and hence the side issue of "Democracy" and "True Republicans" is but a begging of the question.
His remarks about Gov. Walker, we leave for him and the Governor to settle.
As to the question of opposition to Mr. Ackerman, we give Mr. Lewis the full benefit of his statement.
That Lewis, Crawford & Co., of which firm Jno. F. Lewis was a partner, did have a contract with the Government, the papers in the case of Anderson & Co., vs Maj. Jones, of the Nitre & Mining Bureau, on file in the Clerk's Office of the Circuit Court of Augusta, prove; a sworn statement therein giving the amount of hammered iron (125 tons) contracted for. The suit of Anderson & Co., was dismissed, and the Government kept the iron under its contract--Whether it was voluntarily sought, we made no issue--Mr. Lewis raises that--we simply asserted that he had a contract. That several parties applied to Col. St. John, of the Nitre & Mining Department, in behalf of L.C. & Co., before the contract was made, we believe Col. St John will attest, and that Mr. Lewis' loyalty was questioned and vouched for, but we must do Mr. Lewis the justice to say that as far as its being done at "his instance," from inquiry, we believe the report to have been incorrect. This, however, we did not assert, only stating it among other rumors, (the truth of which we expressly stated we did not know, and hence would draw no conclusion therefrom,) merely to refute the charge of the Journal that we were "spiteful." We could have added the rumors in that connection,--"of raising or proposing to raise a company for the Confederate Service"--"of giving $50 towards bringing a regiment of Indians into the service," (which we had heard but did not know of their truth,) to show a want of "spitefulness" on our part, or we could have turned to the Journal of the Convention of 1861, of which body Mr. Lewis was a member, and cited (page 184,) the unanimous election of Gen. R. E. Lee, as Commander in Chief of the forces of Virginia, on the 22nd of April; (page 204) the vote of Mr. Lewis in the affirmative on the question of taxing slaves to raise means to carry on the war, on the part of Virginia; (page 217) his vote against vacating the seats of the members of the Convention and electing others on the 4th Thursday of the following May; and that, after hostilities had commenced, and the battle of Big Bethel had been fought and won, we find Mr. Lewis (pages 270-271) voting for Messrs. Boteler & Neeson to represent the 9th and 10th districts of Virginia in the Provisional Congress of the Confederacy. These facts even, taken from the Journal of the Convention, we could not have been considered as asserting, only adducing to show that we were not "spiteful," and much less rumors which we positively declared we did not know to be true.
As to the charge of furnishing information and guides which came near enabling Gen. Early to capture Custer at the cave, we heard it from one who was there and who was along with the guides, who gave us the same reason for not capturing Custer as that given in the letter of Gen. Early, elsewhere. We did not say the information was given to Gen. Early. It was given to the gentleman who mentioned it to us, and the guides were furnished him. He asserts that he frequently sought information from Mr. Lewis and never failed to get it. Sheridan did not reach Mr. Lewis premises then, we are informed, as Gen. Early held them. Mr. Lewis is therefore at fault in this. May he not be as to the remainder? Surely he does not claim perfection for himself.
General Early, (who saw our article and addressed a letter to us) declares he received no information from Mr. Lewis. We publish his letter elsewhere.
In conclusion we would again remind Mr. Lewis, that it is not only the "democracy" we believe he mis-represents but a large majority of the people of the State, and that it was on that account we suggested the propriety of his resigning.
We know that he ran for Congress, at the election held soon after the war, and that, although a candidate for Lieut. Governor on the ticket with Gov. Walker, yet he also announced himself as a candidate to represent the people of this district in Congress, thus offering for two offices at the same time, and as we had not heard that he at all objected to taking the U.S. Senatorship, and that as the gift of conservatives, we concluded he was a "leetle" anxious for Congressional position. But how people can be mistaken! As he is in and won't resign, we can't make him do so, and the people will have to bear with patience being unrepresented, as far as he is concerned. We will only add that, the people will take good care to secure a Legislature, which will elect as his successor, a man, who, if he does not "stick" quite so well, will more nearly represent their sentiments and interests.
(Column 03)Summary: An article written by an anonymous contributor details the immense benefits and limited risks of investing in Valley Rail Road stock. Gives statistics of other successful railroads, the amount of money Augusta county can expect to make, and the limited amount of taxes residents would need to pay.
Full Text of Article:[No Title]The amount of taxable property in Augusta county, in 1868, was $12,407,675. It is confidently believed that, in 1871 and 1872, it will reach $15,000,000, and if the Valley Rail Road be built that it will far exceed that amount. But taking $15,000,000 as the estimate, it will only take a tax of 12 cents on the $100 of property, or one-eighth of 1 per cent to pay the $18,000 interest on the subscription of $300,000 to the Valley R. R. Stock.
The whole amount necessary to build the road will be subscribed, if Augusta votes her quota, and having all the necessary money in hand to build the road, it can be completed in two years. The Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Company have proposed to lease the road, as soon as completed, at 6 per cent on the cost of construction, thus guaranteeing an income from the road equal to the interest; hence it it is rendered certain that the tax will only have to be paid for 2 years to meet the interest.
The following sales of Rail Road Stock, made in Baltimore and New York, during the present month, show the value of the stock of six roads which are out of debt, or nearly so, as the Valley R.R. will be :
Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Stock 144 Illinois Central R. R. Stock 140 Michigan R. R. Stock 119 Chicago & R. Island R. R. Stock 115 Cleveland & Pittsburg R. R. Stock 109 Reading R. R. Stock 103 Average price fo above Stock 121Taking this as the basis of estimate, the $300,000 of stock owned by Augusta county will be worth $363,000; so that, if the county does not choose to tax itself to pay its bonds and keep its stock, it can sell the stock for $363,000, pay its bonds and put $63,000 back into its treasury, which will reimburse both principal and interest, of $36,000, paid in taxes, the first two years.
The estimated cost of building the road through Augusta county is $1,360,000.--All this money will be put in circulation in the county within two years, and equally distributed over it, both by contractors and work hands, for every thing you may have to sell. By a late resolution, passed at a meeting of the Board of Directors, the road will pass as near as practicable through the centre of the county, which will bring it within 5 miles of one-third of all the improved land in the county, and cannot fail to add from 25 to 50 per cent to the value of all the property in the county, or from $3,000,000 to $6,000,000 to the aggregate wealth of the county.
These are facts that can, every one, be proven by evidence that would stand the test of a court of justice and can not be refuted. Folly can go no further than to vote against this subscription. We speak as unto wise men, judge ye.
PROGRESS
RAPBINE, VA.
(Column 04)Summary: Prints General Early's reply to the accusations against Senator Lewis. Affirms that Lewis never gave any information to Early and in fact the latter says Lewis was a Unionist at heart. Does believe Lewis' actions in making contracts for iron production were shady at best.
Full Text of Article:DiedLynchburg, July 16th, 1870.
Editor of the Staunton Vindicator
SIR:--I have seen a letter from Mr. John F. Lewis to you, in which he refers to a statement charging him with having given me information to enable me to capture Custer's force of cavalry at Weir's Cave in 1864. As it might be presumed that the information on which the charge was made emanated from me, and being always willing to give even the devil his due, I think it proper to state, at once, that Mr. Lewis gave me no information whatever, at any time during the war, in regard to the enemy; and I have never intimated to any one, either during or since the war, anything on which the charge in question could be founded. At the time I was at Brown's Gap, in 1864, where Mr. Lewis' residence was, he was from home, and I do not recollect of seeing him at all during the war except at Staunton in the winter 1863-4, when he came to that place for the purpose of bringing some pig-iron to be sent to Richmond. At that time, I had a brief conversation with Mr. Lewis, and this is the sole interview I have any recollection of of having had with him, from the time we parted in Richmond as members of the Convention. On the occasion of my seeing him at Staunton, at the time mentioned, after he had left me, Major Jones, of Fauquier, who was the officer acting for the Ordnance Department and the Nitre and Mining Bureau, at Staunton, came to me and informed me, that Mr. Lewis had a contract with the Ordnance Department at Richmond to furnish pig-iron for the Government, and that he had made another contract with the Tredegar Iron Works Company in violation of his contract with the Ordnance Department, and was then seeking to send some iron to the said company which properly belonged to the Government. He further stated that he had received orders to prevent the iron from being sent to the Tredegar Iron Works, and wished to know if I would sustain him in it, to which I replied in the affirmative; and the iron was stopped at that time. What became of it afterwards, I do not know, as I soon left the Valley for the army on the Rapidan. Of the facts about the contract I knew nothing personally, but knowing Major Jones, I had no doubt whatever about the entire accuracy of the information given by him.
At the time I made the attempt to capture Custer's force at or near Wier's Cave, the information I acted upon was derived from our own scouts and reconnaissance made by our cavalry, and I thought then, and still think, I would have been able to capture the whole force, or the greater part of it, if untimely intimation of our position had not been given by Brig. General Wickham's opening with artillery on the wagon camp, in entire disregard of my positive instructions. Not only then is Mr. Lewis entirely innocent of a laudable design to do any harm to the invaders of his State in the matter referred to, but I have no hesitation in expressing my conviction, formed from information received while I was in the Valley, and confirmed by his course since, that he would have been much more ready to give any information whatever to the enemy, though that information might have caused the beautiful Valley of his nativity, from the head waters of South River, Christian's Creek, and Middle River, to where the Shenandoah tumbles into the Potomac, and from the summit of the Blue Ridge to that of the great North Mountain, to be converted into smouldering ruin and a desolate, irreclaimable waste, utterly unfit for the habitation of man or beast, than to have dropped a hint to any one on our side that would have led to the capture of a solitary one of the invading horde; and I have been surprised that any living being in the Valley should have been of a different opinion, or have given Mr. Lewis credit for ever having had a solitary patriotic impulse from the beginning. He says that if he had been at home, Sheridan would not have destroyed his property. My recollection is, that it was Hunter who destroyed his Iron-Works, just before the battle of Piedmont or New Hope, in June 1864, and I think I can hardly be mistaken in this.
Yours very Respectfully,
J.A. EARLY
(Column 05)Summary: Bennie Maloney, infant son of Capt. Michael and Mary Maloney, died near Deerfield, Augusta County, on July 6th after four days of intense suffering. He was 5 months old.
(Names in announcement: Bennie Maloney, Capt. Michael Maloney, Mary Maloney)
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(Column 01)Summary: George W. Hale has been appointed postmaster at Mt. Solon in place of Elizabeth H. Blakemore who was disqualified by marriage.Railroad Meeting
(Names in announcement: George W. Hale, Elizabeth H. Blakemore)
(Column 01)Summary: Reports on a meeting of Augusta county citizens working to secure investment in the Valley Railroad. They formed a committee, named the members of the committee, and issued a long, detailed address to Augusta County voters giving them all kinds of reasons to vote for the Valley Railroad subscription.
(Names in announcement: M. G. Harman, A. H. H. Stuart, Thomas J. Michie, John Echols, C. R. Harris, R. G. Bickle, Joseph A. Waddell, Thomas C. Elder, John M. Hardy, P. B. Hoge, David Fultz, Hugh W. Sheffey, John B. Baldwin, N. K. Trout, William A. Burke, George Baylor, James H. Skinner, S. Travers Phillips, W. H. Gorman, H. M. Bell, David Fultz, C. W. S. Turner)Full Text of Article:At a meeting of citizens of the county, held in the office of the Valley Railroad Company in Staunton, on the 15th of this month, on the motion of Capt. Bumgardner, Judge David Fultz was called to the chair, and C.W.S. Turner was appointed Secretary
On motion of Judge Sheffey it was resolved that the Chair appoint a Central Committee, whose duty it shall be to adopt proper measures of organizing so as to secure a favorable vote on the question of subscribing $300,000 to the stock of the Valley Railroad Company and to issue an address to the voters of the county on the subject.
On the motion of Mr. Gibbs it was resolved that the Central Committee be requested to publish and distribute such statistics and other plain statements of facts and figures as will inform the people of the true merits of the question they are to act upon, and such other documents as in their judgment will be useful.
The following gentlemen were appointed members of the Central Committee:
M.G. Haram David Fultz A.H.H. Stuart Hugh W. Sheffey Thomas J. Michie John B. Baldwin John Echols N.K. Trout C.R. Harris Wm. A. Burke R.G. Bickle George Baylor Joseph A. Waddell James H. Skinner Thomas C. Elder S. Travers Phillips John M Hardy W.H. Gorman P.B. Hoge H.M. Bell DAVID FULTZ, Chairman. C.W.S. TURNER, Secretary.TO THE VOTERS OF AUGUSTA COUNTY.
On the 6th day of August next you will be called on to determine by your votes, whether you will subscribe $300,000 to the Stock of the Valley Railroad Company. We have been appointed a Central Committee to use such proper means and arguments and to disseminate such information as will induce you to respond favorably to the question to be submitted for your decision. You will understand us, then, as approaching you in no partisan spirit, as the advocates of no individual or sectional interests, but as friends of the proposition, that a great line of Railroad shall be carried thirty-four miles through the heart of Augusta county, and that you, who we think, will be recipients of immense benefits to flow from the construction of this Road, shall help to make it. In various ways you have given your confidence to many of us in times past: we think we have not heretofore deceived you by our counsels, and we now unite (and in this we are sustained, we believe, by every citizen of the county, in whom, at any time, you ever reposed your general trust,) in earnestly urging you to vote for the subscription. We are influenced in giving this advice, by considerations too numerous to be stated here in detail, but we have carefully pondered them.
Communities are generally influenced in their actions by two considerations. First, do honor and good repute urge us to follow a certain line of conduct? and Second, does self-interest incline us in that direction? We are convinced that both of these considerations demand that you shall vote for this subscription.
Augusta county is the Empire county of Virginia; it is the most populous and wealthy county in the State. It has for many years been the favored recipient of public monies, freely spent in its borders; it has been distinguished by its support, and advocacy of internal improvements, and for its public spirit; it has for many years past been earnestly desiring the construction of a great Railroad thoroughfare through the Valley; it has, in connection with delegations from all the Valley counties, gone, by its delegates in large numbers, on two occasions, to the city of Baltimore; once under the immediate auspices and personal lead of Gen Robert E. Lee, (to whom the construction of this road is an object of peculiar interest;) and has urged and entreated Baltimore to aid in this great enterprize. The efforts of her citizens, in this regard, after an earnest struggle, have been successful. Baltimore has agreed to subscribe one million of dollars, the Baltimore & Ohio Company has agreed to subscribe another million, nay, more, the sister counties along the line of the Road, have subscribed $800,000, and the Town of Staunton $100,000. All this has been done, in furtherance and part performance of what Augusta county has demanded for many years should be done, and yet all this must go for naught--must fall as water poured on the sand, without the co-operation of Augusta. All the other subscriptions are conditional, and unless an additional sum be subscribed by Augusta or some other county or town in the Valley, they must all fail. We know of no other county which can or will subscribe an additional sum. We confess that we shall feel humbled and wounded in our reputation, as Augusta county men, if we turn our backs on our friends at the crisis of trial, and refuse to unite with them; and the moreso should the refusal be made for the reason urged by some for pursuing this line of conduct that this, that somebody else will do the work and, we will get the benefits and pay nothing for them. Take an illustration of this:--Six neighbors want a road made thro' a district of country for the accommodation and convenience of all; five of them raise and are ready to expend the means, on their part, to complete the road. The sixth man, who happens to live midway between the terminal points says to his neighbors--"I want the road very much, it will be a great blessing to me, but as I think you are bound to have it any how, without my contributions, I will do nothing and either live without the road, or enjoy it at atyour expense." This we say is not the utterance of an Augusta county man of the olden time and we trust no such thought will be cherished and acted on by any of our people.
Again self-interest governs communities:--This is too wide a field for comment here, but we venture to say, that there is not a judicious man in the county who will deny that, to the county as a whole, the construction and working of this road will be immensely beneficial. In the construction of it, simply, $1,250,000--(the far greater portion of it other peoples money)--must be spent in Augusta county. We all know how the property holders and laboring men must thrive and prosper in the midst of such an outlay. In the working of it, who can enumerate the blessings it will confer upon our people? Located as we will be just at the point of intersection of the Chesapeake & Ohio and the Valley Railroads, just at the point of competition our county in its length and breadth will feel in all its interests the effect of reduced rates of transportation on all its products and imports--its flour, corn, bacon, beef, hay, livestock, iron and the many products it sends abroad, and on the plaster, salt, fertilizers, agricultural implements and merchandise it imports. Two great rival markets, Baltimore and Richmond, will compete for our trade; two great rival lines will compete for our transportation. Who can doubt that the cost of transportation will be greatly reduced? If reduced even slightly it will pay thetax; ten cents on a barrel of flour will save the county $10,000 a year; one dollar on a ton of plaster (two dollars can easily be saved) will reduce the cost of that article about $5,000. Consider, in addition, the saving in hay freight, on live stock and other tonnage, and we must be of opinion that this subscription will be no gift, but a wise and paying investment.
A great deal has been said about the burden of the tax. The real and personal property of the whole county of Augusta, on the basis of the assessments of 1856, in part, is valued at $12,407,695. By the census of 1860, the real and personal property of the county, exclusive of slaves, was estimated at $16,000,000 in round numbers: and by the report of the Auditor of Virginia of 1861, the value of the real estate of the county was $14,326,399, and of the personal property $10,007,898. This last included the value of slaves, the number of which was 4,708, which if averaged at $500 would produce the sum of $2,354,000, showing an aggregate of about $22,000-000 of real and personal broperty in the entire county. A portion of this personal property, however, was not taxable.
But on the basis of 1856 alone, to pay the interest, the tax will be 15 cents on each hundred dollars worth of property. So that if a man is worth $1,000, he will pay $1.50 tax; if he is worth $10,000, he will pay $15.00 tax; if he is worth $20,000, he will pay $30.00 tax--no more, no less--even if no income at all be derived directly from the road. But here we have the contract tendered to us by the Orange, Alexandria & Manassas Railroad Company, to take our road and work it at their own expense and pay us for the use of the Valley Road sixty per cent of the gross receipts. That is: $60 of every $100 of gross amounts for fare and freight received. The road will begin to pay, then, as soon as it is finished, section by section.
Again: The subscription of Augusta will secure the prompt completion of the whole line, and the profitable working of the entire improvement. Contracts will be promptly, but prudently let; and the work along the whole line will be steadily pushed to completion. Never, in Virginia, has a Railroad been commenced under better auspices or with more certainty of success as to its completion, and also as to its value and profitableness to the country through which it will pass, than this. We earnestly urge the subscription as the only means known to us to make sure these desirable results.
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
M G Harman, A H H Stuart, John B Baldwin, Wm A Burke, John Echols, Geo Baylor, Thos J Michie, S Travers Phillips, Jos A Waddell, Wm H Gorman, David Fultz, Hugh W Sheffey, R G Bickle, C R Harris, N K Trout, James H Skinner, T C Elder, Jno M Hardy, H M Bell, P B Hoge.
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