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The following report of a special committee {of
the Virginia Senate} was taken up, on motion of Mr. Marye, and
the resolutions agreed to: |
| The report and resolutions are
as follows: |
| The select committee, to whom
was assigned the duty of enquiring whether the exclusive control
exercised by the confederate government over the transportation upon
the rail roads in the state, might not be so regulated as to afford a
larger accommodation than now exists for the carrying of commodities
for private use, beg leave to report, that they have had the subject
under consideration, and that in order to procure the requisite
information, they caused the proper officers of the leading lines of
railways in the state to appear, and be examined before them. In this
examination, the following facts were elicited: |
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The confederate government has claimed a priority of
right to all the means of transportation employed by the companies.
The requisitions upon nearly all the rail roads, for government
service, have been heavy and continuous, and have reduced to very
narrow limits the facilities for freights on private account. It did
not appear, that in exercising this right of priority, any
mismanagement or waste of the means of transportation had occurred,
except in occasional instances, and these arose from the ignorance or
improvidence of military officers in issuing orders. No attempt had
been made by the confederate authorities to take from the proper
executive officers the superintendence and management of the service
upon the roads; nor did it appear that any larger demand for
transportation was made than was needful for proper military uses. The
evidence necessary to exhibit an abuse of power in this regard, can
only be obtained from those confederate officials who have the right
to withhold it.
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It appeared that a serious interference with the means of
transportation belonging to several of the companies, had been caused
by the acts of confederate officers during the past twelve months,
which did not seem justified by any apparent military exigency, and
calls therefore for a timely and effectual remedy. Nearly one-half of
the burden cars of the Richmond & Danville road have been taken
out of the state, upon the requisition of confederate officers, and no
return made of them to the company. The company, after suffering the
loss of their use for several months, has made a laborious search for
them, which resulted in finding many of them scattered on different
and distant roads out of the state, in most instances badly worn, and
in some entirely ruined. The superintendent of this company stated,
that if these injuries to its means of transportation had not
occurred, that company could have afforded accommodation of all the
private freights seeking carriage upon its road. Similar injuries have
been inflicted upon other companies, not so great in degree, but
sufficient to embarrass seriously their means of transportation. These
injuries appeared to flow from an abuse of power, and a lack of
accountability on the part of confederate officers; and as they tend
to reduce to still narrower limits the means of transportation,
already insufficient for the absolute needs of the people of this
commonwealth, a prompt and effectual corrective should be applied.
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Information was obtained upon another topic, which the
committee deemed worthy of attention.
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For the period of a year past, orders have been in force
along the line of the Virginia & Tennessee road, prohibiting the
transportation, on private account, of meat, flour and other
subsistence. It was stated that bacon could be bought in large
quantities along this line, at fifty cents per pound, and that its
transportation by rail to Richmond would cost about a cent and a
quarter per pound. Prohibitory orders, of a like kind, have been
enforced upon several other of the leading lines. It is obvious that
these severe restrictions, if continued, must inflict great distress
upon the people of Virginia. Such an exercise of power, were it legal,
which is not conceded, can only be justified by the sternest demands
of military necessity; and this necessity should be predicated upon an
accurate statistical knowledge of the amount of food produced in the
various districts of the state thus embargoed. The people of Virginia
will patiently bear all those burdens in the present struggle, which
are inevitable; the measure of those burdens must be heavy, because of
the presence of large contending armies upon her soil; but their
representatives have a right to expect, at the hands of the
confederate authorities, that the latter will use a watchful care in
providing against the imposition of any other burdens, either in kind
or degree, than are inevitable.
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The committee recommend to the house the passage of the
following resolution, being of the opinion that such an expression by
the house may stimulate the confederate officers who have authority in
the premises, to apply all the needful correctives for the injuries
recited herein, so far as this may be done consistently with the
demands of the military service.
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1. Resolved, that this house, while avowing it to be the
hearty purpose of the people of Virginia to dedicate all their
resources in aid of the confederate government in a vigorous
prosecution of the existing war, is constrained to believe, that
through the improvidence of military officers and other agents of said
government, an unnecessary waste and loss have been caused to the
means of transportation belonging to several of the leading
lines of railway in the state, in the manner shown in the report of a
committee of this house: and inasmuch as such injuries greatly enhance
the privations and burdens of the people of Virginia, this house
appeals to the proper confederate authorities to apply a prompt and
effectual corrective in the premises.
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2. That while this house does not concede the right of
the confederate authorities, without having obtained proper
legislative sanctions defining and regulating the exercise of such
power, to enforce the orders herein before mentioned, appeals to those
authorities to make early and careful enquiry, in order to ascertain
whether some relaxation may not be made in the existing orders, which
prohibit the transportation and commercial interchange of meat and
breadstuffs for private use, along the lines of the leading railways
in this state. |
| 3. That the governor of this commonwealth
is requested to communicate a copy of these resolutions, and of the
report of said committee, to the president and the secretary of war of
the Confederate States |
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