Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1805-07-24
From ne .aafioraf -1aseaIymcer.

tdtCt III VIC DAtBdtt -tIItUuf liUl IJVWtptS ~
to extend its views into future times, and
/; to sketch in Imagination the scenes that
may then arise. Indalging this natural
/ feeling. It may not be nninteresting or G.
wen uprofitable, to contemplate the state
lot things which may exist in a faw years
hence. There is no country on earth in
which short period will produce so s.rik-
! ing change. s&ps9 n
/ The present population ofthe United
States may be computed at six millions.
In twcnty-three years il will amonnt TO
twelve millions lin forty-sixyear to TWEEN,
lty-tour, and in seventy years, 10 fifty mil
lions. Let US carry our minds forward
to this period, and endeavor to deIineate
our situation ar that period in other re-
spe6ls.
| Assuming it as a faGi that our wealth
and resources vii! increase ia the ratio of
our numbers, it will be in the power of the
general governments withas little burthen
to the people as is imposed at present, to
raise an annual revenue ofeighty millions
Of dollars, supposing specie not then to
have deprecated. or sum correspondence
/ ly larger to It's depreciation. At this pc
Rod. unless some unexpected disaster
shonld occur, or we should fail into some
egregious folly, we may calculate upon
there being no national debt (; and conse-
quenily upon the ability Of the govern
IJmept TO devote the.whole of the revenue
raised to Objects ofimnediate and presen,
utility.
IL is probable chat with the cxtinguish-
ment of the debt, the people will be releas-
ed from a. large. part Of their present taxes.
Say one halt, and there will still remain
revenue Of forty millions,
The lands bsianging to the United
States, wiil'at this time, have become of
great ysinc, and it viii not be extrava-
cant to estimate them as producing snnu-
ally tsnmillions.
On what obj-a will this immense trea.
sure. be disbursed
| The answer to rthis question is inEnite-
! Iyimportant.
The actual and necessary expenses for.
the ordinary support Of government can-
\ not on a liberal allowance, exceed five mill
! lions, The residue viii establish vast
fund, whose direction win be productive
OF the greatest good or evil.
4 Three great cblccls, it would appear,
! will come into competition. Internal i'm
provements, education, and naval es;ab-
lishment. Either of these may absorb
the wh9ie,or it may be divided ampDg
them. There is no rsunsry on earth II,
| whichtherS can be wider seld for inter-
nal improvements, NOR Is there any coun-
try,in whict greater political effects would
! probably low from these improvements
being carried on.uader the auspices Of The
! general government. The great adysn.
tagcs resulting thsrefrom wau,d be sys-
fem, liberality, and economy. Canals
| wooid DC cat and roads made not for To-
cal BIZ; for general purposes; the scale on
which Improvements were made would
be muni6cent, and nothing being done up-
Hess recommended BIZ general views and
the general interes. would insure The tru-
est economy, that economy which steer
ed clear OF all waste OF labor. The inc-
yi,able elfeG Of such a plan pursued by
the general government weuld be to make 4
it dearcr 10 the people, by uniting them
to It By III. strong ties Of interest. Ano-
Their edleet, perhaps still more important,
would be the intsrmixsure of interests
that would arise among the remote nar,s
Ut the union by an interchange of their
commodities, and an association Of their
citizens. No causes more suspicious to
harmonys and the indissolubi,ity Of the u.
4 Mon can be cosceiyed.
! Rofty-Eye millions of dollars annually
expended would def,ay the expense Of
making ten thousand miles Of turnpike
road, and twelve hundred miles Of canal
navigation. Such sum, applied for
termoftwenty years, would ssiabI;ah turn
pixies ostvo hundred thousand miIesin ex-
tent, and canals twenty.lour thousand
miles in extent. Supposiag the populate
ed part Of the United States TO embrace
I at this period a districl ola thou>ana miles
I. square, we should have turnpike roads,
! passing in the direction OF East and West,
/ from one end Of the distria to the other,
: in parallel lines, al the distance Of ten
: miles from each other, in,erseetea By 81
milan and equidistant roads 10 the directi-
on Of North and South. And thus, there
will be ne part Of this immense dis;t.et,
that viii not be approached By = turnpike
Within the distance Of FIVE miles, willie
the greater part Df il will be much nearer,