Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-12-05

| Legislature. Such issues, aud such preca,l
tons against expiration, as their wisdom
might dictate, would he annually directed
S.provioed. Nor can il be reasonably suppos.
eel, that rostponenent of the redemption
! oi ANY part os the paper in question, il cir
cumstances required II, would affect its Va
Tue, when that could not possibly be rated by
specie, but only by some other paper, which
could not i;seh, III fact, command specie in
quantity But this prospect belongs to ano.
; uer period, when nearer views Will deter.
ni,e whether the suggestion now made be
worthy o! notice. The subject is however
: important emough to require little apology
tor attracting the attention OF the Legislature
| tot al amy time and under any frrml
! The James River Company has voiuutari-
~ surrendered its charter to The State, upon
the conditions proposed by the law of the
! last session, providing for the more eilectu-
al improvement OF That navigation. The Cor
! poiation, since 1t has become public inter
; est, has made a loan of fifty Thousand dol
I lars, ard has concluded very important con
| tract, TOR the execution of that part of the
| "oik which 1T WAS always known mus, prove,
out ct all proportion for lis extent, the most
| costly./
AHpersons concerned ATE still sangiine i'm
the nope, that the resources provided are
suicient for the ultimate completion of the
WIZ }. work contemplated. The canal in.
! tended rs no more, at last, than an artificial
road with water introduced to ge, rid of fric-
| ton, and TO admit OF twenty five tons being
moved by one horse, instead of three tons
moved by four horses. II the plan of The
| pendulum ferries be adopted, il can he made
| ny excavation alone for it may ia that
case without Inconvenience change the sides
OF the River, and pursue the course of the
low grounds altogether. Single piers C.
rected IN the river Tor such ierr,es are OF
put little cost; and ooat OF tive nty five tons
VIII Always pass with entire safety, and with
more dispatch, than willie moving along the
| canal. The locks, and walled basins, with
The aqueductS, and their banks, requisite
Tor the Transmission of the greater branches
OF the main river, will probably, upon the
whole, cost little more Than the bridges over
the same streams, 4 the graduaiions ofall the
numerous elevations, which would be neces.
sary IN Turnpike road of the same length.
Il loan TO the extent permlttt might have
been readily made, out of the state, if th.re
mad been provision in the law for The pay
ment OF interest in the same order in which
the sums were advanced.
The Commonwealth has been cited TO an
pear before the Supreme Court of the United
states, TO answer 10 the complaint of certain
vendors OF Lottery 1ickcis within the State,
whose business, IT seems, has not been inter-
rupted, but interfered with, by q law of the
State, IN the course Gifts operations. Your
predecessors satisfied of the pernicious ten
dcncy OF lotteries, wisely put an end to the
authority, which had becn granted 10 license
them, for any useful purpose, upon coudi
ton OF a part of The profits being paid into
the Literary Fund. Lotteries cannot be Sc
paratcd by any Just constructions, from the
general class o! gambling articles. Whate.
yer may be the form, all questions of gain or
loss, depending entirely upon chance, must
forever excite degree of anxious hope,
which disturbs mlnds rs long as the event is
unknown. That rcriud - longer in the lot
terry game than IN any other whatever, and
the distress which attends disappointment, is
too often tar from inconsidcrable-lt is be-
sides the only kind of gambling la which all
classes and ages, AID both sexes can gene
rally engage. and is for that reason, without
doubt, the most extensively perulcious mode
ever exhibited III society. The new bower
assumed by Congress to authorize the sale f
10 terry tickets, III defiance OF State reg Ia
TONS, is the more alarming, because any o.
ther species OF gambling might be introduced
under 1t, Tor all have been adopted, at times.
IN some countries, as modes OF raising reve-
nue.. The taste for play long prescribed,
and efiectually banished from among us
might be revived under the licence and ex-
ample, OF authorised professors Of all its diff
ferent arts issuing from the district of CO.
lumoia: Notwithstanding the d,ssmilitude |
OF circumstances. Which leaves no ground |
Tor serious approximations, it cannot TAI, 10 |
be remembered that great ancient Conn !
monwealth, and a modern ephemeral Re-
Puolc, ot scarcely Inferior grandeur, both +,
"ank under The baneful influence of metro j
poItan usurpatlon and tyranny. Hospital |
ity, Establishments, familiar solicitations, soft |
persuasion, are arts not safely TO be disre- 1,
garded, by which the Inhabitants ofgreat ca
pitals attain IN modern times the eagerly de- |
sired end of undue influence over govern
ments of popular form.
II may be hoped, however, that the con-
tumely OF the summons is the most we have
to endure at this time, aud that the strange
opinion procured in favor OF the conn lain
ants will not be sustained.
IL IS worthy ofthe Legislature Of Virgil
ma, TO devise and prepare some means of 81
vertnS the dangerous Crisis of an election of
President of the u. States by the House of
Representatives. which appears so likely to
occur, within the short period of four wears.
The chusing power OF the nation has reach.
edthe last OF the great revolutionary cha
racters, and is but little likely to fx with
sufficient prOmptitude hereafi er, to insure
choice in the proper place. The protracted
scene of Feb. 1901, and the near approach
TO turbulence within & fatal suspicion with
out the walls of Congress cannot so SOON be
forgotten. The recent display of pertinacious
adherence TO Geographical distinctions, in
creases the gloom OF the prospect. One small
state, indeed a single man of that state, will
have the mighty decision depending on his
voice.-Would not an amendment to the con-
stitution anticipating by one year, that all
important quadrennial election, be likely tn
prevent the danger so justly apprehcnded ?
surely the good sense of the people may be
relied on for the abandonment, At the second
choice of electors, of all the candidates but
tMo.-What DOsslble inconye nience cnn nrise