Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-12-22
Substance IF YTr. CIE4 T.. NAN 10 nS.so,A.. S,s..
On hLe Bdsis OC Observation-Disclosures.

! o" INC Bdss Of cpresestation-i coSrlnurp
ih'Pihcy ollntrr.Hi Improvement, Mr.. Chairman
is not an invention ofthc west for erchino n rnsevo
aud imp"verishing their noirhbors II Is rho noi,c,
OF the statesman and the patriot. n was recommend
od 10 Us, III Virginia by the father OF his country.
ohd has found IT. mot Jealous aud Distinguished adj
'ocates' n the eastern districts. When adverse cir
cumstances Ind thrown IL INTO SOME ,ls,ro,, a. -
cned ITS prospects, and daInped tl-a --;-s of II.
jirchds.-who, ask, foremost in their ciF,r,s
To Vnd'catc - --aructer aud reiuimlie ire bnros,
--' N" meeting Mt Charlottesville du,,pp tbe n,s,
year answer tins question;-a mac;ng invited ~,
voice from the low lands, attended hv q ,c,v ,,.t
from the west, and many from the east of the hin.
hhse' whose presiding officer was the DISTINGUISHED
'hoer VI inns convention from the county of Orange
once the President o the United Suites and omonn
whose most active members We're the President a,
thlS convention. the Chief jus ice of the JTn,,d
y at's, the gem leman from Chesterfield npd otbar
very distinguished eastern men now nrn,ber, nc tt;
convention.
!-si 49, !-G- ,le map Of the State anil c.. uh,,
part o the country IS directly interested in the nocv
CT Internal improvement. It's narrowest limit will ne
t-.nd prescribed, by the Potomac on the north the
OHIO on the west, the line of North CAROLYN, ON ,bs
south AMI the head of tid, water on tin. ess, Ali ~
ms cN,Snsi,c district the towns OF Norfolk Peters
ours u Chmon'. -fs:!c ksburg, and Alexandra, v tn
the counties adjoining them, il which the direct ,,,.,-
est ~ quite As manifest any other part Of the State
ana YOU leave but very small district direc, in
t-TeSied ~ tins subject But in TRUTH SIR the int
at internal Improvement pervades the whole common.
wealth The Underwater country, which re uires no
Improvement IN ats roads AMI rivers has an mr7osiap,
interest IN the improvement OF its u,,rkeis. Whste.
yer wl increase the population, the wealth the NOR
camille capital OF their marx towns must eub nee ,he
value Of every acre of their lands AID permit me 70
suggest, that under prudent system of internal i'm.
prOvemeI', palrnnsed BY this guyrrnmt, at ti,e b.p.
fits To tie udrwater country, though they might no,
he so great, would DE more certa, .nd tie risk of loss
ess, than to the mm -iiate district which the i'm
provement might be made. Sunpose for ex,rnnJa
the government To borrow the money necessary for
oohpeuns the James RIVER Improvement, and to pro-
vide by la" for tax IN the land, toll on the nro-
duets of the James river dsirc; meet the interest
on the lnan-in this case, the whole RISK incurred nv
The Underwater country is tha the means cmploycd 10
pay the interest &c.. tue loan msy not Dele Hrcuai-and
this risk they encounter in common with ,h, Jar,s
river DIS riot and other part of the stare If the
improvement should succeed that would secure the
means at Paying The interest the losn and iav sure
foundation for the prosperity Of their principal market
town--and tnus wtn"it paying one dollar for II, tic
tide water country connected with Richmond would
enjoy the benefit Of an improved market
And what would ihe james river district eni,vi-
The benefit OF Al improved MAJ kc il IS true aud Of
improved rAh''ioItauoh,-Gut subject To the ne
crssaiy TO pal the interest the loan. a would de
Pcnd entirely upon the comparative value of this iax
and oi ties benefits wHehcr he James river interest
would oe promoted or injured, by the successful i'm
prov emenL Ii the tax ere equivalent To the Imin
Non oi I've ht resulting from the Improvement then
the jam r''er interest would have gained nothing
II more uan equivalent, IL would be injured; and il
~ou' DC oc'rhttr' only in the event. that the saving
o freight Wo'ih be more than equivalent to the tax
imposed. TINS interest then would incur the d,,,hie
risk Of ss,-trst, by failure of the movement,
secondly, ny having tn pay for il more than ia wns
worth Appiyths illustration to all our nayigable
streams which rqrire Improvement, to the towns con-
nected w'th thdn and the country Interested in their
markets. and zoe VIII perceive essentially in.
tcrest in wcll CONDUCTED system internal improve.
ment irtcre. oi ,me commonwealth and how I'M
wise IT would be regard partial interest, and
to excite local t-sousies concerning It, Considering
II in this ht teO, you viii acknou ledge the Injustice
o. garding it The of taxing one part of the
nmOnw ealth for the benefit of the other Indeed
thr Inn, oE
the local dstrlct5paN the interest upon the eXDendi
ture, and hold Their lands mortgaged for the psvment
you secure from bose districts the practicable
caution IN all ther plans at Improvement, you make
then careful ~ accepting loans, ihe State should
be in granting then, and you give to the agency of
taa gv"rnm its true paternal rharlcter, employed
in assisting the prudent and solvent members of ia
miy ~ laying thu foundations Of their fortune.
But is not to such system that the objections OF
gentlemen ON the other side apply. Most of them, !
doubt not woHlIbe ATS Patrons. They fear the opera
tons Of dltfeTeSt system which, whatever might
be its object woid result IN throwing the expenses OF
every great improvement upon the State at large,
while its profits would be partially enjoy Ell. Let
then examine Shether tins would nc the probable
sequences of adopting the basis OF wte population,
and wheIhert would be avoided by the compound
basis.
When danger is apprehenicd from the prevalence
OF local interests ganst the interests of the STATE, the
most Obvou inquiry IS whether any local interest,
or auy combination of them, probably command the
power of TIC government Looking to the divisions of
State with reference to the various interests the
suffice, of Internal improvement, You will find the gem
eral ntrref guarded against the local power, by
natural ranpart5, han created upon the face
of any couufy earth, capable Of half the improve
ment to witch ours strongly invites. It's this very
capacity Er improvement, the numerous objects
which strongly solicit 1t, that constitute ;he real
difficulty in our system and present almost insu
perioIe barrer to any Improvement at all.
The county east Of the Allegheny, and above tide
water, is dHded o three great interests, the POLO
mac, the JAMES riyer and the Roanoke, and two SUI
Dor Innate, those of the Rippahannock and Appamit-
toX nenbnu he vet smaller interest Of the Pa
munkes The r,ns Allegheny interests might b. IS
scacd IN part With the tree greater interests IN plar
Of very eXtcns veimprnycm nj, but to all MINOR ob
jrcts would be sibdvidcd, with reference To ITS own
nvigable streams An Inspection Of the map and the
tables Il population vii snow YOU. that the whole lo-
cal interest, aud western attached either 10
the itomac, the James, or tn TO iuOke, upon any
plan uf improyeme hOWrver magnificent, will en-
brace less thti, third Of the white population oil
the state-aud so must be forever. Neither, there
fure, alone, could command the power II The govern
ment,-each would guard the nmonwealth against
iUprOvidtnt scheme which 10 other should
espOusc. II must then be from = combination o.