Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1830-02-25

u. 10
oeepiy interesting 10 a large portio, of "A
country engaged in the culture Of tobacco !. an
representing as he dtd part of thar countr,
ne tell 'tin some degree incumbent upon nm
10 unite his efforts with the efforts OF otbe,
IN endravoring to nnshaGkle the tobacco rad
anu Tree II from those Durthens by when il
now oppressed
Under the old james River comnsny. lin
.o'' on ,onacco was forty Two cents per nor,
nean-this was thought to be "A full and E,i
compensation 10 thai company, for the iacill, ie
oHrf'h Dy II, IN navigating that stream an
tile people paid Ibis toll without comoInint. fo
It was not 81 high, as 10 be oppressive To ibeu
but what is now the case I r, the at o
! io<f The tolls on tobacco we're Increased fiuy
'ighi cents, which added % ihe former toll a
iof'y two cents, makes II amount al this time
10 one dola per hogsbead. l. is of thus toll
Tue people complained. aud h. IN tughi the,
| had right tn complaIn-and what reason wa,
mere Tor this increase ct The tols9 VIVA
Jlsnfying excuse can b. found for thus oppre,
stvely bnrlhrnlng the products of their IanL
ana l'bour Tia was aware that reason wa,
thought TO exist, and gentlemen believed they
ion"f that reason in The TACT that a large sum of
/ money had been expended IA improving the
| navigation ofthat river
There would be some force in this reason
| II mat expenditure Of money had cen mad.
NJ the So.ici a ion Of the people OF that psrt Of
the count y. or If II had bren ma Ie wi n sin.
&c "Nefo her accommodations; tor ,fsl..h mas
cen the case, then they WITH some ius,ice
might I've been rrq nrtd 10 bear The whole
bur hrn of hat espeHse hui such wa. NAT
the facial who are acq Iainted with th,s
scheme OF internal Improvement, kns,v that =
was npi. II wasa great tate work-u was
undertake "A AS state work--to be ca RED on
Nv tht resources of the whole STATE, aud for the
oeheht oil the whole sta e. II was intend d TO
ne central communication uniting he eastern
anu western extremes II he [ commonwealth,
ny aenGs of which il was thata portion OF the
hade ii Kentucky aud Ohil would fad il. way
ihfo'gh the mid lie Of our ate Il WIS b.
llrved also that the trada of the western coun
lies OF the State would follow the same cha el
AMI that the wealth aud resources OF thosr
counties would be IN IRE fully d yeloppd-Sucn
were the views then entertained, and II wa
with such views that the schemt was projected
recommended and hually adopted. lis history
Is well known-it is known that after u barge
expenditure of money The work has stopped
lar short of It's first drsgn, and thai no benefit
has been produced corresponding with ma
heavy cSpenS'. TIE a. slon muw is. upou
whom shall this los, fall Shall il fall upJn
one particular uart ofthe State. and shall mat
part bear the whole Durth-n Otihal deb vino,
was contracted for the benriI uf the who.t
state and at the instance ot the whole Stats -
He thought not. II this was state urderta
king, then the whole State should bear an
qua rop0rtlon OF lis burthens--yrl surh is no,
the case for the heavy toll imposed upon to
bacco. throws nearly the whole burIhen upon
that par, OF the State engaged in the cultivation
of thai article.
+ ere is another view of his subject, which
he asked TO be allowed 10 present TO the naica
Of n Hans Al the session Of 1918, bill
OF commencing and Sr 95s%spse for the papos"
Internal Improvement He was iniorme! thn'
the delegation repre- enting The tobacco grow.
ing par Of the State voted generally against
this Bill aud il was lost. They vot against
il. not because they were unwilling that the
people of thai pari Of the country should bear
an equal proportion Of The expense of any great
State work but because they were fearful that
so large an eYpend' ure might induce the Leg
stature a. lmpUsr heavy burihens upon their
trade. At the Mex scsslon--the session OF 1919
20 similar bill was Introduced, aud II was
this bill waich received the sanction OF law
and under il the W. k Was commenced. Tue
delegation from that part of the State generally
voted for this bill--'hey voted tor II under d"
firm conviction that the danger of excessive
TAXATION which had Undue d them Al the pre-
vious session, TO vote against the previous bIIl,
did not then exist for there was Inc3TporhI Ell
in this bill provision ny which no toll was TO
he demanded, Which should exceed one third
of the saving Of expense OF Transporting pr"
duce IN aud down the James river conS quenl
upon hi, improvement.-Wlih his provision
the delegation we're satisfied. tor tn people
were then. and are still, willing TO pay any toll
which does not exceed on" t1Id ofihe savings
nv this imnrovoment Here then, WAS IA con
tract made between the COmmUnSea AND
that delegation, AS an inducemeni 10 Obtain
their support for this bill, without which pedge
thew would not have vsted for II, and without
whose votes he believed the bill could not have
passed - Has this pledge been kept tie ir' {
justified in saying il had Moth act II 1874
;mnosing an additional toll ofhny eigh' cents
on tobacco was direct violation OF tins pirdg
for he was authorised to say, that no saving
OF expense in transporting produce up aud
down the river whatever, had been prodhcen
nv this mprovement.-lh his assertion WAS
made upon information that would not mIsle"e
for il has been tessd by actual experiment
He onfessed he never had, and could 90
now see any justfying reason for imposing TIM
heavy toll upon that navigation The want
/
This House may be great. but neither viii justify
j, in violating soremn pledge or IN an ACT U
gross injustice.
He asked if it could be the policy or the "lsi
Of the Legislature OF Virginia TO Cypress I'M
agricultural products Of the State Int
agricultural interest was an important interest
aud should receive every facility which legs
latiye aid could give for rs fall development
and surely it could be the wish OF no one u
burihen that interest or any branch OF 1t. Blu
this toll upon tobacco does seriously opprtS
that branch OF our agricultural prsdncis.-a
that period wild and extravagant specu'a
ton which followed upon the close ofthe lat
war, when every thing had reached mos
enormous price, and when tobacso was seln
from 6fteen to twen,y FIVE and thirty dollar
DER hundred, this toll could have been paI'
without being scarcely felt-but times az
, now greatly changed commerce is langn's'int
the agricultural produces have sunk to aimo'
their minimum price, aud tobacco IS now sellin
| C.o,, ,,.,,, IN thrpe and four dollars per huf