Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-12-26

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20 draw To the Chesapeake, Il large portion o!
that fc.tiiziup tradc, and thereby lead 10 the
great estuary of their eastern rivers, Il cores
unn,llnw amount of that foreign c"inlurrcc Wach
IS daily adding to the numbers, the wealth. ana
iclncnce Of he Northern towns and clllcs: Such
n work would present worthy employment Tor
The wisdom and resources of those ancient
commonwealth; under their fostering care and
Joint patronage, lines of intrrcummunica'i1m
might be created from each end OF the Bay
winch approaching each other, ard uniting al
the Allegheny range might pass on by slnglc
and common work to the OHIO flvcr ut point
the most eligible for concentrating western pro
ducts, cr distributing eastern manufactures and
! foreign imporiations.
1t has not, however, entered into the policy OF
| either MARYLAND or Virginia to engage III works
having III view these combined efforts, yet your
Memnrialists anticipate with conii !crc, undi-
mushed by that consideration, all the aids
which Legislative enactments can give, ami all
The assistance which their respective treasures
may conveniently furnish to the undertaking
! aud execution of works so erninently and equally
conducive TO the highest interests both, as
those hereafter proposed
Your Mcmnriallsts, in contemplating rail
road from some convenient point on the Poto-
mac where functions may be most readily formed.
and with the Baltimore railroad, and with the
Chesa peake and OHIO canal, and extending it up
the valley ofthe Shenandoah, and through the
Allegheny, with the view Of connecting them
with the James river and the kanawha line,
It completed, and, If not, the extension OF the
Potomac railroad TO the Ohio river have given
the subject the most serious consideration.
mad have e> amned it with view 20 all the Vir-
mia i'm crests which occurred to their eff, ctiun
II Virginia should construct her entire line
from Richmond to the Ohio promptly Us the
nature and extent of the work would permit,
and offering equal facilities wih those of her
! rivals for the western trade, would 1t give to
the commerce of the state that extern and diver
5 fed character which it ought to rec, i've, or
| yield to the agricultural, manufactured, and
mineral products OF country, the facilities o.
EXPORT aud choice of ma rket so essential to their
! flll d:vrlopmcnI' Will no, the capital and com
mcrce OF the James river ports, unaided by the
attire Ctions o. the other cit Il: and towns of the
| Chesapeake, draw but limited portion OF the
trade fthe West, and give equally limited pro-
| fits on the expenditure made in opening the
line? With the multiplied avenues omen and
opening to this trade. presenting commcrcia ac-
! commndatons in all the various forms which
swollen capital and animated competition create
but little doubt can remain, in the minds OF your
| MemnraliSts, of the dimmi he'd employment
which would be given TO III" line, if leading Il,
he Virginia towns only; in comparison with the
influx of business which the commercial "rnpo-
ria of Maryland aud Virginia, would draw to
this avenue, If Common TO all.
| ifthose conclusions be correct, the line of in
! accommodation with the District of Culum-
! hla and Baltimore, instead of detractinr from
the trade which the comf letion Of the Virginia
! Improvement would give to Richmond and
! Nur!oik, would become Important auxiliary
| to the commerce Of those cities, and Illpart
great additional advantages to the Intercourse
down jams river. With the whole of he Chcs-
apcakp markets offering their combined induce
ments to the Western trade, at an eligible
point or the Ohio, bat Little doubt can be enter
taAcd .! The commanding portion which VIII
seek outlet by the Capes of Virginia. In
is passage through the centre Of the State, the
/ difference iii distance must give the Southern
route, all advantages which the present or
future capital and facilities of the James ri
YER towns may enable them to improve, without
exciting spirit of rivalry with their MARYLAND
neighbours; because if this trade be successfully
turned through Virginia, its present magnitude s.
! growing extent will give ample employment to
| the commercial enterprise aud resources OF both
States. The influence of such diversion of
the western trade on the foreign commerce of
the Country, VIII be best appreciated by those
who are most tGml lar with its present course
! The eashry reports show that nelr siX-se
vcnths o! the imports of the Uni'cd Stats are
made 10 ports north of the Susquehanna and an
examination of the practical effects of our reve-
ME system will demonstrate The fact that I'M
wards of scyen cen millions Of he public MONEY!
Is constantly in deposit in the hands Of the
! Northern merchants in the shape either of cash
or crcalts, and without interest in either form
To y"ur Memoriaiists it seems evident that if
the North continue much longer to import so
large n portion OF the foreign articles consumed
in the South and West, with the vast CONNER
ell lever which our revenue system places thus
IN he hands OF the importer, the Impoverished
condition Of he South must be greatly orrrava
/ to-; and That no measure could be adoD.cd so
etfectually calculated To restore 10 the southern
| people their gust share of foreign and domesi r.
commerce, as opening the proposed lines of in
accommodation between the Ohio River md
the nor bern ana southern ends of the Chesa
! pcaka = Y.
Political considerations of very grave char.
! actcT also present themselves IN aid of the
views Ct your Memorialists, and which thew he
! IieVe VIII have just weight with the General
| ". in addition to the advantapes anti
cIPatee from the triple connexion ef the West
! ern trade with the Paapsco the Potomac and
the jane; The frontier character of MARYLAND
and rElnIa III relation to that peculiar pr,pcr-
ty which forms the great interests of the South
cannot be overlooked; upon the power and ipHr.
ence Of these states, it's safety NAV mainly do
pend. Let the Ch3sape,k Ike commerce be what
| It ought TO be, and but little of the Southern
trade WI pass north Of the Capes of VIRGINIA.
| the west, instead of connecting itself moro
/ ultimately every year with Pennsylvania, New.
Ok, and he states north Of them will n th,
intercourse increases in souiheuy direc,ian.
bee me Annually more identified in feelings. in
teres =, and views, with chose Gf MarylauH y,r
glnla, and the states Of 'be Mis- is.ippi
Your Memorialis's aie aware, that their views
may encounter PreJudiccs and objections which
have deep root IN some minds and that il has
ocen feared that interCommumcaou between