Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-03-22

IT.,
'cS'r0oir To brIng to the city of Richmond the cam
nerce ot the Ohio and If u rail road really be las
Is no" beginning 10 be considered TO be- the hes
means ol eHectlns that object does not tho &, -
SIrikc every mind with great force that if tim, ron,
should be made from Staunton to the Ohio f,ith iht
right reserved to the State to connect Other ,n,ro
'hents with ~ that it Is in fact saving To the St,t
4 VI virginia OF precisely as much monev ~ th,, ,o,
struction OF the road from Stanton ia tho Oh
would cost: For then, in order to lavn = cont;rna,
ran road from Richmond TO the OHIO i, wouIL orI
ne necessary for the State construct road from
l.ichinod to Stauntun and it is to be presumed h,
car would run just rapidly upon u road If ecuoI
~ well constrncted) made by the Valley compnny =,
by the State of Virginia. The priyilere. then nj
extending this road from Stanton TO the Ohio in
stead OF dlver:mg the commerce OF the Ohm from,
the city of Richmond, might aff'r1 an immense IA
Hty to the attainment of ut least portion of that
cnihhicrce Sir suppose rail road 10 exist from,
HtaIn;on TO the Ohio and suppose that road inter
s'cted by another road Of similar construction LAD
ing from Staanton 10 Richmond, does not every body
perceive that Richmond has the decided adv5n,are
over Baltirorc OF being 100 miles nearer 10 Sam
ton than Baltimore Is? Then, the only inducement
To tue owner OF produce to iafg it on To Batn,o-a
instead of bringing 20 Richmond i that which tb
superiority OF the Baltimore market might afford
ana Will any gentleman in this House presume to saw
lhat this Legislature ought to throw any obstacr II;
the way to prevent the citizens of anv portion of tho
state from seeking The best market for the products
OF their industry aud enterprise? But sir il is said
ina the c1mnOnWeaItl has embarked her copitoI in
the improvement OF the james Rivcr-and shouId
the extension of this contemplated rail rond ha nor
mittcd beyond Staunton the value of the works ~,
James River Will be destroyed and the State lose the
amount of her investment in that Improvement
fN' supp sc the state has invested her capital in
THIS James River Scheme-wliat them Far VIVA, mr.
pose was the Investment madea Was il for The nur
pose OF speculation? Was it done 10 enrich th.
treasury by the tolls which would arise from the use
OF inc work NO sir, 1t was for the purpose of afford
ing facilities to the citizens the Transportation OF
mlrket--lut M sir hat,
can be better attained by other means will The state
interposc the little pecuniary interest that she mi bt
uci'e from the investment TO prevent the accomplish
niei' OF OBJECTS OF greater utility 10 the commrn;tvo
Dir the government iRst;lt ed for the nnrnoa of
securing the welfare OF the communicative for the
purpose OF rendering the interests of the citizens
suoserVieh to the pecunary interests the govern
meht. AND any attempt on the part OF the govern
ment to render the interests OF any portion of Tho
state suoservlent to he interests of any other part
OF the state perverson OF the object for which
was instituted anu an nnustiiabe act of oppression
Dut sir, IN this age of nnova; ions and vondert;il
dscoE cries, ii has been found out as true nrjnc,Ie
in political economy, that the state is bound TO afford
no iac!ltieS to the transportation of that commerce
when seeks market out Of the state. Now sir
mad supposed, that the true principle was that he
wealth of the state consisted in the wealth ot. hnr
cltlzens-and that every cent saved IN conveynp al
commodity to market so much added 10 the va Inc
OF the commodity itself, and consequently lust SO
much put INTO the pocket of the owner and thereby
increasing the public wealthy
oir' II we came here asking you for contributions
from your Golfers TO make this Improvement Won
might then turn away from us-you nigh, tell us
You had not the money to spare;- but when we come
asking only act of incorporation IN order To make
the Improvement with such means as we may be able
TO raise, cannot expect, that that will be refused;
and particularly, when the only argument is thai it
VIII interfere with the scheme of the James River
improvement Sir, the state has already exDended
upwards of one and a half millions of dollars upon
tnat schema, and 1t is yet bni comparatively begun
we are called upon annuay-not modestly-but
approximately assaulted with camorous demands upon
us for money, not by thousands of dollars but nv
hundreds OF thousands, TO make an Improvement
that is to be set up Idol, that all others NAV
fall down before It-not to call 1t blessed but in the
bitterness OF soul to curse 1T Il Demon, to propi-
tate whom all other Interc IS are TO be sacriced
II our rights interests, and feelings to he coveu
down. and sacrificed, not what name the mower ,ha,
effects called whether expressed by the Car Of the Rms
sas, or the Sultan of the Turks immateal T the ty
ranuy-uot the name of the tyrant that X od,ors R, In
the other sections of the State inerpose to arrest the
power of this great interest that absorbs other Interests
WIN Roanoke, Appomatox Rappannock unite with the
River Improvement themselves upon principIe that
must eventually operate TO their own inIrvS Can b@ go
aid to be granted 10 em sections of the STATE
when they refuge only aid Others refuse TO permit
whose hand raised against every other man. knows but little
OF human natuR he expects that The hand Of every other
will not he sed against him
Mr.. Rives Of Campbell next addressed the Uouse
against the amendment, protesting his readiness to ac
commodate the people of the valley with rail road
from the Potomac as FAR Stanton, but protesting
against its extension wesiwardy, as calculated TO draw
oil the trade from it's natural vent through James Riv
err and to render useless the works on the Kenayha
constructed at the expense of the State AS TO the
means required to construct the road, Mr. r. denied
the competency of the country Interested to advance
them, and contendeG that they must come out of the
State or National Treasury. HI also objected TO the
complicated provisions and terms of the grant as pro,
ductive OF future difficulties which would require the
inerPosOn of judicial tribunal, and which if there
were stockholders III another State, would drag the
commonwealth before the bar of the supreme court
Mr.. Williams of Shenandoah, defended the amend
ment as conceding simple justice, and productiy
merely, OF providing choice Of markets to western
Virginia 10 the argument adduced by the gentleman
from Montgomery (Mr. Pceson) that if this road were
extended west of Siaunton, it would have the effect
OF detachiDg that part of the State from the support
OF the James River interest, MIR. Williams replied
with much warmth He appealed TO gentlemen from the
Roanoke and the RapPahannock country, to know
what would be their sentiments, if applying here for
simple charter OF Incorporation, to improve their
country, asking nothing from the treasury, they should
be todyou shall not have it, lest after getting IT, and
effeciin6 your improvement, you may vote against
James Rive Improvement? The principle was Of
unmixed tyranny. lie would prefer a Virginia mar
ket, but he would not be driven to choose his market