Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-03-12
TIRGL.NI.a LEGISLATURE.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
SATURDAY, March 5.-tD e6a'e deferred
PETERSBURG RAIL ROAD

SATURDAY, march o. De60 e d0eTFed
Il PETERSBURG RAIL ROAD.
On motion Of Mr. Macfarland, the bill author rux
the Board OF Public Works to the stock o,
the Petersburg Rail Road Company, was taken up.
| Mr. Nj aciariand addressed the House at considera-
BILE length. After having noticed certain obi actions
that had been made TO the project in FORMER debate
he proceeded 10 examine the adv which woulJ
be derived from the work. To the planter the South
ern counties il would Provd. market for their p:o.
duce, in reaching VIII oh they would mol only save 10
time, but in distance and expense. They mad been
told however that the wcrk would b. mug aio-y aud
Perncious." How a work could be auEa,ory or Per.
nicous, which saved 20 the produce carriage o. 40
miles seemed TO him not easy OF illustration IL had
also been said that the produce which desesnds the
Roanoke TO Weldon, would no, pursue the X AL R3aa
to market. Way would IL not pursue il, when Il al
oided 40 avenue 10 market much nearer aud more
speedy! Was there auy thing ia the kind Of improve
mont, to repel the owners OF pr ,duc.l o. the COZ
ary, in every sance in which Rail- Roa is had been
tormy preferred OF which Mr. Met gave several in.
sanees) The passage by the Railroad, for every
puPo'e, would be preferable to that by the R.aaoke
and bemarle SQUAD TO Norfolk Traders arriving
from Caroline at the Roanoke, with their cotton, mig h
go TO Petersburg, se.i ii aud return in a very tho
period; and If there should be vessel at City Point,
The cotton would had itself beyond the Capes OF Vr
| ginia, before it would have passed The Albemarl.
Sound, had taken the Roanoke Norfolk. Tri ad-
vantage Of expedition would be Of great import
anee But the cheapness Of transportation would be
equally So Even now, the tran. porta,iou mry
road from Weldon TO Petersburg, was che apsr han
from that pace to Norfolk. The charge for tobacco
four aod halt on the latter But the disparity would
be far greater when the Rail Road was eted, a.
the price would then be three dollars pr tonabout
two dollars per hogshesd. There could be doubt
that the RAILROAD would, as an avenue to market, DO
greatly preferred any o.hsr. The market OF Pc
burg was good that OF Norfolk and tobacco was,
al this time, often ported from Norfolk to Rich
Dond. lnd. ed he knew OF parcel Of tobacco now at
Norfolk which was ordered to Richmond, which was
decidedly the best market for tobacco Petersburg,
therefore, being rearer to Richmond, preferable
as market the Southern grower of tobacco, to Nor
folk twas probable that the Rail. Road uud be ex
tended by the citizens OF North CaIona and the trade
Of that State with Virginia, be thereby increased, with
grea, bene fits to this STATE That the proceeds OF the
work would be amply sufficient coui not be doubted
alter the conclusive statements made short tiar since
by the gentleman from Sussex, (Mr Epp.s) He
went into minute sa,ement to show that tn iunds
Tor lntei nal Improvement were in condi ion which
would present obstacle to this appropriation. He
believed that the policy Of the General Law G. ides
ed the Legislature pledged in every where Com
papy Tor an important objecl OF improvement had pa
in the three -hfhs Of seek, to subscribe tw1-tths. 1t
had at least been the uniform practice aud thi, work
certainly presented claims Of ordinary character
lie believed therefore, that the refusal OF this claim
would Do Ut just and partial The bill did that
the two hhs should be paid in The usual Jour
years, but that il should be paid 10 ins at the
discre ton Of the Board OF Public Works, 30 as NOT 10
Interfere with ,h- claims of other ontsiock companies
He trusted the House would give its sanction 10 THE
BILL as one of great importance to the Interests snd
convenience OF the people OF large and houri.h hing
portion Of the Safe.
Mr.. Terri said he woull crave the indulgence of
the House one moment only, whilst he would briefly
explain the vote he intended to give This explains
ton was rendered necessary, az we'll by the course
he had heretofore pursued upon such subjects, by
portion OF the concluding remarks OF the gentleman
from Petersburg. Mr.. I. said that he hal n.ver
since he had been q member OF The House Of Dele
gates, voted against appropriation OF money the
purposes OF Internal Improvsmen-h. saij that few
days since, he had voted against striking from The
Lean Bill the provision which gave to this improve
mont the sum Of $50, 600. as no willing, in adopt
ing scheme OF general Improvement, to embrace ti.s
proposed Petersburg Rai-Road But he coDtendsd
that, 10 selecting objects of Ireraal Improv this
work could not claim preference; and inasmuch as
the sum sought to be appropriated by the bill I'M
der discussion, would exhaust the fund Ilierna In
provemen, to the exclusion Of objects more entitled
10 the patronage of the Legislature, be regretted to
say that he -houd feel 1t to be his duty TO
the passage OF the bill Mr.. 7. said that the portion
OF the Common wealth intended 20 be benshtsd by
the proposed Rail- Road, had already merket, while
there were portions OF the Common saith that were
destitute OF market, and shoud first be provided tor
Mr. Williams OF Harrison, remarked that the gen.
tleman from Petersburg mistaken in supposing
that the Legislature was pledged in every case in
which three-hlths had been paid by company to sub
scribe to two-iiths OF its stock II was entirely dis
cretiOnary matter with the legislature. The gentle
man was also incorrect in his reference TO the fund for
Internal Improvement, as $36O0e had been appropri
ated TO other object, the report oil the Auditor TO
which he referred, had been made
Mr.. Mcfarland said that the sums to which Mr. w
alluded mad been taken into consideration in the re-
port.
Mr. Williams insisted that his statement was correct
oenuelhen had endeaYoured TO show that this Rail-
Road was State Improvement, by saying that twenty
counties were interested in il; and among them they
claimed Botetourt and Montgomery. These counties
had also been claimed INTERESTED in the James River
, Improvement If other projectors went claiming
counties in this manner Virginia would instead of 1915
, have BOO counties. Ii reminded him of a gentleman
who, being candidate for Congress, was after his cleo
on told by his various friends Of the numbers OF votes
they had procured them, which he noted down. and TO
his surprise found that, according their statements
he had received more than the whole district con-
10 hqca if1
ton would be most unjust The west had some claim
to this fund and yea there had never been a Joint
stock company in that part of the country because they
had never company that subscribe the three fths -
The Southern country had already felt the benefits of
Improvement. Vast sums, TO the amount of 400 900
dollars, had been expended the navigation of the
Roanoke, and here prof set which was TO rival
and inJure those very Improvements which so much
had been expended 1t said that This Rail Road
would give TO the people three markets And three
markets were wanted for tract OF country which he
could cover with the county OF Logan while country
nearly three hundred miles square, had no market at
all. The gentlemen from Brunswick alluded the other
day to the text OF Poor Yorick's sermon,-'' we trust
we have clear conscience (which Corporal Trim
read TO Doctor Stop and Uncle Toby-and Mr. w hop
ed the gentlemen from the East would have clear con.
sences when they voted for this bill to absorb the fund
Tor Internal Improvement siter having rejected every
measure by which the West might be benefited.
Mr. Gholson said that IL the gentleman could she W
one instance in which during the six years he had
ed in this House, he had voted against any plan of In
ernal Improvement, his remarks would be Just.
Mr. Williams did not allude to the gentlean person.
ally, but to the general of tho friends OF this
bill. He could only compare the arguments on which
this BILL which would deprive the west OF any aid i'm