Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-03-17

between every section Of The State. by which Al, ~.
concentrated al one point.
Al THE point vii sp lag up q large commercial city
ssss 20 sore as effect VIII follow cause, will capital TO-.
sow Psoduee. Thu. viii be bull, up in the State, a
wea'ny commercial city. which will furnish 10 ouI
citizens . z Cd market for their produce. and will dis.
semtnate Its wealth through eve,y DO ten Of the Com
nonwea'sh, a, the heart difusss the blood ihrcug,
evefv pAe' o. NJ system. La shhiti IN TO this, sir, by
th-se Oh ,nn-i. OF int, .communica / n our citizens will
De FURNISHED with tbs facilities OF getting their produc,
20 market, aud ,heir commercial supriies in return
cheaps expeditious, aud safe. And il the ratio al ,be
reduction Of The price Of ,ran'porta;ion and of the ian
provement Of the m Market. will he value of prop.r,v
DO increased. Hence. |, mu't be obvious to all, tina,
au efficient y stem Of Int, rnal Improvement will con.
.dues 20 the wealth and rrosp- rity OF ,b. Stat. w.
are neat met with the inquiry, is the pros.n, svs,.m
adequate T. tho attainment OF this ohjsc'. The in,er.
nal Improvement IN Il hss row al its di,p-sai an annu,
surplus revenue OF forty odd ,houssnI dollars. L, ,bi.
sum suflcieot.t TO open thes. chiancis Of inter. commu
ntcatioo between the different Q ctions OF the Stated l.
y competent to improve The navigation of cur rivers. "a
impr"ve our road, or TO connect the Ess,ern and West.
oro waters by some direct line Of rommunica ion, and
thereby orsn 20 US The rich trade Of the Ohio and Mis-
cissiPpi! N. Every oie must admit, that |, /. wholly
inadt quate. III, then, Il be admitted that an efici n
system OF internal improvement will contribute TO tn
property Of ,be State. and that the present is entirely
inadequate, the exp'diency Of increasing the fund and
changing tie systrm, follows Is a necessary conse.
querce. This leads us 10 examine the fir I section of
the bill pr"viding a loan OF two millions ON the credi,
Of the State, and The surplus revenue Of the internal
u y u payment OF the interest.
In the 6rst place, no better plan can be devised to in
crease the fund, than by a Loan, as u must be either by
resor.irg TO taxation or BY loan. Tho 6rst would be
lmPoIi'ic, because oil would be REQUIRED 10 contribute
equally, according to their means, when all are rot 10
DC equally benefited by the improvements, and at a
time when money Is scarce and produce low, the peo-
PIE would De required to pay for The improvements. and
that too, before they are made or any benefit derived
from them. BY a loan the faith Of The S ate l., only
pledged, and the 'olls srising rom the improvements
WV pay the interest, and ultimately redeem the pin
Cnnlen mn nflu fhnpA L. - - IA. i
Benz fitted by the use Of ,hs improvements, W n be re-.
auired to pay for them.
But, sir, ought the State 10 make the improvements
contemplated by the bill. or ought Joint stock GONNA.
mics to make them, on the three fifth .y.tem, Tn.
State ought to make improvements Of general and State
Importance, because the undert king is too great for
Individual means and Enterprise. There are in ths
Slate three contemplated improvements Of ibis charac.
ter. The Potomac, iraversing the Ncrthern b~oundary;
the James, penetrating the centre; and the Roanoke,
wishiDg the Southern border. All of them rise in the
ANeghsny, and present thu &c Of the best routes for a
come c!ion Of the Eastern and Western waters on this
continent. But 10 effect either of these prea, obi ,cts
tnat proud mountain must be made to bow TO the art OF
civilized man. Hi' obvious that this would be- AN uu-
dertakipg oil TOO much magnitude to be ACCOMPLISHED
by individual means. Hence the necessity of the
State embaiking in 1t. l almost dis'rust The correct
aess Of this opinion, when l 6od II so warmly contro-
verted by the intelligence and experience of the vene-
rable gentleman from Prince Edward. Ne one enter
tains a more profound respect for that gen leman than
1 DO, aud no one has more confidence in his Zeal Tor
internal improvements, and sincere devotion 10 the best
interests OF his country. But, cir, l have the misfor.
tune TO differ with this gentleman in the modus one
rsndt-'he node OF carrying on improvements. |
would not presume to press upon ,his House opinions
adverse to thai gentleman, on a suhiec, with which
ne Is so very convers,n', (having devoted TO IL much
oil his attention for thirty years) i'll were not satisfied
that my opinion Is sustained by tho last l5 we RS ex-
peIience Of this Commonwealth. To that uuerr:ng
test L appesl, and upon This au hority I prorou ,ce the
JOINT Stock or 'hree.h,th system, unwise, unjust, and
Q useless and wasteful ex?enhi'u- u Of the internal inn
provemeptf fund. Itis unwise, because il confines i'm
provements to local character, aud eonsuIts Individual
instead OF the public interest, and invests privileges
10 snsrge toll I'D minimum, which may be onerous on
pcf'eriy. II is uIjas', because II places the who'e
fupd in the hands d those who are most able to helm
themselves, and limits appropriations 10 The most veal.
my and most popuious sections Of the State, to he en-
tire exetu,ion of the poorer and more sparsely populat.
ed sections, which are most in want Of ai1 TO bring
their natural re ources into action And IL. is a useless
and wastefrl expenditure OF the fund, because /, ap
~propria,es II to objects which neither render pubic
benefit TO the community. nor profit to he Govern
ment, and thereby ~paralyzes an destroys The whole
fund. To prove these positions, l would call the at.
tention Of the III use to the rerorts of the Second An.
diior and Board Of Public Works on this subject. From
these documents, II appears that about $3.50 600 has
been invested by the subscl ip.ion Of two-iitts in joint
stock Companies, on improvements entirely Of a local
and privets char 'c'er, except the Roanoke and Dismal
Swamp Canal, aud confined 10 the most wealthy and
populou. sections. For example: about $50 600 has
been subscribed 10 Improvements b low ths falls Of
the rivers; $3.50. 600 between that and the Blue Ridge:
500 in the Valley; and $l3. goo beyond the ALE.
Rnauy' showing d SUBSCRIPTION oil SoOO QUO OF THE
fund, 10 improvements East of the Blue Ridge, and
$50, 900 to improvements West Of hat Ridge, embrae-
ing much more than half Of the S ate, and coptai, inp
almost hall OF the whiie poprIa ion. and certainly much
more In want OF improvements and lrss able 10 make
them. But the most remarkable instance of the. in.
justics of this system, is The fact, that Of the sum
Of $3.50 600 thus expended. but the pslry sum Of
$4,000 has been Appropriated in tie Trans-AIle.
gbany country, embracing almost half the Terrific v
OF the State, and requiring mere the aid Of the Go.
verDment than any other section, in consequenre OF
the great natural bar rieTs between il and the Ea e.
snd the sparse poi ulation to surmount them. Tits.
Sir, H., not all. We learn from the same Reports, the
melancholy fact, that thi' sum OF $685., 900 ihus i'm
prsvidently and uDwiseiy invested. yields an interest O.
Httle more than one hall a per cent.
Let Us now, Sir, examine our Experiment In s ate
improvements The James and Kanawha Improvement
Is the only one belonging sSeIusvely to the s ae. On
this ex'en i've line, s,retci ing through the heart of the
State to the Ohio, abou, 81 PIG, 900 has been oxpend
cd. The whole OF this imp rovemen,, in its p e,eni un.
finished a d imperfect state, vi lds near 4 per cent. on
tho amount expended, ard the lower section Of he
James River, yields about 8 per rent. Tn IRE has been
an increase Of 30 per cen. in the profits Of THE inn
provement, during The last FIVE years. Hence il L.
manifest, mat State Improvements OF prima y impor-
tsnce. shOuid b. made by the means, and under the
control Of the Government. Th- bill under eonsi d
rstion, appropriates The proposed loan Of two millions
to The three great State improvements | have alluded
20, or TO improvements directly connecisd with them
And We are told by the gentleman from Goochlana,
that u wants dignity on = fare. roget, Sir, that it,
friend, were deprived q that GeDtlsn ans invaluable
informed, that the Improvements not being particularly
described, 1, a very suspicicus c rcuustance. The OBJ
Of III" friends 10 this bill, was simply IN rresent
TO the House two proprsiions-ibe loan. and The Oh.
jeets 10 which II should bs Appropriated Tney did
NOT think II advisable 10 embarfa.s ,hsse proposj,ions
-,aH IA. lar II d. JH.---s ~