Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-01-14

the interest the debt the annual repairs and conse
quently the bnrthen will entirely be removed from m,
people The language of Gov Macarthur in his last am
oil me most cheering character, and IN,
people, In inc uii enjoyment of extraordinary prosperity
arc every who're eontented and thriving.
n renny ivan'a her system is rapidly perfecting: dur
ss e last year. S23o5,373 discussed in that State
or purposes oil internal improvements more than S5 600
wv nave oeen expended in ALL and though there have
th , IIe most inudeious and lavish expenditures,
VIC 'os nave not as yet amounted 10 any thing like f
poht ON the capital expended, yet believe ali agree
na' inc improvements, injudicous as many have been
e nevertheless on the WHOLE advantageous TO the State
ana mat the price oil property has been already enhanced
sueh point as is more than equivalent to the whole
her gigantic schemes the rail road has already been push
ca OUT TO the city OF Frederick, and the Point Rocks on
e ro'omac will shortly be reached by it, Its happy
cy has already been felt in supplying the poor dnn H.
ne severe weather, with fuel, the Indispensable Of
al neeess9nes at such times, and is already paving a
considerable portion OF the interest the money exne9d
ed III we are supnc and negligent while this en,cr,ris
ing city is thus dashng forward in the career of
ment, the trade will be attracted TO her line or cor,
cauon Iap VIII be concentrated in Baltimore and we
all know how difficult il 10 drive commerce l,, lie &c
cusomcd channels. Far be it from me- however 70 ex
press any regret at tho rise of BALTIMORE am not one
VINO IN trade, would recommend the State 10 pav The
Jog IN tho manger. If Richmond Norfolk should not
sc 70 trade which have contended that Nature
Unsigned Tor then had rather il should 20 10 Baimore
than TO any city farther north The proximity of sucb =
city to our borders, would tend dse wealth and pro,
pey overall the country within its and the
energies OF its people One of the Committees annoin
by the late Lewsburg Convention has taken an pPeoJ
hDefa and philosophical view of this subject in which
most cordially agree. ~
shall now briefly allude to the example the most en-
couragng on the subject of state Improvement In 1921
~ years ago. only $2,22O collected as tolls on the
New YORK Canal In 1925, the Erie Canal was connie
ted, and S52l,343 yielded by the tolls In Is2O
Sl,oso''Z2, OF which the Erie and Champlan Welded
alone more than $1,000 900. have not seen the returns
Tor the last year, but they have been estimated on The
Erie Canal alone to be $l6OoOo beyond the preceding
year. r'o
The Erie Canal cost n to mora Than 90 ooo ooo m
the New York Canals together have cost about sII 900
700. This debt, on the 1st JAM 1881 was reduced to
~ ozoo3O, and when taking the sinking fund into the
estimate the nett debt but S6Os3 300 The sur
Pus OF tos alter paying for collection interest and re-
p's' was actually above per cent. the whole debit
Inc whoc debt will, may be easily paid of i'm or
years at most And the State of New York may have
surplus revenue of more than million per annum, and
may then be entirely disburthencd of taxes!
WIN these brilliant examples before her. Virginia mead
not ear-her efforts will and must be crowned with
II ISM, sne WIN out make vigorous move. Let me not be
lod iha she poor, and will become bankrpt nv CON
tracing such enormous debts This il the course which
VIII most eiecuay preserve and augment her wealth
anu od up her strength This objection was urged
In the New York Legislature in 1878 against the Erie Ca
nal. sit was spoken ofby able and influential member
IN derson as big ditch i'm which be buried
e treasures OF the State and be waered with the tears of
postentyBy another, il was pronounced TO be ga
Ject Immortality involving the and bankruptcy of the
State The fact is the greater the expendi,rc nm In
erhal Improvement, the greater the advantage TO the
STATE IN pecunary point of view if the improvement
yeids IN proportion TO its magnitude. Let me not be
been so much Legislative laundering and inudcious
expenditure on the various improvements of our State
r., ne expenditure was made" say the Board of Pub
TIC works, 'when the construction of sucl, works was
not as well understood present The lights that ex
peence mas shed upon the subject together with the d
nuuon that has taken place in the price of bour and
PROVISIONS give assurances that future operations will he
conducted In more profitable and satisfactory manner
The plumbers of the past FORM therefore no sufan,
argument Tor lnaclon at present. Similar objections
were raised in n York Listen for moment 10 The fol
lowing extract from letter of Jonas Platt one of the
W. rranc nd -tolIt.
to DIR. Hosack:
"Thc whole operations of the Northern Inland Lock
,aVS'uoh company were condemned and abandoned as
ueriv useless shall never forget embarrassment
in answering the appalling argument of the venerable
John Iayler in the Senate. Gen Schuyler and Mr.
eston, said he, were wise skifu as any of the
new projectors. We know, and the fact is unon record
that all their calculations OF expense and of tolls were
not only erroneous, but they erred more ooo -
cert in their estimate. What confidence therefore can
we place in the opinions and estimates of the new procc
OF $50 miles in extent"
But, do these bunders in regard to internal improve
men IN our State form any argument against the ysem
Certainly not-On the contrary they demonstrate its adj
vantage and shcw most coDclusvely the uiltysof speedy
and vigorous action Ii found that the tolls on the
James river do now pay five per (hc maximum in
tereSt at which loans be obaned on the capital X
pended; and iii few years, incomplete as the improve
ment is have no doubt but that the tolls would more
than pay per the whole expenditure unon c
magnitude and importance of the and its Immediate
caabiy oil paying FOR the most complete system of i'm
Ii seems TO me that great portion of the niudicous
Legislation OF Virginia, the subject of internal improve
ment may be fairly ascbed 10 false notions of economy
and desire to conciatc all interests Our Legislature
has been willing enough 10 eXpcnd small in internal
improvements but has not been ready push any great
scheme to It's completion, because OF the expenditure ne
cessay And is the great schemes which, in Virginia
are most likely TO pay for themselves Thus TO turn once
more TO the fifteenth Annual Report of the Board of Pub
lie Works. find it stated-''rhat TO compare the other
navigation improvements in the State, to which the pat
ronage oil the State has been extended with the James
river and kanawha improvements, by the income upon
the Investments the great superiority of the latter is
maintained; for, whilst the latter Improvement as is shewn
nets an income upon its expenditure of five per cent per
annum, not one OF the Joint Stock Navigation COMPANIES
has yet realized any income the fund.- 1t this fear
oil making considerable expenditure at once and de-
sire TO conciate all which has caused resources TO be
FILTERED away multitude of objects without com
pctng any and consequently without deriving from them
those returns which they would be calculated TO Weld
when perfected. believe if one great Improvement
say that along the James river, completed in
the best style, il would furnish whence revenue
might be derived for other improvements, and would
no doubt rouse our State to degree of energy which
and witness the tremendous influence which its example
has produced, not only in New York. but throughout the
Union.
I'd Objectionable above remarks will lead us to the
I'd great objection, raised by districts of country i'm the
neighbOrhood of the market, that the produce Of the up
per ,cestern country loH be brought into competition
to that Of the Iotcefhdt the cheapness of labor and
abundance Of fertile land IN the interior, ,cH re an
immense advantage To that coinTythdt fail of Gg-
Ticutrdt products ICH enSUe; and cOnse1uently the
agriculture Of the country, n0,c enjoying good
net, 'oH De ruined or materially injured.
In answer TO this objection | will in the first place
shew that fany fall do take place in agricultural products