Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-02-10

tered by the taxation Imposed bv the factions of
Corporation, mprovdcntly clothed with cxlraordina-
~ powers and perpetual existence. MIR. Pope was
sorry to say, that this had been done by an act of
his own State Legislature Seeing sie cause Of
the distractions to the navigation of the Ohio river
arose from the falls and that the evil could be- removed
only by the construction of canal round these falls
,ney chartered company, and granted TO it those
raordnary powers oil which the people complained
They empowered IL to collect tolls the enormous
amount OF eighteen per cent He at loss per-
ceive how the Legislature of Kentucky, generally so
cautious, should have invested a company with such OK
raordnary attributes, unless they had done an in
duccmcnt to furnish capital The National Govern.
nent now owned 230000 of the stock of the company
and II would take $65l 500 purchase the balance OF
the stock and the question simply resolved itself into
this would Congress do it not That il ought was
Mr. Pa opinion, because il seemed TO him 10 be one
OF the most national objects that could before the
National Legislature Thirteen States in the Union
were Interested IN the work-nine directly, and indeed
all OF them less, from the mountain sources of
the river 70 its mouth Pennsylvania, part ofNew York
Maryland, and Virginia, we'll Is the more Western
States, were deeply interested The petitions present
cd to that House, from number of peo-
pie and they all complained ofthe grievance that
me taxation OF tins Company pressed upon their
GIGS as a vampire. Nor there any way by which
IT, could procure relief than the proposed by the
measure under consideration because he said before
the duration OF the Company was perpetual
Look to the trade of The Ohio ver. II had been cs-
maed at five millions of dollars annually, hut subsc
quet Information had convinced Mr. Il. that that es-
nation was much too low In the year 1898 the pro.
duce forwarded from the city of Cincinnati alone was
estimated to amount -four millions of dollars and if
that estimate be true which he believed was we might
fairly estimate The produce going down the Ohio river at
not less than millions And if this was the case NJ
the present time, what would in ten TWEEN
ty, or thirty years, political could orctcll If
we might form oniecture of the future by the history
OF the past. ii impossible conceive its extent IL
mas within the knowledge of gentleman within his
hearing that fifteen years ago, the State which he i'm
part represented was then bowling Wilderness, and
now sustained n million of Inhabitants. and was the
third State in the Union La 1917 two hundred flat boats
were sufficient for the commerce between Pittsburgh and
New Oreans-as year about three hundred steamboats,
/ wCrt irad
IT was no unfair Inference, that twenty years from this
ne the commerce of the Ohio would require from six
TO seven hundred steamboats, and not less than thou
sand fat boats
The people of the West works constructed at the
public expense, in other sections of the country without
the people in their vicinity being taxed for them They
saw the Delaware breakwater constructed and paid
Tor at the common expense, without any taxation upon
inc people oil Ihadclphla the surrounding country
towards IT. They saw lighthouses erected. and other
improvements made ON the line of the lakes taxes
laid for them They did not COMPLAIN of these tbngs
but they did say that their object more
than any of those works Look the immense extent
ofcouniry interested all the States on the line included
within the sweep ofe great father of rivers all ofwhich
would be benefited to ncaIculabc degree The peo.
pie OF Kentucky alone could take upon themselves TO
effect tue object desired and they could they ought
NOT. hey alone were not concerned, for il passed
through but mere elbow nook of their territory
The States of Ohio Pennsylvania Indiana and Illinois
were each more concerned than she But those
States could not do il of their treasures because the
dsunted and dsagrceing councils of ALL taken in con-
nection with the poverty ofmany of them offered an in
supcrabc barrier.
The BILL as it was drawn, prccluded the possibility of
any imposition upon the Government because il limited
the prices OF shares to hundred dollars each He
hoped therefore, that the House would not regard il as
measure put on foot by designing stockholders for he
gave ms positive and solemn assurance that snch
not tle TACT he petitions were numerous, and came
from The people Of the western country, who did not
own htindred thousand dollars of the stock third
oil 1t was held by the General Government and the re-
mainder was owned chiefly in Pennsylvania. Moreover
the investment was good In 1898 il Welded 81 X
per cent and three and half per cent had been divided
Sly mo he f.l
yielded them from six per cent and there could
be no inducement the part of the of the stock
TO give 1t up, fol they could be deprived of their
right OF collecting toll of eighteen per cent The pur-
chase OF this stock would produce sensible effect upon
~ ~? cnpd tSaInry OF hsca Inconvenience, and
free highway 1t was nationa o6;;.--- for nntio !
use, and should be purchased by nation means With
theSe lew remarks, having said IN the that he
would not detain the committee long Mr. r. trusted the
bill would receive its favorable consideration.
MIR. Mckim inquired at what price the stock was in
the market
Mr. Pope replied, he had precise information on
that point. -
Mr. Burgess said this was atogether ncv nro;oc and
he had no recollection that similar had ever been
presented before Congress had frequently appropriated
money for executing public works. for the purchase
OF private property on which TO erect them; but this
PROJECT TO purchase of company of ockholders a
york already completed 1t said that it was dcsra-
Die TO relieve the people of the tolls that the work
would be profitable; but he had doubt tha they would
always have to pay toll enough keep in repair and
he did not believe there would be any profit But there
was another view of the subject The cost was in all
cases, pad by the consumer and in the under con-
sdeaton paid by the people of the East for those
productions they required and by the people of the West
Indies for what they consumed Aitcr some further re-
marks Mr. IL concluded by declaring his intention TO
vote against the proposition.
MIR. Vanderpoel said lac had voted to POSTPONE the or
ders OF the day, with view give his friend from Gen
lucky an opportunity of bringing this subject before the
House He (Mr. had given great attention to il and
he was sorry say, that he convinced that the
bill ought to receive the sanction of the House And in
saying this, he had remark offer and ONLY sim
gle point TO make This proposition to nurclasc
the stock OF company, TO buy canal i'm the West
ern country which had already been
were some ntlcmcn this floor who had constitutions
al scTuPes to the power of the General Government
to go into this matter of Internal improvements The
question then whether had power to appropri.
ate the public money for any local object of this kind
these principles say whether if the government has
no power to appropriate money for the construction of
canal they have power to purchase it when nade2 This
was the only point in the case.
But he told by his friend from Kentucky that this
was great natonal work, and that therefore il ought
to be purchased He would if he could bring case
parallel TO this which would eynce the invalidty of that
| argument Why was this national work? Because a
great quantity of produce passed it, Did not vast
quantity of produce pass through the treat New York
canals? And yet, suppose the farmers in the western
were to petition Congress for money on the ground that
IT was inconvcnien to pay the toll-that they did not
| like to pay so heavy toll their wheat and -four
would petition of such character be entertained for a
single moment? Certainly it would Then by parity
OF reasoning ought TO apply the rule to This un.
dcrtakng- We must regard this we should regard the
other, only as local object and we might we'll enter