Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-09-18

incu.:r be appr pratt d:
l. may b. used in either o! thee modes Frsi, &c
G,yrg The ordinary 'xpersrs ot Supporting lie e,o
,erpmrn,; or secnELy, paying the Interest eli a'e's
created ,r 10 be c,t a,u fer works ofrFrna Improve
mprl; or Thirdly, in providing frr pubic aS'iac0oh'
and tie q. fusion Of knowledge. ;,
Il is not the prnviuCr q! lil% inlcnli'n " voc r
tee TO es,ninc The comparative merits o. ""e,e i,L
tan, Objects the duly Of p;ori%'ni ,l,r
education Of the p,opic and i!al Z" @ ,n .;Gsr
means o! cheap and casy intercourse oet"tt " ID ian
on, s,c,iors If The Stale sqnsi'y frrsn: an" III
p"ra,ve Ii The Legislature sio"'u " su.' r , 1880
v:r lu, the Stale fnssr's' SIS o'';.i u > ,t. ~
cu,inr with yigour and effecl al! us " -, ~,
;r,ern, improv,mcnl question nreu arise IS I" te
ra ro-oprianr the Whole 81 ihs sun, tais" "S
!, ,n.v ;c Grcr.ed) 10 the g'a":S!ng 'H'r' - c'E
civ the blessings Of cduca'nn ""' :e'''' S""
nm onprocria,on shall be permanently s'au' u '"EH' "
lao distinctly understood that the ONE rnhs "i ''e
I i!i continue to he entirely suicen! 10 satisfy the
clams OF that large portion OF lis p'pua'"'' w:"e w.
fare is depending upon tie proper eau,'s VI ITO
Of Internal Improvement The original ih'e''i"h {" VIC
, in ,cur;,r The distribution nf tic surplus reve
prcs evidently was apply lis portion II" the extension
oc ear out!c works.; and unli ii siai be satisfactorily
ascrrained, that this great GUY may of % cIt,e,
ou,.Iv discharged, il may well 1T d"ao''" "''''n
,csc b. whoy appropriated II any o'"'f
object however nleIt"!"uS' c,.
/, i. believed that attentive examination ni me pc
va, resources OF she Stale will satisfactorily demon,
,, l., h;l TO IN pto.,cu,e a,d cstcEd It's system 81
nh,c yoths on the libC raj scale, wohl tsoi '!"t
Tor aid 10 The fund in question: and he investigation OF
This poir has occupied the anAieuS attention Vi tue e''''
"a; ;,crirv necessarily embraces not only the pre-
sen, tp also the future fiscal condition ct The Star, as
lis aspect may be varied from TINE TO se oy lie pr"
gress of the public works The want of hehni'e an"
wc rested system, by which 10 prosecute cur hIca
srros f internal Improvement in regular and proper sue
ccssjon increases the difficulty of accurately es'mnng
the future condition Of the Treasury Inc movements
of the State for the last few years at least nave reh ~
repunr and dsconre ced, Welding only 10 occ"Sin'a
wis and
struggle for Time has hrfn gorg on er'"crh 'F
friends Of vigorous System al INTERNAL improvements
and those who deny lis expediency or safety; ara our
LEGISLATION has fucualed according to the prevalence OF
one or the other Of these cunendrg opinions IL is mol
necessary or desirable enter at tins TIME INTO the par
cuars Of this controversy and 1t IS alluded 10 only 10
explain the difficulty which 1t occasions IN predicting
with that precision which could be uCSrcu me iu'ule
movements of our fiscal system.
In order comprehend truly the present situation oi
orr finances, and correctly to estimate our future pro
grpss will be useful 10 revert to the condition OF The
Treasury when The canal pulley was commenced.
Our financial history during the last twenty years Is
indeed repe.e with instruction. Within that erenuui
period behold the origin progress and final success
of those great measures OF internal Improvement WING"
have not only the barriers oil Nature oht hr
more formidable obstacles Of prejudice, IncreduIty ana
error ard which are destined in The latter respect nj
least to achieve victories yet more signal.
No fact in all that history is more striking than tie
remarkable failure of distinguished men adequately
10 estimate the pecunary value Of the canals The most
sangune an,icpaons Of the most enthusiastic support
ers Of our policy Of internal mproveme Dt tell lar short
Of the actual results which that pulley has produced
while the doubts and forebodnas of its opponents,
remembered only portions of our ne lectual
history The State itself seemed wholly unc"nscnus
Of its aten, strength In the presc" p.enlud- o! oar
success the fact is hardly credible and yet the docu
mens of the day testify that before commencing tle
canals he Legislature. by deliberate act, directed
commissioners TO srcit pecuniary donations in aid OF
the enterprise not only from Connecticut and Vermont,
~, hs-1,
the hllpghanies: and go far this mid and Giscre
Gabe policy pursued tina, he very preamble tohc Law
Of 1917. which finally directed The canals to b. c"n
,nsnced took express the humble hope" ha, t!a
States interested in the wors would Contribute their
full proportion Of the expense
The ,orren, of ridcuIs and ohloquy which The canals
encountered during the first few years of their pro.
gress ell the solemn doubts Of CONC Of
ahlcs statesmen, will long be merlbered Without
advtring TO names less distinguished IL needs but to
state the memorable fact that MIR Jefferson pronounced
The Undertaking utterly visionary and chImrrcal, Gnd
that il was lat least century IN advance OF the age
Nor did The more decided friends Of ihe canals oppIcci
ale. in any just degree their pecunlary valn" In the
year 1871. four years after they had been commenced
the Com ptroler III the State in obedience resolution
Of the Legislature, prepared an estimate OF their respec
tive revenues which he slated that for The ten years
next succeeding their complexion the tails would anoun
annually to one hundred aud fifty thousand dollars -
The amount which actually received during thai
period Of years exceeded ten millions OF dollars
Among The nsmpSruy illustrous in the early history
of our public works lew distinguished than az
Gouverneur Morris. His comprehensive intellect and
ardent TEN enabled him 10 os far he; oud most
OF his coneln into the rapidly expanding future
and vel even he fell short Of the realities which the Erie
canal has brought within our view. In the >inanIariy
eluaue mt and animated mcmnra! by which his fame is
forever connected with that great work and in which
he endeay to enforce up"n the Legislature the i'm
porance in all future time Of connecting the Hudson
with the Western waters after depicting the widespread
region around inland and It's capacity To supply
of a pr. profitable
whether it would be deemed exravagant to predict that
the canal within twenty years "woud annually bring
down $50 GOO .uus:" The actual amount wh!ch reach
ed the tide in 1886. G7.II tons, or nearly three
fold the quantity estimated by MIR Morris; and the total
tonnage of that year. ascending and descending exceed
cd thirteen hundred thousand tons.
The tolls Of The canals in S2i year before their
completion, we're S}iG.200 In the next year they
reached 1886 geo. and in S;!6 IN SS1G2 GOO Wh
the rapid progress thus srkngiy exhibited few of our
cizrns were inclined 10 believe that the canals had
impoverished the Treasury, or that they would prove
in any way injurious TO tie pecunary Interests of The
State.
TIE death of this great (Dewl, Clinton) in Feb
ruary nf that year withdrew from the Of Internal
improvement, lis ah!eSt champion, and The loss has been
severely felt b. the people of this State
The predictions 81 his last message IN the progress.
sve increase Of the tolls and the rxlnguishm"Ut OF the
debt have been fuy realized The annual tolls. which
Mr. Wright about $3.50 0u0 amounted in 1888, 10 81 :.
542 G95 although the rates had previously been rrdurrG
nearly 90 per and in the year 1885 S ,I55 10
although again reduced abnu, Ii per cent.
On the LIST day Of July ls;6, the Ills had Sccunu
lated in The hands Of the commissioners TO annnnI
sufficient with the aid Of the auxiliary funds previously
realized from The salt ard auction duties rxtngush
the whole If the outstanding debt Previously that
time, upwards Of fnnr millions of dollars had ;en paid
in cash directly TO the pnha creditors and tr residue
amounting 10 between three and four millions then
invested in temporary loans by the Commissioners, az
trustees for The huders OF the balance of the debt
This final consuma'inu may Justly b. regarded the
browning event in the cana! policy Of the State tx
an mporan, epoch in lis fiscal history 1t affords.
moreover, an opportunity peculiarly fitting, only 10
review the progress q" Treasury since tie
ment Of canals bu. also examine hCw far the view
of The finances taken by The committee Of Sen,ie