Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-03-17


be man will stew that our seapors the natural mar
kets for the whole of East Tennessee AND Nor.n Ana
bama. That region has the choice OF out t"o '' NJ
the vireinis towns New Orleans CONSTRUCT tue ,
w Road and its produce can scarcely 60 ooo 'nnH
down the Tennessee river 100 down The ONO a"u
down the Mississippi. 1t Tennessee s'os" W go, ~
Road from Knoxville to unite win Inc oous. " &c
at the Virginia ne-which she mas given IN, ~
her Willingness 10 do 30 soon Pirg'ne WIN
with berothere can be no doubt TINT the aue OF East
Tennessee and North Alabama will lake ae us!ee"oh OF
ou. markets The moment this is oone' we INTRODUCES
The cotton trade into Slae-u matter OF Ihe utmost
nscuary in relation 10 the prospect OF u-
,nre annae,ures Nor is this all. RaIond is con-
,,rur,inq from New Orleans TO Nashville There can
moi be The slightest doubt, that if Virginia will at once
undertake the South western road on State account,
and give uudeuiatle evidence Of her determination TO
complee H. the New Orleans road will unite with 1t at
sore point other Besides, there are other roads 10
unite at Knoxville. So that the Southwestern road
must become the great thoronghare between The ooui
and the seatoard; for The most obvious reason
that is far the direct and the cheapest FOR the
same reason, the merchandise that is now consumed
in East Tennessee and North Alabama, must 60 rom
our cities and thus contribute TO their commercial pros
perty and importance But the senuema" ''1 I'M ,a.
fax finding that the advantages Of this road are iHey 70
receive favorable consideration, has pouncea upon e
late Report Of the Principal Engineer, AUD Attempted 10
throw This improvement into the shade oy t'osu"g 'ie
estimate of that officer !n ina. esna n u: @ Snn
iudpment said Mr. S. the estimate OF the Engineer is
below the truth Instead Of 81 600 tons OF Merchandise
as computed by the Abingdon Convention; Who sup
ms. knew fully 90 well the OF this county as
the gentleman from Halifax, the Tonnage Will be nearer
167 600 TONS And then reckon the travel that must
take this direction In 1897. from an account actually
kept there crossed English Ferry on the New river
in Montgomery County, "a 900 PERSONS moi residents OF
the neghhohood. is computed also, that 500oO per-
SONS annually leave New Orleans, in pursuit OF heah
and recea,on. These mus. take the great SCUM west
ern toroughfare and if only one half OF these data oe
a fhnS ot h-yypo
irresistible clams the immedlse attention OF his AS
sembly Another consideration cannot torbeor 10 men
ton w. mar lose a ty delay We may lose the start
that unfortunate error Of our Wheh mas
ed 80 much to place Us behind Pennsylvania and New
York The Charleston and Cincinnati Rairoud IL pro-
scouting with vigor The OF four States are pedg
ed to it's construction and banking privileges have
been granted TO the Company-a power that VIII confer
inesmable resources upon it. Now, let this Road be
trst completed capital concentrate at Charleston and
produce take that direction, and we shall Ind It ocu'
to change it. Now or never, ought to be our watcn-
word.
River and Kama ha Improvement that this road in par
ticuar and the system suggested by the committee ge
nerally will prove antagonisticai to their Work or
said Mr. s., am the fast friend OF this Improvement
and will never give it up And far from The effect
apprehpnded BY the friends OF that improvement, The
South western Road and the Valley Turnpike ought 10
he regarded valuable ausiliaes TO the James River
Canal The former certainly Is mol inferior 10 le ONO
arm itself The vast products Of the Southwest will be
poured into the canal and ncalcusby swell Its tolls -
And warn the friends of this improvement to beware
how they excite the prejudice Of the other interests OF
the State BY nanes,ing monopolising spirit
But there is anaogy, say the gentlemen from Ha'
lifa1 and Prince Edward between Virginia, and New
York, and Pennsylvania. VIVA, has been snccessiul
there soy they, may be failure here We ARE told,
that New York has back trade-,hat of the country
bordering on the Lakcs-which we have not. This is
not now The fact. From late report Of the canal com.
miasoners of n York appears that nearly all the pro-
duce that floats upon the Erie CANAL IS the production OF
tina. Stote The North western States no. yet pro.
ducers of great surplus. They are new States; and
the surplus they do make is consumed by the emgra
ton that is seeking that region. New York. however,
is anticipating much from this source, and accordingly
she is now enargng her Erie canal al expense OF III
millions with the view of accommodating this new trade;
for it seems ts present dimensions barely sufficient
for the transportation Of her own production. And
have already shewn, said Mr. s. that the produce ct The
Ohio valley is not destined to take The direction TO Fits
burg but to our own State The gentlemen, therefore,
overrae the advantages Of Northern negnbors while
they underrae those of Virginia If the trade Of this
Valley and the South. belongs TO u.s. how can gen
temen argue that have not equal Inducements 10 an
enlarged system Of improvement?
MIR. Speaker, we have been repeatedly told that we
have resources! Alas! for Old Virginia Sir, is
o 1oSer on n
know il and believe it. 90 minimum Fortunate 81 sun
bona noriut" We have been often told, that Virginia
has the popuation the real estate OF our richer
upon general system Of improvement. Such argu.
ments these prove much they tend TO the entire
postponement Of the policy. Sir, If We wait until our
population equals that of New York; long years will roll
round ere we begin The population Of New York may
be estimated at 100000 That of Yirginia has ad
vanced at The rate of about 100000 in 40 years At pre-
SENT we will estimate it at I3OU00O0. If it goes on to
progress only in the ratio it has for the last 40
years, it will require l60 years TO bring the population
of Virginia to that of New York Now surely, said Mr..
S. gentlemen do not intend 10 postpone this regeneIang
work for that long, long period. And if population be
the ce.ion the example of Pennsy lvanla will shew
that ready now to proceed According to the
Of 1880, the population Of Pennsylvania exceeded
that Of Virginia about 100000 Say that is greater
300 0O0-total 10000 Then Virginia, having 300
U0O and Pennsylvania 600 90, surely ebe 10 do tir
teen six.eenths as much as Pennsylvania has done
which is far less than the committee now recommend
Or, If we choose 10 reach PennsylVana, we must wait
40 years before we commence And in relation to the
property of New York and Pennsylvania what has
given it its great enhancement Of value, but their
systems of Internal Improvement The increase Of
value did precede-it the result of their public
works. And so will it be in Virginia
So far from being in condition to begin, we are
vastly more able than New York was when she com.
menced She had no Internal Improvement fund as we
have and she had surplus revenue the interest OF
which would enable her TO borrow nearly three millions
without charge upon her Treasury. We are in bet.
ter situation by Internal improvement fund proper
mud the surplus evenue-he income for which together
paw the interest annually upon at least $5,00Oy0u0.
But the price Of labor, says The gentleman from aa
fsx, is too high. When, reply will it be lower? 1t
is true labor high but every thing else by rea
son of the depreciation of the currency This argu.
ment too tends 10 indefinite postponement There is
spirit for Internal Improvement abroad in the land which
is calling and will for long time CALL vast amount OF
labor into requistion 1t will find employ through
out The Unop; nor is it possible 10 ~ he
ehsaRe6n e ht sohdSn Of the currency makes this an in.
>su,pcous period for commencing, say all The opponents
Of This scheme. Sir It's the beauty the State system
that il is independent of the disorders OF the cur
rency Loans for Improvements. are not to be MADE IN
oured, and this the Stale surely has.
Bu, the member from Halifax has attempted 10 cast
discredit upon the committees scheme By long calcua.