Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-03-08
VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE.

Mr.. BAYLY of A. said he had not intended 10 take any
pnrt in this debate; for the subject OF Internal Improve
nenl that had been often and so fully discuss
ed that he least had desire at this me To go INTO
discussion Of it, Sir Mr. B. said the abstract question
of the proprety of constructing Internal improvements
upon proper system, is not deoatchole one r 9e
wanted debate that question: who was not prepared 70
debate the prope,y OF using steam in proPellng steam
boats and machinery. The rs deoateaoie US .e
other He,shoud not notice, therefore, even one Oh 'e
multitude, 81 Arguments which had been aaVancru "
show that those portions Of country through Which "
,ernal improvements might he conducted would De
greatly benefited thereby His only object IN ,'s's
al, TO repel The very ilibetal attack whlch I've
:ccnside.ed hot been made upon the Eastern sectlo"
of the State by his end from Northampton (mt. 90
gar Sir, said Mr.. Bayly, that portion OF The Stale
shall never be attacked here without vindcalion, as
long us have sea, on this floor, even though mat
attack should come from Of the mos, gifted OF her
sons Nv friend. Sir, has charged the East with pursu
ing contracted and selfish policy upon this subject
from sectional and interested views-wth what Unlh
facts shall answer.
In drurrcatpp the attack which has been made upon
the East. do not understand me, Mr. Speaker, Us lncu
ding therein what said of the course OF her repre-
senlatiycs My friend said, that we take The attitude OF
hostility to the Report Of the Committee, because we
are "palsed by the will Of our constituents dId mol
regard this, Sir rcprOach upon us-iar rom IT,
When am told that carry out the wil-aye or even
the prpiudces- my constituents, in my course here
consider that have been compimrnted. But when
am told that do this at the sacrifice OF lay IN
dividunl opinions and wishes, esteem the c"mp'''
pIiment to be Of the highest character. But, to lie
charge Of pariow nindrdnrss and srl!shness against
the East Mr.. BayIy said lie would appeal to the re,
cords of the past. AS far back iol, The General
Assembly incorporated % the James River Company,
with capital Of 100000, divided into 800 shares Of
$500 each, for the purpose OF clearing ana exehuns
the navigation of James River from tide water upwards
10 the highest point practicable upon the main branch
thereof This point lhoug hl 10 be at Crow Ferry
in the cuuny Of Botelourl Shortly thereafter the Ca
pltu stock of the company was increased 10 ,Oo SHARES
OF these the Stale became subscriber Tor >Iu ~ WIN
be recoiected that this almost before The west hau
existence; and when the East had the complete CON
troll in the Legislature. After the work for the nc
compishmcnt Of which this charter bad been grant
ed had been nearly completed, II was thought 10 DC
the interest Of the State 10 extend II to The Omo.-
To accomplish this in 1890, the Stale acquired The en-.
tire stock of this company by contracting 10 pay me OIL
gina stockholders the high price Of dividend OF 10 per
cent per annum for upon their STOCK Aims tie,
lnn the East had The preponderance IN lie Legislature
Here you had this State prnc pie which We ore told
so magical in its operation How did It operate: Let
the prccipalc manner in which il was abandoned an
swrr the question. The James river Company was mo-
diiied BY several acts of Assembly, until ~ 1884, "hen
il merged in the James river ana hanawha lis
cauilaI was one million and half Of dollars. In nd.
djtion to this in 1916, SHE Board OF Public Works
was established and was endowed with capital oi
upwards Of two millions Of dollars; together with ali "l
the Bank bonuses to which the State might thereafter
uomnally of about mIllons-resliy OF about s mil
lions This was a measure introduced by Western men;
advocated by OF her most distinguished suns Vo'ea
for by the united representatives, from mat sec'o-ahu
was adopted, am told, by the East as COMPROMISE
Yes Sir this murh-abused two-6ith system IS the oil
spring Of the West If they did not beget It, they GER
tainly adopted it, Nevertheless they seem now To be
very dssgsed with it, and making desperate Efforts
to slranglefl You must hear in mind MIR Speaker, 70
appreciate The conduct of the East by whnD all lhlo
pet m,ed if done that much the greater portion OF
the taxes Of the Commonwealth was paid by that Sec
ton; and that all Of these works tended not 10 her sec
ona advantage but to promote the welfare OF The west
BESIDES this loans nj different times for the purposes "i
In,orpai improvements ha been auhnri2ed, until our
public debt on that amounts TO- in round numbers,
abuu, FIVE millions Of dollars Add too This The hume
rous direct appropriations, which have bren MADE from
time to time from the Treasury for the benefit ct west
ern i'm nls and you have, think, Mr.. Speaker
state of ihcls that lrumphanily reiules the charge
against the East Of ilIberalty and narrow nndsdness
MIR pAYLY said that lie had thus impertrctly n"tro
what the East had done Having viewed The subject III
this light he would enquire what she was " e1 eq"o et
bouo. y bound to dn' My friend from Northampton,
in illustrating part of his very able and eloquent
aroument informed the House that land on the Eastern
Shore Which would not produce under Tie most carpui
munagement more than 10 bushels of corn 10 The acre.
would readily sell in the market for from twenty TO thIr
~ dollurs This, he said, and truly said, was owing
10 the facilities which we enj"y, OF getting to market
.our sutuIus products These very lands for winch
we pa from twenty TO thirty dollars were they stu
a,ed in the county Of Monroe would not he taken by my
friend who represents that county tair Chapah) aS
rfl II not tie intrinsic value Of The lands, therefore,
which causes them bring these prices. by NJ means
but paadoxical il may seem, we pay, ana oTh!y
nav FIR the facilities Of getting 10 market, Win whlch
Nature has So hountfuy blrssed US The snrne j" The
case with all of those portions OF the Conm"nwralh
where Internal improvements are not wanted NOV,
Mr. SNEAKER we having paid, have shown. Tor our
facilities of getting to market, let me ask win what pro"
nrety we can be called upon to pay Tor constructing
Them Cor oiher and in many respects more favored pnF'
lions of the State With what proprely can ,hr genie.
constituents and mine he called upon To 5,ld !oad
Cor the peope in the counties OF Augusta t"ckngha'
Shenandoah and Frederick who are much rIcher than
we are and are much able TO do ii for themselves:
Nv fri end saws that you thereby enhance lie value
of The lands in those counties, and thereby increase
The ueaIth and resources of the State. Graned-nut
how does it do lhs' Only, surely, by increasing The
wealth of the people of those counties. ihey are Tie
persons benefited by it-and They should pear 'e our
den Bul nv friend will say, You cannot produce CO.
orration between all Of the persons Interested ihere
is no difficulty about ,his.-Pass law authorizing Lax
to be levied exclusively on those portions OF the ste 10
be benefited If gentlemen Will propose ms VIII Z"
with them: and if we are told that are practising mo-
vel LEGISLATION will point To my friend own county Tor
preceden, to Justify Some years ago. Inc people
of Notham wished 10 get rid OF what they esteemed
pest-ther free black population We'll, Sir, what oia
they do; They did not come here and INSIST Una, u.'s
was State matter and that they should have an aPpr"
nria,ion from the Treasury 10 effect their object No.,
Sir-lhough they had been continually paying IN ont
never taking on, they did not ask this All try aSHeu
,s to allow them to taz themselves TO do this thing in
which they alone were concerned Let other s"con5 of
The State pursue the example which Northampton has
Sc, them Let them he here, supPcatng others 10
do for them what they should do for themselves IN
singnp on The counties of the great Valley have not
done So because have any particular objection 10 the
improvement. which is proposed for them have only
done il for illustration.
Mir Speaker have thus shown that the West has had,
and has, demand upon u.s. for aid IN the cause OF ln
have done much and are willing to do still more This
being the case with what justice or proPre can we oe
re,roached with narrow ndcdness and sehshness: Sir
our gensrosily even cannot be assasd What then shall
be said of attack upon our Justice: Sir WIN not com
me Mt upon such an attack as might, and perhaps, as
ought The source from whence j! comes dlsar'ns me