Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-02-20
VIRGINIA. LEGISLATURE.

And this you might have known before
VIRGINIA. LEGISLATURE.
SUBSTANCE OF THE REMAKKs OF MR.. STUART OF
On e motion of Mr srgnr IF Northampton, to postpone
indefnuety tile consideration If fhe R'port If the C"m'
nines Of Roads and Internal N"rtsntt11 Ttro%n'na
ing general system Of ImpT"orment- 0.irered an M'
House If Delegates, on Thursday, The sM dug "j REQ
ruary 1888
Mr.. STUART said that although he taken some.
what by srpze by The motion OF the gentleman from
Northampton yet believing as he did that the subject OF
Internal Improvement was Intimately nay lnseparahly
connected with thr best interests Of the State, he could
not reconcile it with his Of duty TO give merely
silent vote in opposition To the motion. lie he!eVen
that upon the adoption If some such scheme Of improve
ment as that nded by the report Of the cnn-
nitlee much OF The future wealth and prosperity ct VIZ
pinia materially depended That report, SAID Mr. D ,
presents distinctly for the decision ct the Legislature,
The ones,ion whether the councils of the State this
subject are to te controlled by the narrow con.
sacted and Liberal The had almos said suicta policy
which has heretofore governed hsTl or whether 10 TO
give place a enlarged and subcommittee policy,
which shall cherish generous system of Internal I'm.
p,ovene n,s snicla the enrrprEe and industry ct oil
casses Of the citizens Of Virginia. and deveope her al
most bnundless resources.
Mr. Stuart said that the subject was 80 expanded IN
it's nature that r si,ad a;rnP 10 20 into full dis
cussion al it. He knew that if he DID 81, lie would be
compelled to impose more severe tax on the lime ana
patience Of the Rouse, than he felt warranted In doing
nation of one or branches of the subject leaving
the others gentlemen who would succeed him IN The
debate and who in every point OF view, more able
and better prepared than himself to do justice TO their
merits Ills object would be rather To throw open the
whole field Of discussion than to occupy all The strong
positions which presented And IN what he had To
saw h- would aim ambitious display Of learning
eloouence but would content himself with PLAIN, pac
tcal and he trusted view OF the subject.
He would couiue his remarks very much 10 two points
In the first place he would endeavUr to give full
PLANTATION Of The report Of the committee. accompanying
il with an exposition u' The which influenced
them only in the selection OF the works 10 be- con-
s,suced bat also in relation TO the principles on which
they were proposed 10 he undertaken.
In the next place. he would endeavor 10 detnonstrnte
from official data and from conjectara estimates which
were scarcely less BE relied upon, the ability OF the
State in financial pnint Of view TO complete the sys
TEN of Improvement recommended 10y the committee,
without imposing any additional bur,heps upon the p-"-
pie His attention bud been directed particularly I" the
latter bran Of the subject. at the request vi many MEM
bers OF the conttee and he hoped be nbe to place
il before the House in point of view which would be
satisfactory to every mcmbr Of the Grneral Assembly
With these preliminary remarks, MIR s. said le would
proceed with his ex animation OF the report OF the com
n,ee and spoke as follows:
The FIRST great work. Sir which IS recommended ny
the committee, is the construction OF Rnisr"ad com
uencing at some point mn the Tennessee ar, ana eS
tending Eastwardly to Evanshau, in the county oi
Wy,he and thence by divergent braachrs one reach
ing to the James river the most eligible point, and the
olIrr arikng the Roanoke al DanSile.
or tho importance Of these works. scarcely neces'
sary for me to say word Their advantages so Oh.
yous and might add. incalcu!sbie that whilst on
the one baud they challenge the assent OF every reflect
ing mind, the Imagination ct man can scarcely con.
ceive their px,en. q value The improvements recnn
mended will penetste through the choicest portions oil
the Commonwealth aboundg IN all the elements OF ma
tional weai,h-c"n,anng inr xhnustbls quantities OF
GYPSUM lime iron salt, lead c"a and ltmbrr-Pnssessrd
Of water power sufficient Tor every manufacturing par
pose-adaped to the production of every necessary oil
iife-and consequently capable of sustaining dens-
populaton The devecpemsnt OF these resources, ano
the addition which they would bring to The wealth ano
commerce of the State wnUd alone be snthclPnt To JUS
tify q wise and paternal Government in undertaking
this grand enterprise But great as these objects are
they sink into comparative nsgnlfcance when vewee
in connection with the immense accfssions OF ioeiSr
commerce and travel which must De oionght ine
VIRGINIA from Tennessee, Alahama Mississippi, Louis
lana and other States, means TT the South western
Railroads All the Southern States seem 10 be alive Il
the necessity of some gsaud line OF communication, by
acon,inuous railway from New Orleans to the Atlantic
ceu Already has company been inc0r pora,ed by the
Legislatures Of louisiana Mississippi. Alabama, and
Tennessee fr the consuctin OF the New O'rans and
Nashville Railroadthe whole route has been surveyed
and found to be paccable-a considerable par, has been
located and y miles the Southern extremity has been
actually constructed survey has also been made for
Railroad from Nashville to tn. Virginia line passing
through vile, which has demonstrated usve
the prac,icahily of the route Nothing bu' the hnan
ejal paralysis which has pervaded our whole country
has caused temporary suspension Of these stupendus
worka The moment a sound currency is restored mud
Virginia exhibits proper spiri, of evaporation, they
must be recommended and prosecuted with energy =
Another great Railroad is in course of successful
prosecution, from Knoxville towards Georgia. The
great Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad, now in pro
press under the auspices Of of the first men of the
age viii! also psss Knoxville. When the Virgil.
MIA lines therefore, shall have been finished 10 Knox
VILE the chain will be completed, and they will be con.
pected with four of the most important and extended
railroads on the Continent OF America; and s easy to
Sec that they become the main channels through
which the accumulated travel uad tonnage OF the other
roads must dsembogue itself into the Slate of Virginia
Thus the cotton and other rich pies of the South will
be opened 70 the enterprise Of citizens Of Virginia. and
in turn the farmers will be supplied with market for
their mineral and agricultural productions, and for The
fabrics of every description which must be
featured extensively in The South western portion Of
Virginia.
;np too far on the attention of the House. to undertake
ANYTHING lie an estimate Of the advantages which mus,
result in commercial social, and political point OF view,
from such connection, between Virginia and The Val.
lev Of the Mississippi and The South generally must
be content to aude to It's important results and leave
eyety member Of the House to carry oct the details IN
his own mind -,
with this meagte outline of the valne Of The South
Western Improvement, will pass on su to The reccu