Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-02-27
VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE.
SPEECH OF Mr. EDMUNDS. Or HALIFAX,

simple vote The subject before the House, if it
embraced an ordinary appropriation 10 Internal Improve.
nents But the repnr, of the committee contains extra
ordinary recommcn daiirns, contrary 10 the settled prn.
cpes Ut the State for the last twenty years, and in
IRE snbTerson ct The PRESENT system IL embodes
scheme OF Improvement, which the committee fear 10
have investigated in detail combines different INFER.
csts of ic State Which they fear separate By an ex
animation into the nerils OF zach par lcuar work So
fearin! are they n some modification Of the principles
which The different works TO be constructed or
change in The works themselves, that it's wurrne.t
friend, not the very rc'nr Of The scheme has moved
the indefinite posiponrmcnl of The whole hec 10 cut
of all amendments The whole of this gigantic plan is
be carrird or tender 10 the gentleman from
Northampton my hearty thanks for placing The a!e Of
the report that ISSUE. vii! proceed to examine the
report in all It's details however embarrassing the inres.
legation Of the financial questions connected with it, may
be- and will demars!ia'ein The House that the report
ncorrct in it, facts and false in its conclusions.
In recommending departure from the joint stock
principle, The report says: As the first and most tri.
umphanl evidence Of the relative advantage OF the State
principle The joint stock three fifth principle in
relation In works Of primary importance, your commit.
lee wuud respectfully refer The Legislature 10 the sys
tens OF improvement in Nrw York Pennsylvania and
Ohio which have been made almost entirely State
account and contrast their present prosperous condition
with the crippled Inefficient an unpruducye system Of
Virginia We there the public works prosecuted
with energy and economy. and yielding profits, which
sufficient not only IL keep dCwn the interest the
cost OF construction. hu' promising in few years
pie Of those States from The burpn of taxation" The
committee here refer III" Legislature the system Of
improvements in New York and ptansy lvania, yield
ing sufficient profits To keep down the interest the
Of their construction, aud promising in few
reimburse the pruc pal and uiImalr relieve the pro
pie Of ihvsc States Irrm The hurIhcn Of taxation.
might here protest against comparison of Virginia with
either of those States and point the ph ysca advan.
tagrs N. their locality might also tell the llousr that
Virginia has great commercial emporium like the city
OF n York, wus" vessels cover The brond bosom of the
and prIetrae every portion of The gobe-whoSe
Tonnage and trade is half much that Of the greatest
City London. mnhl show by the location Of the great
Erie aud Champdin Canals that there puins Of
similarity between New Yor': and Virginia. any one
will look to The map, lie will perceive, that the great
Erie Canal commences the Hudson river, and pene
traHr the interior 81 The State, terminates % the Nj
agara river above the falls; that II affords outlet 10
the produce commerce and travel OF the lakes Ere.
Huron. Michigan and Superior; Of all the North west
ern trade and travel, and that of Upper Canada, by
shorter cheaper aud spre'rr access 10 the Ocean than
any other route; th,t all communication with The
Ocean i interrupted from that extensive territory by the
falls Of Niagara. except through he Erie Canal Wne
the Champ ain Canal CONNECTS The lake Ehampain with
The Erie Canal aud through the lake Champain and
river Richesu uuilss with the river ST Lawrence be-
low Montreal, thus ofIding cheap and speedy
great market /" the country bordering lake Cham
plain, the river Rlcltl.n, and INDEED 10 large portion
of Lower Canada Al Of her great Stale works have
been Projected with krsn-sg GIFTED view OF furnishing
outlet TO the produce Accumulated an the borders OF
While s Slate Of Prunsy vana has projected her great
line Of improvement from Philadelphia 10 Psburg. pass
ing through The interior of the State to the junction Ct
the MnnongaHea and Allegheny rivers, giving access
TO large commercial tuwn BY cheap and speedyrnn
vcynnre all the b"rd Of the Ale ghnny, Mononga
bella and OHIO rivers These few of The local ad
vanlaGes of those States; but waive all Of those, and
deny that their STATE systems promise 10 reimburse the
cast Of constructions affords any Inducements this
Legislature to embark in such system
The rrp"r's Of the Canal Commissioners and State
Treasurer tlie Legislature Of Pennsylvania for 1887,
exhibit The ollnw ing results
Debt for Internal Improvements, $22.22OCO3
Interest for year 1887, I'LL DIN
Gross amount Of tolls, 9Io33O
Expenses OF collection, repairs, and Loco
motives, UU2ooJ
Amour, needed to complete repairs for 1887,
not made for want Ol funds, III JAY
Total amour, Of expenses, if all repairs had
been made, Sl42lG
Nett profits IF Slate works. dcLucIing repairs
made and thuSe not made, for want Of
funds. l6llG
Gross amount Of tolls for year 1886, $-3l!3l
Fx,susas for came tine GCGc,9
Nett proceeds on State works, 1856, s225,G72
EXCESS Of interest On Debt over neil pro-
creds of tolls oi IS3I. J3O,t50
Excess Of interest On Ecbt over melt pro-
cpeds Of tolls Of 1896. SSbi2o
These ry hils shw that the nett proceeds OF the tells
on nil the Stale works of Prnnsyvan for the year 1886,
and the nett nr0rerds fur 1887 about three iputs
Of one PR cent The actual deficit of the nett proceeds
of the tolls Of SG To pay the interest on the debt, was
1856 d23 and the def for the year 1897, was $685.
Besides all this the amount required To complete the
tensions of the diftrrn, works, is S2O24 0ly which
will swell the present State debt for Internal Improve
merits to the sum OF twenty four millions and
4 half. in ruund numbers Upon Tins Stale debt they
are annually sinking from ghl hundred and fifty thou.
sand 10 one million Of collars! Yet the committee have
referred us To that Stale furnishing ''ihe most rl.
unpan, evidence of c relative advantage OF The State
principle oyc The jn;Ht sock or three filth principle
We are also informed by the same COMMITTEE, that those
works s'are mding prfs which are sufficient not only
fl kern down the interest tie cost OF construction,
but promising in few years 10 reimburse The prIncp'
and ultimately relieve the people from the burlhrn OF
tosa,ou For every dollar OF nett proceeds WHICH 10
maid into the Treasury from tolls, five dollars are paid
ont for ineres, on the o! their construction. How
long it will take these works TO redeem The debt nj That
rate, will leave 10 the very intelligent committee TO
explain. Standardization
c;o coud,ion of Prnusy ivunia will read an extract
from The report of The Treasurer, which wll explain
how the annual interest the Stale debt has been paid
Fur several years (says the repcrD NE revenue OF Inc
State has appeared by The reports o The financial OH
csrs 10 be in Furnishing condition. and was IN reality
50 for the time being; but certainly not OF that per-
manent character which the statesman cond rely
with Confidence II any one VIII lake Inc 'ioupe 70 ex
iu the cpurs on finance for years back, he Will
find that The ordinary did not meet ihe ordinary
and extraordinary expenditures From Inc year leu,
till the year 1895, large sums were received rom PfeH
INNS on loans for internal improvements and bonuses on
bank charters BY which The interest on the public debit
and the large local appropriations were met annually;
from 1885, ill the present time, The dehcifncy mas oeen
met BY premiums bank charters and the surplus re,
us ,sceived froE, the u. States. But as the period
b,s arrived when reliance cannot be p1cee on receipts
arising from any Of The above sources 1t becomes the
peous duty Of the Lr%Ie ss g he
Commonwealth but rear ns possible, reduce The e1-
Dcndilures within the limits of the ordinary revenue
The ordinary receipts into the Treasury as estimnied tor
the present year. cannot exceed 81 tU UOo WINE the
r,sndilures will amount, to S297932G the large ha'
Lance over the revenue is met by extraordinary revenue