Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-12-05

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for past hss been less considered by the Legs
laturc than Ihntof those turnpike roads which
have been executed BY Joint stock companies Tbs roads
OF great aggregate extent and have gradually
mp with the commerce, the intercourse the progressive
ceSscs and settlements OF people, and constitute
TO all ct these Objects too important portion Of our
public welfare 10 Dc otherwise than the SUBJECT all times,
OF the most extensive and permanent When
gardcG mere investments cf capital. made with view
TO dividends in money they have hcen profitable. and
except IN few cases they not likely become
80. In this how there - disappointment for in
the great msorw ot ihsse roads constructed
WIN n" special reference r their results as investments ct
capital. They had their origin, ior the most the coudi.
ton OF Interior dispersed and struggling popu0ton,
whose hard necessities demanded rtliet and {, whom
no instruments ct relief could have been sent 50
able 10 administer IL they able rom
their prosperity the cmhaa>sments which DISTRACTED and
BY increasing the capabilities Of their sbour and their soil
To add them all to the general power aud oi the
state. And in this whole, they have happily succeed
ed Such, indeed the Improvements almost where
accompanying these roads, the settlements the better
agriculture. the accumuang comforts OF all kinds the
HANGED value OF houses and lands, that the opinion CONT
IDENTIFY entertained that only in these respects but IN the
actual additional revenue whchiS brought by their
into the treasury the has fair dividend, the pepe-
i Of considered, upon her portion Of the money eNpcn
ded upon then However this be- they permanent
fixtures upon her soil that whether they worth
thing the private shareholders who have hazurdcd
upon their construction than the she last has
interest in them which comprcheuds the interests
Of all her pa,uers-shc Is in all the 'csidua-
~ legutce," or heir Of all and in that capacity
will reap the future the entire bcneht Of their
JOINT laOOufs upon hcr popuaoa ana wealth. icr inter-
est therefore IN the due preservation and repair OF them is
without end, and that whether they be continued toll
rosds he converted into free And in order 10 have
this interest protected and these improve
from dapiston ard ruiu would he high expe-
dent Tor the state provide her part better adapt
cd and more eecda supern;erdanco Ihsn possible Tor
the board Of works organized Is, 10 maintain
Tnis board composed Of the members Of government set
ing oeio aud holding their sessions in the capitol
remote from the improvements question: too liable 10
oI ~ the appointment o. proxies, too much occupied with
the primary duties Of their scvcge stations bC
pCicnt To the execution Vt m trust a GENITAL and control
ing board ought 10 be. But whatever this competency
heretofore, the repeal by the last legislature U the law
sbllshng the office OF civil engineer has greatly reduced
has taken the board the services and niona
non upon which they were accustomed TO rely and without
which, public sacrifices scarcely fail 10 result.
Under these views tits submitted worthy Of your
sheraton whether the shares the state in the Joint stock
turnpike companies might not DC sivanas surrender
Cd 10 the county Of the several counties in which
they lie, and be held by them the property of the
ties respectively; thus substituting these counties with
~iihou, restrictions, be thought necessary, the
room and stead OF the satei These may IN al
respects, make the best possible deposiioes ii this trust
but their constsrt presence al the place OF service their
sona knowledge Of AL Ure and the and control
ing influence OF the very interest lSr which their bus
oproyide will qualify such degree east
aSio substuu0nfo the prescott board ubsiau-
;s advantage the public This that the
mon highway, which,. committed by law these
should no; be conounded, and kindred incfeieucy OF
management inferred The materially distinguish
ed IRON each other. In that Of the highway,
every enforcement Of law by county and ues an
enforcement upon the people, Of whom these and
IuFes constitute part OF gratuitous and oie1tmes
most unwilling and troublesome abour In the sub
miiicd, such enforcement would be that Of
where the people would be the minor party service and
the larger IN interest However the suggested
might result 10 obvious that derives dividend
from these roads she j. most interested IN some plan tor
their management, which by beet preserving them shall
thereby bestconneei them with her general welfare.
The situations and claims OF other works Of internal i'm
p!ovement in the STATE will be reported upon by the Board
OF Public Works and their report beg refer
you tor such Information upon this subject generally
YOU may desire 10 have. would, however especially
Commend 70 attention and liberal rrgard the case
the States subscription the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
company; and would aso bring your certain sug.
gecls ~ the report Of the Richmond Fredericksburg and
Potomac railroad company, touching the application which
proposed 10 be made oi tie States share Of the dividends
~ stock.
TIE great eggt.. aC OF improvement extending from
tde water OF Richmond the Ohio syrr which has been
entrusted 10 the James River and kan.la COMPANY s in
50 many respects peculiar - connected with the
extensive and fertile Dc tendency whole interior
inc commercial Importance Of only cities and
5 wlihal embarrassing az present 10 iS
further operations, that take leave recommend IL
your earliest consideration with such remarks the
involved seem require. Passing the various and
ous efforts Of which this line form aud
other has been hs subject upwards 60 years.
will be enough historically say,hai in s32, the present
james River & kanawha Coy porsted. with
pital stock If five millions OF dollars the night Of
suHmentng it TO eight millions; that the became
s-o'cb' 10 n.s company, hrst JEr amour; ui tN0tbs,
and afterwards Of three fills OF the five millions paying
one tiil 20 tl- subscription ly tie transfer h,
Of certain works upon the uc which .e had previously
constructed with her iuuc uri the balance. tyya
millions n money, and holding herself by charter free 70
take o. not % lo any share the augmented capital
The other shareholders IN the company individuals hp
hold about eight bundled thousand dollars OF the stock and
Tie corporations OF the city Of Richmond the Bank Virgin
10. the Town Of Lynchburg and Washing college who hold
the residue. The company thus constituted charged
with the al which the 1879. had purchased
the rights OF the frat james River Company amounting to
PerP'ias annuity Of wen'yone thousand dollars; and
further charged with the duty Of completing the whole
Inc from tide water at Richmond 10 the Ohio river upwards
Of 400 me-, within twelve years from ~ fla, organizations
under pnin - tOrsitng H. charter This organization ha.
wing been Effected n December 1894 the company p1asc
was committed g. their Llrd and since iaf time have fin
ishec the existing improvement between Richmond and
LyE2a5urE-hayc expended heavy in executing &C..
!ached out a. YET incomplete paris Of the line between
Lynchburl and the mouth Of the Norh hge. in he county
Of Rockbntge-have provided great trouble and expcnse
the surveys and estimates which requisite both to
Judci.us selection and location OF the rouio-haye paid
large damsges - property holders for the RICH, of way
have Udded, by purchase, The Richmond dock their
chartered limits, end have improved this III be-
come useful aPpendasc not only u the commerce OF he
city 90 the final profits Of the canal
~ these various operations sad expenditures and por-
hops Others connected with them, The capital stock II tue
cImplry hl been ly expended and there hns also boon
expended, nearly, H altogether the additional Of
one mill 90 sx hundred and h Thousand dollars OF which
orc mi'7a four hundred Thousand borrowed b. tic
c.oI.y Ah-cf guarantee 90 Zoe state, and tw0 bundled
and ly thousand directly advanced by the slate us oaa.
Looking 40 ihcsc expenditure and hta e. result u b. fD
per o. fecoec hat ono mlonD the five consisted VI
which have avacd but t0 tor actual benefit that the
nuiy d twenty thousand dollars charged upon the
pnny was equivalent 70 e abstraction from its capital Of
three hundred and fifty thousand dollars thatsu be mecca
say 10 produce u al six per cent nierestha hundred
thousand GOars have been lost by delinquent
scnbts and that the wo, begun aud mas been prose-
cuted under marketable for abOur, for prOic
VI gee, ond for every description Of material
beyond ell former example have uddcd 90 all yrlba.
biy, holt % million of dollar, c1irn 20 itsc.st When
these items are combined, whatever is the hgh boo which
the upg.i'ns aud expenditures o company 90, rti
considered, 30 must set be admitted that they been
conducted under burden and Disadvantages which have
lost 20 90 many mic Of additional improvement
Leaving tLosc y-ws however t is a matter Vi deeper
interest 10 tho public 70 know whether the cOupsny
any present condition e. with work. snd il is not
n what way and 70 what will TO oided by the Gen.
ers Assembly That the company Is in no present con.
diuon 60 forward with s undertaking psnuy nppa.
rent With is capital exhausted, with per debt
upon more than million and haf Of dollars and with
no productive means but IT, tolls aud rely
upon, DO - evident that Whatever i.8 receipts from the