Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1843-01-09
THE CANAL-PROPOsED INCREASE M
TOLLS

IL Will be seen. by the proceedings of the House os
Delegates on Tuesday last. that an eAtr,ord;,,,r
resolution, offered by Mr.. Randolph. Ms thu
gar OF the committee of finance, was ,ao,,.l
by a vote Of 50 TO AZ, proposing an enquiry. BY ,L,,
committee into the eSpeliency of '',egu.iiuy,, M,
State Treasurer to decline for the presen, signiny ,nr
more of the bonds of the James River and Kan,.h
Company, which he is positively directed to sign BY p,
listing laws-in other words, preferring a request. by
slnsleb-tnch Of the Legislature, 10 one of the F,.eca
tive officers, 10 refuse TO comply with a statute. WIZ,
allows him no discretion! The adoption of a pro,os,
lion Involving 50 monstrous Il principle, shadows C,,,
clearly The temper in which the proposed Investigation,
'''o 'he management and condition d thai Company i.
about to be commenced, and, to our minds. indica,.
predetermined purpose, if The slightest pre,ext can h.
'o'"' w "h'eh 10 base 50 SUMMARY a proceeding, TO
transfer lis propfietorsliip and control from the Comp,,v
to the State. When that design-if, as we surr,is.. !,
be really entertained shall be colsumma,ed. tho I,,,.,
River country. embracing that more remote n,,,;o,
""ch Seehso h lis waters an avenue to riarkct, as Well
as that which Is penetrated by the CANA. will find i.
self, II we properly appreciate the usual springs of Icu;,,,
tive action, in the hands of taskrlasters as merc,,ss :.
the Egyptian king, who commanded his capuvrs +,
make bricks without straw
hu' we VIII not anticipate events. Sufficient far
the day is the evil thereof" The people Of IN, ,t,,cs
River country have nop the control of the imnrove.
ment III their own hands, its management bc;sp conf.
ded to a Beard of Directors, selected from amono ,bcu.
selres, and who have a much greater interest. as landed
prqo1eto1s and as shippers of prodnte, in reducing the
tolls to the lowest rates Compatible with the great o,iec,
OF keeping this highway always in navioable order. than
they have, as directors. in unnecessarily auementiny tho
rates OF toll levied upon those who resort to il as their
best, If not their only, road to market. While this
state Of things continues, ii behoovcs them to throw M
obstacle in the way of those Directors. who hayinp a
double duty to perform. may percharcc, in the exercise
OF ll'eir best Judgments, he constrained To impose a fem
penrg b,otte1 on them, in order to avert permanent on
preston. An increase of tolls, levied with an in,elli-
gent and Just discrimination. strikes MS as one of those
obviously necessary duties; against which opposition. ON
lie part OF thore who are 10 pay them, is as impllitic as
Il must be lmitless. Tie w0yk must sustain itself: and
If the company cannot make it do So, The State will. Il
would, 10 be snrc, be a matter of no material consc-
qucnee to thoso who will have the tolls to paw, if they
are likely to be tht same in amount under whosesoeycr
control the work may be, whether a Boaid Of Director,
selected from among themselves, or the Legislature OF
the State, representing remote constituencies. shall DO
entrusted with the duty Of their imposition. But the
eYiI against which we have 10 guard is. the augmcnla-
ZION Of the tolls Jeyond Tie necessities IF The Company,
and ior the sole phrp,se ofigl,cpins the burthens of tax
alton IN Other scrtjuts If the Commonwealth, bv ma
king Ill Il source II .ercnae 10 he State treasury. So
long as the work continues under the management Of
Directors residing along It's line, and identified in feeling
and interest with the people who dwell upon It's border,
or whose produce aud merchandise find access to market
upon its waters. there is not the slightest reason TO APP
prcllend li1atAny unnecessary increase of tolls will ever
lao noJo Rnt unShoIl l., do,,;yoI g ,L;a 49,.
ifthe work should ever be transferred, Gas i, is now
morlgased) to the Commonwealth; because, in that g
vent. il will be under the control of individuals who will
to a grca, extent represent antagonist interests, and who
will be impellcd by that sectional selfshuess, which is
unfortunately the basis of all legislation to make the Ca
nal yield a revenue to the treasury to the full extent of
It's capacity 10 bear the burtllcn of taxation.
The justice of these views must, it seems TO us, strike
every unprcjudiced mind at once; and we therefore de-
sire to make a specific applica' ion of them to existing cir
enms.ances. The Company, it is known. has applied 10
the Legislature for permission to increase its tolls; and
this proposition has been very warmly assailcd we
deiercntally think. without bestowing upon it that re-
Election TO which its importance is eniitled,-by many
intelligent gentlemen, upon when, in part. the bnrilen
of this increase will fall. 1t remains for them to point
out the ahcsnatire. were The proposition rejected. We
can see but one; and that is stated in the foregoing re-
inarks-to wit. the transicr Of TIN Improvement from the
Company 10 the State, and the increase of the tolls u
by a Directory qualified to do SO with intelligent t'3r-
ence to the wants OF the Company and to the Interests
Of the toll payers combined hut by a tribunal equally
ignorant and regardless If our interests, and having in
view only the single object of raising as much revenue
from ths source IS possible, that they may make a cores
bonding reduction in the taxes upon their constituents and
themselves. Choose. ye between them.'
For the purpose too, of correcting erroneous %misapprc-
tensions which we are inclined to believe exist TO no in
considerable extent, rs TO the effect of the proposed III
crease Of toIls-and particularly in relation to the com
Por"tire TOTS under the proposed rates, and those paid
under the old system of navioation-we beg leave to re-
fer to the following extract from the late Annual Re
port of,he Principal Engineer Of The State, (Mr. Gro
zet) who is by no means favorable to the managers or to
the management Of the work, whatever may be his fte[
lnys in regard to the work itself. That gentleman says:
But while all agree about the propriety of the mea-
sure, 1t IS not as easy to decide about the means. Inc
unfortunate visitation Of last July has farther increased
the Indebtedness Of The company, and it is now reduced
to a certainty that the tolls cannot be depended upon 10
meet the annual expenditures and liabilities. Inc ei-
gcncy of the case points ont as the only and most efiec',
ual remedy, that which | proposed last winter. ana
which it is to be regretted was not at once resorted O'
mean the raising Of the tolls.
In the circumstances of unprecedented difficulty III