Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-03-18
LEGISLATURE or VIRGINIA.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES

prescribing the mode OF ascer,alnng the taxable pro-
perty within the Commonwealth, and OF collecting The
public revenue.
And they have disagreed 10 the amendments proposed
by the House of Delegates their amendments the
bill ex,endng the conditions and restrictions imposed
country merchants, retailing ardent spirits TO mer
chants retailing tue same within incorporated towns =
! Laid the table.
They have passed, with amendments, the bill eyp,a.
naory OF the &c, ofc 18Th Of March, 1910, concerning
the confession of Judgments in the Clerks office
| Laid on the table.
| The House took up motion or Mr.. SrovALL, the
| bill "authorzing payment Nicholas Dlllard by the
school commissioners of PITS lvana, from the quota OF
| 1915" with The Senate S amendments, Which were
agreed to-
The following cngrossed bulls were read third time,
and passed, VIZ
"Amendmg the act concerning apprentices bound out
| BY the ovcrssers OF The poor;
| "Coucerning the Rrvanna Navigation Company;
incorporating the New Creek Turnpike Company:
"Repea!ing tic act of the 23d February, 1872 con-
corning sales OF Certain property under wits oil Vendl-
| tom expoEas; and
"To amend an &c, entitled, &C. incorporating the
stockholders of the Richmond Fredericksburg and Po-
tomac Rail Road Company
The bill "auihorzins the James River and kanawha
Company to increase their tolls being taken up, MIR.
! HUBAEp moved lis indefinite postponement
/ The House had, yesterday, passed bill providing
for considerable increase oil taxation, and here he
said, bill proposing TO change fundamental pro-
vision of the charter, and confer upon the james River
and kanawha Company, the right TO impose burdens,
oppressive under any circumstances, but emnently so
now The tolls levied, prescribed by the char
ter and had they been thus limited the work would
not probably have been commenced. Good faith re.
uired that the tolls should not be extended beyond
the prescribed limits Of the charter This obtained
in 1882 when agricultural products were higher than
at currency more expanded, and OF course,
possessing less relative value. Tolls which in 1892,
would have been regarded moderate, would be con.
sldcred huh in -i3 By the charter, they were Ii.
m;ed 10 an average Of ) cents, and upon agricultural
PRODUCTIONS they could not exceed u cents per ton per
mile MIR II showed that tho tolls levied upon agri
cultural productions, when transported the Erie
canal of New York the canal between Pttsburg and
Philadelphia and the canal from Portsmouth TO Cleve
land in OHIO, less than cent per ton per
mile When gentlemen wished the State Ia undertake
works OF internal improvement, they disposed 10
refer to the example ret US by New York and other
States Of the Coniederacy. but, when tolls to be
imposed they turn a deaf to the experience and
practice OF those States
The failure of the james River Company to realize
the anticipated, not attributed to low and
inadequate tolls but TO the interruption Of The nav-
ration 10 diminished agric uura productions 10 fresh
cts, &c In loi2, the flour inspected in Richmond,
fell short of what inspected in 1910, by than
0G0 barrels shown by the returns ri the lnspec
tor MIR. Il. maintained, that increased tolls do not
necessarily produce increase OF revenue; because,
by taxation, products w;li be driven from
their accustomed and Legitimate channels OF tradehat
this doctrine true not only in regard the foreign,
bat The domestic, trade-lhat tariff of tolls should be
Just and n!oderatef not, then canal would repel,
instead Of attracting products The experience oi y
York referred Co. 10 prove that the revenues OF The
Erie canal greatly enhancedby reduction OF tolls;
although conIended here, that no increase of re-
venue could be expected, save by great adden to the
present tariff of tolls The bill examined and crit
cised 1t proposed 10 allow the james River and Ka-
nawha Company the right TO assess tolls not exceed
ing average Of four cents per ton per me and they
mi ght thus levy toll Of seven cents per ton
per mile upon agricultural products or other artl-
cles. and upon coal, gypsum, &c. The com
ittee had marched IN advance OF the Stockholders and
reported bill Tor the exac;on o. higher tolls than they
or the Presidcn. OF the Company had suggested why
confer power which has not been asked, when all know
how liable il is to abuse; Why impose odious and un
lust upon people not responsible for the extTava
gance o the Company, the errors and folly OF the
Virginia Legislature upon the subject OF lnternai I'm
provemenl: Was the House prepared TO adopt the
principle that when work Of improvement failed TO
be profitable, The people residing near, and using the
work should be plundered 10 indemnify the Com
pany or the Commonwealth If So why did not the
bill embrace the Railroad and Turnpike Companies,
and put all upon the platform: The principle
despotic and tyrannIcai, and he hoped would re
ceive coun.cnancc. IL it DID, and the bill should
pass then let gentlemen bewarc-as the several Rail
road Companies indebted 10 the State well as
the James River and kanawha Company. If the rep.
rcsenta,vc of other should unite for the pur
pose OF depressing the James River counties, the day
OF reirbuton would come, than such members
and their constituents desired. lie trusted however,
that the Of justice not extinct, that no ad
dona tolls would he allowed and that the bill under
consideration would he indefinitely postponed.
4 Dir. iioPKISs warned members, shat this bill
tanned principle Of evil, which, If tolerated and
adopted here Will reach the interests Of the whole
State through their internal improvements. MT. II.
alluded 10 the g:cat mania which had produced so
many Improvements. They viii all want money 10
carry out their schemes-and, not being able TO get
! funds from the justice Of the Legislature, they will
resort TO the principle involved in Tins bill, viz to in
crease the tolls and thus Cypress the people Instead
of pursuing the wise course of continuing the canal
so as to connect the Eastern and Western waters, the
James River Company adopted the unwse course Of
. spending millions of dollars in commencing the i'm
provement from Richmond, where there already
a good canal Mr.. II. atve,ed to the glowing account
given by the President OF the Company, his speech
es, OF the prospects OF the Company The Company
had professed themselves satisfied with the Of
tolls that had been established and which, they said
never would be increased. Mr. II maintained that
heavy tolls could not tend to increase the Of
the Company, and quoted the opinion OF Mr.. Ellet,
Engineer Moreover, trade Will DC driven Off by these
heavy tolls from the canal 10 the competing improve
men, on the Appomattox. This bill cuts of the
stricon in favor Of agricultural productsso that the
Company will have the power oil raising the tolls on
these products TO D, 10, or even 90 cents per mile
a, the time preserving the average ofl cents per
mile on all subjects. In this way, the James River
which will 90 to Petersburg. In the same way, the
trade in the Valley will go 10 Winchester, &c. Mr..
H. read statistics showing the low rates Of ansporta-
ton on the Erie and other canals. MIR II commended
that this improvement had done much injury to The
! country along the line.
Mr.. SrocKToS, being called on by his friend from
Pow hatan, gave his views. The whole Liabilities OF
the State are two millions and more, and Mr.. S.
tended that the proposed increase of tolls would d
minish The revenue ofthe company, which is intended
/ tn off henvv >
which bore upon this question
MIR. Anderson The question now il, whether The
sections of country which are benefited by th's i'm
povement shall or shall rot bear reasonable share Of
the burll,en 10 be imposed, to pay off the debt The
question is not, whether the work well undertaken
but the work is done; and the question IS whether
there should be increase OF tolls to be borne by the
stockholders living along the line. Mr. A. said that
the canal had formed smooth pond all along the line
of Powhatan and that county had no right TO complain
of the companys moi giving them good commnnca
ton But If gentlemen will read the charter again,
they will see that The company not bound by The