Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1844-04-11
From the Lexington Gazette.


I'll not be jugylcd with
10 he'll allegiance! vows to the blacklist dewitt
Soosc'ence' and grace to the profoundest pit!
dare dsmnation: To this point stand
LAERrEs.
10 the Friends Of Internal improvements in Ne,
tern Virginia.
me 'ime has arrived when you must asser
your rights with the firmness of freemep =,
'ameiy submit, Il the grossest Injustice and ,v.
fahny, at The hands of your own a,e Cavern
ment' The present is All suspicious moner
10 demand a redress of grievances. s., Ion,
endured, That patience under them. has co,soe
I" be virtue. And you have no nI,ern,,;ve
but TO speak ont boldly and decidedly. or sinh.
mt to the disgrace of seeing your us, exncc-
ianons wholly disregarded, and Your riph,s
irampled upon, by government, created for
me benefit OF the whole people of the Com
mouwea,lh.
D'esssc os nature wi,ii a saiubiious am;
Ielgh'iul cl'mateawith soil capable of pro-
o"c'ng IN abundance all Of the necessaries.
ana many oil the Injuries of lire-wilh almost
unparalleled facilities for the erection .,f man.
uiacturing establishments, you have wanted
no.h,ng 10 ensure you the highest prosperity.
o"' 'he means OF conveying your surplus pro-
"ucts 10 market But whilst we have been
cher'shing deluslve hopes, based upon the
hollow professions of those who alone have
''au me power TO better our condition, we find
ourselves ai'er lapse OF many years, in no
oei'er condition, so far as internal improve
mcnts are concerned, than we were thirty
years ago In truth, our situation is infinitely
worse now, than ii was then; such is the FACT.
at least as 10 the people of Rockbridpe. Role,
tour, Allegheny, Greenbrier and many other
Counties, as ] shall presently show. Manv
o the Atlantic States have pushed throuoL.
or are rapidly extending their lines of I'M
provemenls from the Ocean to the grea, Yves.
tern Waters and those regions beyond the
ONO, which at the time that our Legislature
began To Talk OF improving the James River.
were bowling wilderness, inhabited only by
w!d beasts and savages, ARE now teeming with
nardy population, enjoying the benefits of
railroads and canals, which enable them, after
transporting the products of their labor for
thousands OF miles, to undersell us in the cas-
Tern markets. Large sums of money have
been appropriated by the General Government.
a portion OF which was drawn from our own
pockets, to improve the Mississippi and al
lord facilities to the Western peope TO carry
their produce TO market. And millions of
money belonging TO the whole peonle have
oeeh expended, IN constructing the great
Cumberland road, extending from the east
side of the Allegheny through several Wes-
tern States, by which, the travellers who once
thronged our public roads, have been induced
to abandon the great valley route, for a more
c'rcuitous but better road The taverns ON
our road sides, once thronged with ems.
Iomtss anu annrtiing a con.enen, and ,ea,,v
market Tor the grain and meat of The sur-
rounding farms, are no longer kent omen
upon the most public Of our highways. YOU
Will see but here and there "A traveller ,,
when at one period the General Government
manifested disposition to construct n erea,
national thoroughfare through This portion of
virginia, our EASTERN brethren were clamorous
I'D their opposition 10 it, and one Of their rem.
reseh'atiVes IN Congress, when the Bill for
constructing the Road from Washington
through this valley TO Orleans was defeated.
eN'iung'y declared, that there was "gery e.
h""gh lor one days" won by its opponents.
In the year 1929, the enterprizing citizens
OIL Baltimore, having determined to construct
raii road to the Ohio and seeing the great adj
vantages which would result from bringing il 81.
long this Valley, sent depuaton on to Rich
mond, 10 make application to the General As
se"nniy'hen IN seSsIon,torleave to pass through
'he .o'a'e lie leave was promptly refused them
10 bring Their road further south than the
I'own OF Wheeling, and we were told. tina, il,
would never 10 TO suffer the products of our
hne rich Country, to he carried of. TO build nm
d rival town IN another State, at the expense
oi our own Cities on the seaboard. and we
were assured that in very short fine. we
should have canal extending from Richmond
10 The falls OE * rI, ~
could carry our products to market at a cheap-
err rate than they possibly could he carried On
the Baltimore road, even if completed tbrouoh
our country. Our pride and patriotism as
Vnglnans were appealed to. and although we
saw the iairest chance of having great chan
ne! opened through our Country. at the ex-
pense of the Citizens Of another Stale. aloro
which we could transport the productions ri
! our soil, to market, in which they have al
most uniformly borne better price than in
hichmond; we not only submitted to the de-
cislon OF the assembly refusing TO permit the
balt'moreans To bring their road through our
country, but subsequently. liberal subscrjp-
llons were made by our citizens to the stock
OF the James River Canal. Thus. from mo.
yves OF State PRIDE, and in obedience to a de-
ciSIon OF The Legislature, prOfessedly based
upon state policy, we acqulesced in the refusal
10 s"ner The Baltimore Improvement to be
brought further South than " Keeling; though
we clearly perceived the advantages which
would be likely TO result from the choice of
markets, which would be afforded us by the
construction Of two great rival improvements;
and though we felt that we bad an indisput.
BILE right 10 trade where we pleased, and that
1t was an act Of gross injustice in our Eastern
BRETHREN TO withhold from us, the opporiuni-