Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-12-03

1
taceously. however as these turnphes nave aiu-
4 ed the purposes Of settlement and social inter
course, they have been so inaGequaiey supported,
if supported al all, by means oil aleIal ana lriou
1 tary connexions with the vas, tracts Oh county
| intervening between them, that except al Their
! Eastern and Western ends, they have never oecn
used or used bu, liltlc for The transportation Vi
agricultural products. The agriculture OF 'i''.'
whole region, therefore, instead OF bcihS uiVeisi-
fled as i, m;gh, be continues 10 depend, as it has
always depended. upon one solitary source-'ha'
OF grazing alone for ali Of lis profits.
! In spite. however, Of every Disadvantage, ana
! in spite even of the dishearening diihcnl'ieS
which have been entailed. ior generations, upon
i the titles OF lis landed estates, under Inc opera
ton of cur own laws, such have been Inc IRE
pressibe energies OF both country ana Peopc,
that they have gone on steadily increasing III
numbers and resources. In twenty years, me
trans Allegheny district (exceedihs soihe" I'd.
the country here spoken of has added hundred
thousand to lis numbers and has Their 10y changed
its population from onesevcnlh 10 one-fiith OF the
! whole population OF the State. Ten years ago
! it paid about ,hir,y-six thousand dollars only
into the treasury which at that llme was NOT
more than the eleventh or twelfth part OF the
whole revenue. 1t now pays upwards OF nun
dred and ten thousanddoilars, which Is ABOUT 'he
sixth part of that revenue. In 1917, INC assessed
value of lands, lots aEd buildings IN TINS same
district. amounted to bat sixteen millions OF dol
lars the land itself being assessed al an average
value to the acre OF no more than niheiy-two
cents Twenty wears afterwards, the lands, lots
and buildings ui this district were assessed al
thirtv-nine and aquar;er Millions and The average
value OF an acre had risen 10 one dollar ana loiH
cents Twenty years ago, the whole assessed value
/ OF the other three districts Of the State amount
/ cd TO a hundred and ninetyone millions o. doiaIs;
! il is now a hundred and seventy millions. he
! average was then eight dollars: II Is SIX dollars
and sixty-six cents now being loss upon each
particular acre OF almost as much as The whole
/ trans lleghany acre was estimated 10 be worth.
| Thus il seems generally that in the last twenty
wears this district has added largely 10 lis num-
/ bers-has more than doubled the vaae Of lis per-
manenl property, and that it now supplies 10 the
| Treasury more than three dollars for every one
which il supplied even ten years so.
! This progression, which is so strikingly con
! ,rasled with The situation Of Things in the other
part OF the State and which has been effected un.
| der multiplied discouTagemens 10 population and
labor is the clear proof OF an intrinsic aud ayaila-
bic efficiency, requiring nothing Tor still higher
and better results, but the encouraging ana up
! holding hand Of the State. Had ii been TINS en-
! couraged and upheld al an early day, ard the
! locked-up recesses oil this district thrown open ~
| highways 10 profitable settlement and trade there
can be no doubt upon the facts presented, but that
lis numbers and property, and contributions to The
! Treasury would all OF them have been lncalcu-
! lably greater than they are now lhls support Il
is still practicable 10 give. 1t is still practicable
I 10 make this dslrc; as powerful in fact "a !; Is
powerful in capabilities; 10 make It, what II has
every physical faculty TO become, the strongest
and weaithiest portion OF the Commonwealth, and
50 10 make il eventually, the strongest and veal
thlest contributor also 10 every financial OF olnef
want which the Commonwealth may feel.
/ If the contrary policy, however, is 10 be pursu-
ell. and this country is 10 be committed, Tor It's fur
Their development and prosperity, 10 lis own inter-
! nal means upon The idea that they and they alone
are enough for that end, II is a easy as II Is pain
| full TO see the results that must follow.
Let the present condition OF the Western
States, and the effect OF il upon the future growth
OF this very pau Of car own, be considered and
il will be difficult no, 10 see that the policy which
will leave that growth 10 maintain aud inrigoraie
itself cannot be adopted without imminent riSa OF
positive and irrevocah,1 mischief For many
Years. during which this frontier part q! the
State was growing up 10 what il now Is, the vast
country which lies beyond il 10 ihc WcSt was
mule dreaIy, repulsve, and wilder frontier than
sell, having no advantages oi haDiiaiioll OF oi
promise greater than lis own And long since,
these torbidGing features Of il have been lost in
:
down even to our own day, there was not q canal,
nor RAILWAY, nor a steamboat, III all that masni-
! cent region; 81 that citizen Of Virginia, when
Standing even upon lis great highways Of water,
and looking up the Ohio or down the Mis-
sissippi for an avenue OF trade with the
woHl. was no better of than when looking for ii
amongst the pathways oil his mountains. This
i. not So now. Steam, with all OF lis powers and
appendagcs, is there, marking every thing With
the trace Of revolution. The wilderness is gone.
The frontier which was Tuggedcr than our own,
has given way ropua"s cd ~.f~' ~~------.
miles. which are rich N every th'n9 'sia' e"'''
merce ami soil ana schools. that civi'i/ahoi ana
Va,nrs ran snnn.r anA are properly regarded on
/ that accoun, IS amongst The choicest places IL
The Union for residence and home.
These communities, thus powerful in every
internal advantage which can operate as boun-
" 10 emigration, are now ocr rivals, and viii
contend with Us, and will contend Successful.
loo, for the population OF our distracted district,
unless we apply ourselves 10 immediate and Ell
fectivc couneraction. We mast res 81 or mus;
suffer Just say ,u the Inhabitants oithat country,
standing in the very presence OF these States and
looking upon the buoyancy and health OF their
young and virgin prosperity, that nothing Is to
be done for them; that, much as we depiofe The
existence OF that mountain barrier which sepa-
rates them from all profitable ccnncXion with the
move il: Just say ibis, ana let them be commcn-
ded 10 the patient and seli-denyng virtues which
are best suited 10 state such as theirs OF priva-
ton and struSge-and no one can doubt, hut mas
ses of them will rcsor, 10 immediate emigration
| as the only sure remedy that is left them And
emigration, in this case does not deter or az
lct as when il involves The ahanec nment Of ones
country. 1t is but the change Of one spot Of
American soil for another forietng 10 the emf
n par,inla of HE politirSl RIGHTS and
surfing him, at las, of welcome incorporation
with communities OF people, whose government,
institutions and laws 1rc all of them kindred with
hose OF the place III his nativity. Under these
circumstances, whilst there ave some with whom
the sentiment Of veHeri,ivn Tor the place oi their
birth has never lost any portion OF lis almost mys
ferrous power by conflict with their interest," and
who cannot, and will nol ia consequence, be sepa-
rated from the scenes OF their childhood and the
graves Of their ta,hers-wh:ls, there are such,
ihrons after throng ri others will leave us, and
will take 10 other States tina; living thinking and
acting power, which, Of all others, i! is the most
enriching 10 receive a2d the most ruinous 10
spare.
II is under the psosounicst conviction that this
result is inevitable, in some greater or less de-
gree, unless il is prevented hy The wise and ener-
geic action OF the Legislature, that deem tiny
dntr 10 call upon YOU earnestly 10 begin that ae-
licn now. Whether II he inousnt Wisesi al lirst
10 attempt lille or much, lei something at least,
be begun. Let some actual and useful step be ia
ken, aud taken as an earnest OF what is 10 fol-
low. Lei the people Of our unimproved and dis
tan! sections be made 10 understand and TO feel,
that they are nor 10 be abandoned that the Foley
of internal improvement. which is so vital 10
them, is 10 bc The permanent policy ot the State,
aud that j. will be prosecuted with such visor as
TO furnish guarantee, upon the one hand, that
something eGeclual will be done, ana at The same
time with such prudence as 10 proicc, the State, on
The other hand, against al tie dangers Of eSces-
Sive involvement.
Should other counsc!s prevail and the policy OF
pos,ponemen be resolved upon, as Tie true and
wise policy Tor the case, there is reason 10 fear
that permanent decline will have SET in upon
us; that, year after year, we shall Ike called
unnn ID mnilrn OYER 4 populaiinn and 4 prOneIir