Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-10-02

pen OF Mr. ioier, The editor of the Lynchburr
Vi!ginar' In order to show the views which arc
now entertained by some Of the old friends of
the James River scheme, in regard to the farther
extension of that work by canal,
A writer in the last Lexino ton nv, C...o,,.
takes upon himself ironically to sunyss, go
scheme for building a city on The present site of
Lynchbnrg," in connection with the in,ern,, IN
provement policy Of the State. He is obvionsiv
under the Impression that he wields a verv s.,;.
real pen; but he should remember. that. al.
though -"
"All mankind would fain be wits,
ga thousand miss for one that hits''
Assuming that the scovert' design of Lynch.
burg in desiring stop the canal here, is to aug.
ment her own prosperity by exactcns on the
trade from the upper James River he proposes.
that, Instead OF this, we shall aid in pushing on
the canal 10 Buchanan, which, by reducing the
price OF transportation, will enable them to en-.
dure fdration; and we may then establish a ..lit-
tie custom-house" here, and charge a moderate
duty upon all the produce passing below! We
rather Imagine, If the canal were completed, the
cost OF transportation, instead of being less.
would be more than II now is, and consequently
that the tolls would be tax enough without leay-
ing any thing for the "custom house - unless
indeed the Stale should he called on everv wear
TO exc out the deficient revenue of the Company.
lion between Lynchburg and Richmond! If the
mountain people are afraid of a Tao upon their
produce, we warn them not to insist on the canal
the completion of which TO Buchanan instead of
costing S935,00O, as estimated by the writer in
the Gazette, will not cost less than million and
a haii-and which those who know the line well
say VIII be closed TO trade, after its completion
on an average once month throughout the year,
10 repair damages--at what cost, who may ven
ture TO conjecture!
The writer in the Gazette asks, if the stock in
The James River and Kanawh a Improvement
would nave been taken west of the Ridge, if il
had been supposed that the canal would stop at
Lynchburg! To this we answer readily in the
negative. The fact is, however, that the west
ern subscription, about which we hear so much.
is at besta mere bagatelle, (sufficent perhaps.
10 pay Tor the construction of three or four miles
OF the canal, though even were it ten times as
much as ii is, it has been exhausted, together
with the much larger subscription of the east
land there's an end of it,
we sometimes hear it said, indeed, that the
"talth OF the State" is pledged to carry the work
''in,o the valley" No such thing. Ii there be
any pledge at all, it is to carry the work to the
Ohio; and that pledge will be as much violated
IL IL stops at Covington or Buchanan as il arrest
ed at Lynchburg. But there is no pledge 10 car
ny 1t to amy given point. The connection of the
Eastern and Western waters was, indeed, the
OBJECT oil the organization of the James River
and kanawha Company-and charter, authori-
zlng that Company to raise stipulated sum Of
money, was granted for that purpose. The mo-
ney was raised ''offer fashion, and upwards of
million and half of dollars lave since been
loaned 10 it by the Stale--and al! is zone, and
the Company is head over ears in debt, with se-
vera OF the most important and express stpula-
lions OF It's charter, particularly in regard to its
South-side and Tide water connections, even up-
on that part of The line said TO be finished wholly
disregaIded! The ''pledge" supposed TO exist
was OF course conditioned the ability of the
Company TO do what it promised, with the means
Tor which ii asked, and which it obtained The
result shows that, like "unwise builders" they
did not ''count the cost before they began 10
work, and are therefore now unable 10 finish il.
is the State 10 be held bound TO carry out the for
ielled promises of the Company. We should
Ike 10 see the process of reasoning by which the
pledges OF one party can be shown to bind ano-
Their. AT all events, pledge or no pledge, the
State is bound, before it goes a step farther, to
examine, rather more critically than has been
done heretofore, the probable cost of the enter
prize, as well as the chances Of remuneration If
1t Will do that, and find tina, the work is within
lis means, and that the trade upon it will even
PoSS'bty Justify the outlay, let it resume it, But
IL otherwise, common sense, as well as patriot
ism, calls upon 1t TO stop, though "alI Bedlam be
let loose" TO curse those who counsel such a
Virginian.