Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1845-10-09
ron -nE yIaaistAs
ION ETE FIAEls'77
june. Rirsr and kmaeia improvement.

with II mute f.ck lessness and fully than any 1th,r, II
SEEMS Ia ne-is the one In carry through me 'a'e9
I Rive and kanawha Canal 10 the Ohio nver Amoh2
The number that advocate this is The l,ichmand
lines and Compiler paper Tor whose opinons iiasc
the highest respect. aud The purity and patriotism o
" h1se muiiyrs cannot donbt-but am nci6to 10 me
belief that It's editors have mt hnr1ughy infrs'9ffu
the subject or themselves. ~ their great zeal 'o ths
Improvement they seem 10 have lusi siah, N nea-
SURE the Important and superior advantages 81 otr
great rtues existing progress, or aheni Ia be
eunnenced oil leading The largest and hest m1fhes
in the world aud gathering at every step the abundant
productions oi the rich aud irf, regions hron!h winch
they m1sly pass. H. as they say, (and readily ad-
mil the fact The abundance o freight cheafens trans
frlaiion. the friends ol the lanes River aud
kanaa ha Canal expect passing as II does, over hall
the distance bm lynchburg Charleston, through
country iurnlshn. comparatively not.iagf
/ But il is concnded thai It is the great West we are
10 haik 10. Whit can wege frofn the great " est 1t
Is true that have been IN the habit OF taking lew
hugs anJ horses; but these II Is the interest oi he
people ui Virginia 10 raise for 4 emseses. We might
get few h0gsheads Of tobacco from kanaw ha and Ken
lucky; but dues any one believe should ever gel
barrel Of npnr a bale of nemp from Ohio, Kentucky,
Indiana or Missouri Thuse articles are always worth
more IN the Northern markets than they are IN Rich
mond aud can any reasonably expect, with the vast
Advantages U the Northern lines of Improvement, that
produce goods OF any kind could be sent by This ane
To Baltimore. PhiladelphIa. New York or Boston, at less
cast than they could by those great oroug hlre? And
f
those are The consuming markets Tor large amount Of
The Western products.
But II Is SAID these are interrupted by ice and
low water True; but ii have been correctly informed
when boats ascend the Ohio 10 the mouth U. the
kanawha, they to 90 10 WhepIiag aud to
Ice VIII venture 10 say, that, when the OHIO river is
CLOSED below Wheeling canal through The mountains
oi Virginia, on that route, would be found in the
condition.
My own opinion is that rate of toll on Canal, from
Ia Ia kpe he
work IN repair, could mol draw the trade from The great
Northern lines. II these views be correct. and cannot
seeve they are far wrong, what could Richmond. what
could Virginia expect, from such Improvement M
thing but an endless tax 10 the State, without any Thing
like an equivalent lor l.. q.
Co The foregoing strong and sensible article conden
SEES the whole argument the suhjert Of the Kanawha
occasion 10 remark 10 the Richmond Tunes, that we
have not been deferred from attempt to answer It's re-
cent elaborate articles this question by any appreheu>
sion that we should De unable To sustain our position,
which ii assais by such incessant broad sides of artillery
out we have really thought unnecessary 10 continue
discussion in which much is left the maginaon
and small portion OF the argument based upon Ger
families. or even upon probabilities. We agree with
1t paper entirely IN the proposition that the OF
transportation is materially dependent upon the amount
1
but the point OF difference between is the fact
whether, by The peton Of the canal the Ohio riv
er, the tonnage upon the liEe ,coud be increased
lead to such a reductiun it anticipates For exam
pie, how can the intelligent editors Of the Times for a
moment believe that barrel of lur can he carried from
kanawh Richmond for 80 cents barrel ben it now
80 and fraction carry barrel from Lynch
burg 10 Richmond, only about one-rd Of the dsiance7
The supposon 1--WE say ii with all possible respect for
eoen poray. is absurd. Such estimate Of COS,
might have "rassed MUSTER five years ago. but since
that time experience has shown the deceptyeness
Of all such expectations.
! We differ with the Times, too most widely ia its an
tcpaons Of increased tonnage upon the line of improve
menl Let,eeen Lynchburg and the Ohio. Upon wha,
facts these anclpations based, although 50 conf
IDENTITY stated does mol appear. Has the tonnage beer
increased between Richmond and Lynctburg since the
opening Of the canal No. And yet was not an i'm
mense Increase Of trade confidently predicted as the
consequence of trfnirg that an Of the line similar
increase Is toetold the necessary effect of lis ex,
tension Look back to the assurances Of the splendid
results wheh were Immediately follow the completion
OF the canal to this place. and contrast it with the mea
gre reaty-and we have toreshadnwnr Of what We
may expect from the farther progress of work. which
whatever may be said Of the wisdom OF those who hal
century ago, before the application Of steam to purpo
ses oi transportation projected it, will If completed be
standing monument Of the folly of their SUCCESSORS who
under such widely different circumstances, insist upon
, It's consummaton. Nay, we may safely assume tina
as The work progresses westwardly, lis failure real ze
the purposes and promises Of It's friends will be ever
more slgnaly illustrated than heretofore; for IT, upon any
portion Of the line, ugmentaol of tonnage might
have been confidently expected precisely upon thai
part which has been completed add upon which, never
theess, there has been such increase And if the
fertile James River valley has furnished no addition to
the trade Of the canal ask, how can an auementa
ton p tonnage be reasonably expected when the cana
leaving that productive region shall be embosumed 10
the western mountains, and penetrate comparatively
sterile aud spasey set tied section Of The Sste Much
ls said, we know, Of the mineral resources of Boe-
tour Rockbrldge, Allegheny, &C. But is not the ay.
enne to market now open 10 those minerals by the way
o the rveand If the suices be improved ~ as to at.
lord an ample depth of water at all seasons and the
mountain canal be rebuilt afford safe naviua-
development of those as if thu canal were cam
pieied 10 Covnston2 WIN it be said that greater
cteapness Of transportation wonld be the Consequence f
lis complexion, and That this will invite additional labor
to that department Of industry? But that is suuino Ia
be true what we, the authority Of past experience
well as OF reasonable estimates deny Make the canal
to buchanan. 10 Covington al an expense Of from one
To Two millions OF dollars and the necessary to
De raised To pay the interest upon that and to keep