Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1845-12-11

80, !; y 9yitcnf IN the first place -,
~ ~, accommodate iiself % 49, ~.
-. ,.lT Il |. . be takes, IN z W
oses $3.50 !. ....i q has, in lir
- ~ ,,,s "A than the Ger VIZ -
~ ss-s Isides this = unfsnsAs
q conSel : - ;,sr ~, .ett as ~
that the cost 2. =. - ss-le economy; depends
qaestion, q question ~ 81 the capacity Of that
mcfe ready fna lfuts & thesskpendiiare ppop
imFroeeu.eii'+ q re'I9a amount Isl iheexpendlrre
hthanft ro.'4 spoa e5ore, by this deinitiye sesf,
is-e.L Jn1 5ea, sH cost, which il y Tissue Be-
iise rue qaei1ti 9eiiye plans Of improsemenl II,
tween these j Ina best retufnsppon its outlay,
Which win bsker words for il is the sane thing,
Or wlst n,eat and best answer The general wants
Hlssnsportation e To this lie reply IT, obvious,
that the improvement which IS iAsended TO meet
and anslrer these wants, must be toInmenstsate
with them, and as they extepd % the transPorta-
ton Of persons as well Of property, it mnst be
suitable and sufficient for both. Ifit j. not sila-
b.e for tLat 81 persons, or so much less so than
naval rival improvements, as TO be rejected Tor
them, then is at once deprived Of its most essen
tia means 81 usefulness and support ior oil all com
modities REQUIRING transportation noDe require II
90 much as persons and Of all others none pay 70
the carrier 80 certain ard SO high profit upon 60
small an amount Of bulk, insurance and rick
Any Improvement which wal lose these, viii
lose the very best Of It's customers, and viii be in
constant danger, besides, Of losing the power &c
maintain Itself. Indeed the uniform reliance q
.Iaast Sr1rLk isAtesJe1 accommodation
such and So well ascertained, that no costly and
extended one depending for the most part upor
the business created by itself, il maybe c0nftent
" said, could be supported without them. In or
der, therefore, to answer public wants, and 70 sus
tain itself, the Improvements which is 10 connec
travel between that river and the Atlantic as de
sirable and decided advantages as any other i'm
provcmena or this great and indemnifyiug soarc.
Of profit must be chiefly If not entireb lost Blu
this not even the canal could afford, were il eyel
*. perfectly executed and were il at this hour &C
tualy orch for, use in connection with steamboat
navigation on the kanawhs river. Were it SO
it would require about five days to make the pas
sage from that river to Richmond whilst it woull
require abp t4hIee or three and hall DAYS 10 max,
lrt by Wheeling through Baltimore and Philadel
phia TO \ York from the same point OF departure
This, in most cases would be decisive with the
traveller ID turning him from ours 70 anotherroute
II, however, a railroad were made upon the.untin
ished line Of the James River and Kanawha Com
pany to Ppint Pleasant, or to Guyandotte, itwoult
afford thk shortest connexian in time by whicl
to reach New York through Richmond, anawo
no doubt secure the travel and the profit upon /
which tLf canal would lose. But thai is not all
by securing travel, freight is alsosecured. Th.
is the PECULIAR and controlling principle in rail
road operations. Having no superior Tor passen
ger transportation, the railway relies upon tina
for lis EXPENSES ard is thus enabled, wberethe re
lance is a safe one, to relieve the frFight out o
the profits of the travel and especially would it b.
enabled thHs 70 do ia the-case ola State improve
-ment where tie eRarees will be restricted 10 nerC
remuneration aud repair
Ia addition to this it may be remarked, that il
i the peculiar and happy faculty OF this kind o
road that il can be adapted 70, any rate of move
ment, III any one of burden, aud with ah appa
rent caPhcity under the progress of mechanical
invenli0il for an almost indefinite Increase III the
degree 6f both. Whilst the rate OF passenger
speed Is checked only by the fears ofthe passen
ger, the rate Of burden ransportatioIRhas been
gradually raised from some three or four times the
weight df the engine 10 some twenty times that
weight, and the engine increased from four OF five
tons TO Fifteen or more, thus showing progress
sive power Of accommodation for all ases, at least
as great las those uses can ever require.
At what point upon the line Of the James River
and Kanawha Company, the railroad, if ado1ted,
should begin, and by what particular route il
should Be conducted, are controyerted questions
u,
in the perfect confidence that there viii be found
Justice, disnterestedness and firmnesS enough in
your body to settle them Alright No people have
ever been more admonished by bitter experience
than WE have been, to the exercise, upon ques-
lions ofthis kind, of genuine spirtiof mutual
IiberaIity and concession. Without this spirit,
rely upon il that nothing will be accomplished I;
section will contendagainst section, and the Com
will continue to be what it has long
been, Impoverished By the rery multitude Of rs bles-
Sings.
In relation to the funds which any legislation
upon llIe subject may reqaire, | respectfully sub
at it as suggestion, that they may he obtained,
in a great and perhaps sufficient degree, By sim
ple recurrence to the rate-o taxation which was
liked bT the revenue law Of March, 1913. Had
The rate then established been continued, lit would
have Produced upwards olsa hundred and sixty
hree, thousand dollars more than the revenue of
lie present year, which, itself, is sufficient to pay
1ff all the current expenses of the Government
with an estimated balance over on the first of Oc-
ober next, of some two hundred thousand dollars
Jeside. Or, if the revenue law os Is "A had been
continued without change, upwards Of -ene hun
lred and seven thousand dollars over the amount
If the present year, would have been hronght into
he TREASURY. Shonld it be deemed expedient
therefore, for the purposes in question ID re-enact
wen the rates.o that law, you would have annu-
lily atEyont disposal, sum not less thattwo hum
ired and fifty thousand dollars one half Of which
nightIbe used as an interest-paying fund upon
which to raise tile capital required Cor the execu-
ionof the works intended, and the other half as
i sinsiug fund TO aid, ii need be, in the redemr-
ton Of the principal, ".
SrArE CoxvENrIoS j
The subject Of calling a Convention for the
purpose of revising and amending our State Con-
stitution, has enea TIE public mind 10 so great
an extent for several rraFs, and especially for the
present one, and is Eseh enforced III so many
considerations OF political expediency and justice,
that should be wanting in due sense of ofiicial
duty i'll iailed to recommend il to your calm,
wise and patriotic delibesation. There Is no
othef subject with which your FrescnI legislation
i concerned. that puts into issue so wide mea-
sarelnf pablic anxiety, or in which HE general
welfare is more dependent upon inst and well
considered councils. Lei such councils only pre-
vail, and be followed out to t,eir results, and il
may be confidently hoped, flat inc common, in
tcret and brotherhood Of the State, viii be reliey-
ID lton the discon.ent OF sections chaling each
othef, and the general pfinci9es oGoar political
system be better than ever maintained
Great as was the ability with wlkch our first
CoastitCt:on was prepared. and great also as were
The Experience, learning and virtue which were
emnared ia The ameasied oae taat was aIter-
4asls adopted, there are, nevertheless, certain
provisions Il 18th Of them which have never been
;atifFaslory q large portions o. orr people, be-
eaake, IN their Judgement, Inconsistent with those
Prl4i pes Of equality AMI justice which it was the
main OBJECT OF both to establish. From the FIRST