Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-10-03

! State. ehave Ath-nians, Thebans and Ma.
/ cedonIans, hri not me Gftef. Among the few
| schemes which the Father uf hi. country iound
leisure 10 mature for The benefit OF his native
commonwealth, were The James River and Fo
lomac Improvements, and The Dismal Swamp
Canal. That iHluivc foresight aDd Sa.acy
which marked mis- whole career, the event liza,
shown 10 have failed him moi III these Instances
in his system, there, was nothing exclusive OF
secarian, but every geographical division was
adyantaged equally. Ofthese lines, the Dismal
swamp Canal can alone be said. he completed
and lis hSncfts 10 Norfolk, tie whole Bay coun-
Try, and North Carolina, have long been incacu.
liable. Asior the Potomac canal circumstances
occurring since Waslin9lon's death a. The rdns
terence otthc District cities - the Federal Govern
men, and the impracticahility Of continuing il
through our territory have placed its destiny cnIile
Is beyond Vifginia's control The simultaneous
prosecution by Maryland however, ol the Chesa-
peaks and Ohio canal, and the Baltimore and
ONO railway, mol 10 mention the Cumberland
road have proved il to be 10 chimrra, and The
bright prospects OF he second work, as far as car
fics on Oh lis original basis, even more striking
y exhibit the snun,iress IF The CID idea about IN
connection oi the head waters OF the Ohio and
Potomac The fate NJ HE patriots third banlling
has been more ciouie.i, because, cynic Nigh;
suggest, IL lay entirely within and es!ca led lis
advantages cxclusivol. To- divided Virginia. The
original plan, or caricaturc ol H. was meaSre-
" caiIied ou,--hnt every one knows that modern
Improvements ia iEiaEd transportation, and the
extensive adoption Of them by States around us,
have made Ibis sleepy effort literally "null and OF
none effect" What 4 contrast 10 the fate Of the
Sonlhern line is 10 be seen III Inc uu!irirg energy
with which little Maryland, rramrcd in territory
and resources, has rnshed her share OF the great
plan towards completion Her bold and Judi
ciOus policy has given 10 the little slfip which
iuriGs Allegheny county, within a lew years, more
wealth, population, and political weight, than any
hall dozen counties on Tie other side OF the Poo
nIac-any one of them equal to il in extent and
natural eDdowments. Ii seems, the march oil en-
lcrpri>e and liberal legislation is SJmIhWald, and
canno! be FASTENED, (nor lrnal lcarded.) II be-
San with New York in the Erie Canal; Pennsyl-
vania followed wiiha step al lcaa as flrn and
bold; Maryland soon chimei in, and though al
lir>t somewhat perplexed as to which route she
should take, soon settled that ionbt by taking al.
II is Virginia's tnrn now. and She has certainly
waited Tor it. The rather lively steps which slle
began 10 venture on, tom 81 TO rs, were but
guides and prelndeS 20 wha; must follow.
1t will be observed, that, with our Northern
Leghbors, The course OF things las been different
from HE routine which has obtained in our poll.
cy: ti:re the Stale took the initiative, organized
system and perfected lis nucleus, before private
adventure had time 10 misdirect and iriller away
its energies or do any thing that would MOI tend
dire city 10 the lnrtherance OF tie ont great pir.
pose, concentration: while heye Joint stock compa-
MES were allowed 10 run their blind lanes heller.
skellcr, through the country, wasting public spi.
rit on schemes conceived in haste, and built up
with enthusiasm. before tie Government began
10 dream that that mi CHI be- forwarded BY system
which is itself system; that the snIcsi way oil ma
king ones Pulse grow was not 80 sh!'t II IRON
orc hand Ia the other; that two attractions neu-
traliZe each other, and that trade revolves on a
centre as certainly as the Garth on il, axis. Tins
loss Of time and common sense AZ The outset Is
the secret of The difficulties and divisions which
now beset the friends 81 Internal improvements
For proof of his we shal! not have TO lock lar
Clncn made The Grand Trunk, and INTO IL lell,
as a matter OF course, the Black River Genesee,
Oswego ard Champlain Canals, and as soon AZ
over the Atlantic came on The Eastern breeze The
blast of the Liverpool locomotive, tic first ocho
ii almost mingled Win he sss saS Ss,"
The waT-whoop on The SOURCES ~ - ousqnehan-
ma and the Allegheny. There it was met with
congeniai E,nsc from the lines which Pcnnsyva
MAS noble system had called into being over her
whole North, and, passing with Them down The
,rrmine valleys OF Wyoming, The l-ehI@h. Inc
SchuylkiI, and the Conrs,oga, thrilled along me
vast line between The Delaware and The ONO
Il found bright promisc-bnt, a yet, only PRO-
mise, at iiarpers Ferry and the Upper Potomac,
and borne over the hills, aroused some spaSmodic
ard desu!,ory echoes al several different points
in the Old Domihion-one shot ifon W inches-
ter another random orc from FREDERICKSBURG ah'i
the ApromauoS; and vet olher-wheIe goes
that come iroml Away down South from inc
Dismal Swamp To rc;nrn 10 PLAN ina''tf-oi-
acr. VIDA, good effect on the general prosperity Of
The Stale these detached roads could have had,
with one or two exceptions il is difficult 10 con-
ceiye The Winchester line runs Northeast, and
carries trade TO Baltimore; those between f'rede,
ricksbufs and Petersburg run due North ana
South. ard carry passengers ilom ore part 81 iiie
coast 10 the other; while the two Southern Com
panes have devoted their energies 10 a eonstaE'
contention as to " hich If Two Virginia towns
thr one lying North and the other East he tI.:i'
fc and travel of a particular region should ne
long. The annual replr,s OF these corporations
present Fictitious sem5lance OF henehi 10 trade
but their good effects not only local. but worse
han local; Tor, by offering the larinrf nuinoe
| ot small and weak markets, they deprive mn
| he advantage oi III. siea,iiEcss and certainty
which his tan, actions would ENJOY in one lal@
one and ,hev further paralyze and cramp com
mercial energy in the towns from is having ~
section OF country on whose support II can con
| SANITY RELY, or by whu>a wants II may IeSuia'
its movements. Indeed, The construction Q
those railways can scarcely be said 10 have beef
carrie! through with view 10 the promoluh z
/ commerce. but chiefly .0r the iacili'aliun OF IRA
vel between The Northern and Southern STATES,
result in which Virginia can have no more 'n'e
resi- than The galley slave, toilrg hopele,sly IL, n
huk. has in the CAV steamer OF The rlch'y lieieh'
cd shin which g!iles in pride aid freedom ny nm
That the good which The greater par OF these III
chosen routes have brought The country, ), u.
no means, commensurate with HE canHai aosolp
ed in them is plain from The rey sli.h'Iy increa>
~ rroduction al The counties iley iniersect, an
The absolute nul!iv Of their influence ~ checkln'
emigration. or encouraging population. II
enough 10 note, that the population u me o'a'
has advanced lrss since The construction oi 'h
railroads Than ever before in The same period
and that that ol Eastern Virginia wi!hih Whie
nearly M OF them lie, has actually decreased.
Now. H.! the State, insesd OF waiting uhl'
81. when these drj"tia mcnb'a had nearly eS
bausred her available resources II once conceh
;ra;cd her energies, AMI taken 10 herseii inc ate'
boon which Nature offered Gfsiio her, anu next
her Northern sisters, Ohc trade Of the basin
the Ohio) The locomotive niightnow be tfavets'h
the banks Of The kanawha, and ma KING ohaii
ton 4 StiDtlrb oil l.lCnUOIui WHY '" ~ "
mart wou,d BE- drawn aS irrc'siiDiy as 10 Va
Maels,rom, all The pIolace OF the trans-A ~
ehany section. bfingin. with il, to be drowned
The commercial thrift of he same city, all me L
cal ealousies and conflicting wishes OF mat ~
Die country. Bnl The favorable momen, was sn
fered 10 pass away, anc hy consequence our STAT
though her facilities Of internal transport al
now ncomparahly greater than they. were J
years ago, still finds them, comparatively WI,
those oil The rest oil he Union, far inferior
their then condition, and her actual advance slhf
The beginning Of This srcat movement Of The ae
from having Jagged illle al the first, less INA
! il ever was before III like period. Even WI
, the late start she made, much could have been
i conpished, had the Legislature aloned Tor wa
of alacriy By holiness and decision bni IL
| cunId moi be-it was impossible at once 10 sha
OF the timii and conservative cast which had
long marked lis policy, or 10 realize the imPt
lance OF cenlraizns vigor in the Government
a Commonwealth, Situated as this is, TO The r.
motion OF unity OF ideas and unity OF init
, e>ls among The people |, is, however, scarce &c
I 100 late now, and much might be remedled u
: Legislature would promptly adopt, as me - pa