Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-08-14

\ 10 the great Central Improvement, which
/ if il shall ever be completed, will tap the
Ohio river at point not very distant from
Parkersburg-we say il will certainly
seem to be a hard case, if the Legislature
shall refuse TO grant the prayer of the Pc
| titioner for simple act Of incorporation
without any State subscript on--especial.
Iy as no application ola like character
has ever been rejected heretofore. We
do not wonder, therefore at the excite.
ment prevailing 10 the Northwest on this
subjeci-shile we are free to say that il
the James River and Kanawha improve.
ment is ever to tap the Ohio, it would, as
measure Of Stale policy, be both foolish
and suicidal 10 grant the charter asked
for. For, why make an Improvement TO
the Ohio at the expense of many millions,
/ if, when it touches its terminus, it finds
| itself anticipated by rival work, bearing
off the trade in another direclionl This
is The great difficulty in the way Of peti.
| tioners-if il be settled that our Central
work is 10 be prosecuted, then this appli.
cation ought to fail; since the major inter-
ests of State not to be sacrificed to the
minor. On the other hand, if that work
IS not to be prosecuted there ought not to
be the slightest hesitation and would not
be, We imagine, in granting the prayer OF
the petition for, so far as the Wheeling
opposition is concerned, in our opinion, it
rests on wholly untenable grounds"
Mr.. Chairman, the paragraph have
read is from the Lynchburg Vrginan, the
senior Editor of which paper, and pre-.
sumo the author Of this paragraph, (for il
contains what know to be hissentments)
was distinguished member of the House
OF Delegates last winter, and chairman OF
the Committee on roads and canals. He
listened patiently, and with certainly not
an unfavourable ear to all the long argu-
ments Of Wheeling, and you see he pro-
nounces her pretentions to oe naught, and
any grounds OF opposition to our applica.
ton for q railroad, which rests upon her
interests, to be unienable. But strange
to say, in the same breath in which he
pronounces sentence against our sacrifice
TO Wheeling, he would offer US up as vic.
Tins to the James River improvement
He admits "that it will certainly seem TO
be hprd case" He repcats--"it will
certainly seem to be hard case"--and |
may as certainly reply to him as Hamlet
did to his mother
"SEEMs, Madam! nay, 1T is; know not seems"
And yet they want TO cover up not only
our cause, but ourselves with a mere by.
pocrtical seeming. The application of
the North West, it is said, is merely va.
rie1 in form. We are whipping the dew.
il around the stump. And that 10 the
light in which the earnes. effort of quar-
ter Of the Commonwealth TO improve its
own condition and its whole country ia re.
garded? 1t is true thnt the main object,
the substantive end Of our effort is to get
Railroad. II is the benefit oil the i'm
provement that we aim at, and not the
profits upon its stock that we care for
AS we would have got this Improvement
more certainly and speedily by grant of
the right of way to the Baltimore Com.
pany, we should have preferred that RICH.
to have been granted them. But as some
of our fellow-citzens are pleased, in tho
plenitude of their power TO abuse Ian
guage and pervert truth. to denounce that
as foreign corporation, and under the
decisions they thus propoga.e, to instil OBJ.
Jections into honest minds, we have cho-
sen to yield our wishes IN that respect even
to these prejudlces, and to deprive our OPP
ponents Of some OF their unfair weapons,
at least.
But says the Lynchburg Virginian,
"grnnt them a charter" and "ihe Balti-
more Company will, either in its own
name or otherwise, take tho whole stock,
or il will not be taken at ALL" Mr.. Chair
man, on what ground can any one make
this assertlonl 1t is not doubted, but that
the stock will be extremely valuable
probably the best Of the kind In the u.
States. Why may not we take great
deal of it? No doubt we shall il it be ne
cessary to the success of the enterprise.
Why may not the redundant capital now
idle in Wall Street seek an investment
whose returns will be as sure as they will
be abundant But if the Commonwealth
deems 1t important tina: Virginia influ-
ence beyond what can be secured by
charter shall prevail in the Company we
should incorporate, let her take stock
enough to insure the desired preponder-
ance. L; would be an excellent invest
ment. She could borrow tho money; and
the dividends would soon pay the interest,
and ultimately redeem the principal. |
do not advise this course, because ! think
charter can secure every object impor-
tant TO the State, --protection TO her Cit.
zens by establishing maximum Of char
ges, and to her central Improvement from
a pernicious rivalry, by fixing a minimum
of charges also. And do not advise it
because all her resources ought TO be APP
piled to works which Cannot be made
from any other resources; and which we
will cordially assist in making, provided
we be cherished as citizens, and not spurn.
ed and oppressed and sacrificed as vic.
TINS to bar barous monopoles.
But suppose we should get the funds 10
make the work we are striving for, indi.
rectly, or directly from Baltimore, would
that denationaize usl Have the funds
which the James River Company procur.
ed from ENGLAND made that 10 any extent