Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-12-07

pike Company, ffom each Of Which 'i'1 '"a'o -
, deriving annual dividends Of about per cent
Il will also destroy them as important itipo' ARIES
10 the James River and hana@ ma COMPANY
Nor is this all. BIZ act Of Mach Is, 1917, me
Sta'e ayfee! 10 loan 10 lie James River aud Ma
nawha Company her bonds 10 the amount vi ST.
80 COO, upon condition, however, that SAID COM
pany should give security conditioned, lhal u
Inc gross amount OF tolls upon The Th0ie !'he
OF the canal between Richmond and buchan-
an" after particular period and even,
for FIVE years, "shal tall below Inc average
amount of 100000 dollars Per snnum, then saa
securities shall make good such deficiency l6ese
securities have been given, and will, IN my OPT
MON. be discharged il your legislation should de-
prive this company OF any oil ,fer usual sources
Of revenue. This route, moreover, is "iihout
peculiar local advantages from which 10 increase
The wealth and business Ot the State. Fof lnese
considerations recommend lis rejection. Route
No 5. 10 which ask your attention, Is Tue one
which passes by HauisonbuTs, Covlng'on, &C
II is precisely OF the same length with It's prede-
cessor Tree from all the objections when attach
10 those have considered, enters at once into
country suffering for such improvements increases
the wealth and business oil The Slate by reclaim,
ING valuable trade, which now fosters distant
CITY. approaches an important section OF our
State. which should be kept constantly and
steadily in view, and affords as many facilities
in reaching the Western waters as any roule
thai has been named. A difficulty in the passage
of the Blue Ridge has been recently stated; but as
il is conceded that il can be overcome by an ex-
pendlurc of 800 900 dollars, do not regard The
objection as entitled 10 the smallest consideration.
The two next routes, covering Inc same
ground for about 900 miles, will be regarded TO-
seher They possess The same ground as NO. .,
as far as Harrisonburg, and, OF course, have al
the advantages TO Ibis point OF that route. This
route then passes 10 the headwaters OF the Green
brier. at which poin, the line will divide, one
branch proceeding TO Guyandolte and the other 10
Parkersburg. -,
In opening the great arteries OF the Stale, high
noiirical considerations cannot, with pIoprieiy, be
overlooked. This route, in that aspect addresses
itself with irresistible force 10 every VlfSinaD,
while il is powerfully sustained by all other con-
siderations proper TO be regarded. Ii is our duly
TO afford 10 distant sections 81 our Stale nose
improvements requisite TO deveiope their internal
wesl,b. which would otherwise remain forever
unayailing This is especially our duly when,
by SO doing, we can also secure great political
object thai OF attaching 10 The mass OF The Slate
| an important section by the lies OF interest: ny
the proposed Ioule you press far INTO the Worm
West. and give assurance that, at an early day,
his great Improvement will penetrate that region,
and repose upon the shores of the Ohio. =,
This route is recommended also, by The consld-
Grafton that il may, 10 great extent, carry out
the improvement TO Guyandoe, thus af1ordns
common STEM TO two great objects, and saving
large expenditure 10 The State. This scheme
will effeclua,ly secure Virginia TO herself, and
realize our long cherished hopes and expecia-
/ tons.
The adoption Of this route, 50 highly COM
mended ty the feelings The pride. the duties and
Interests OF Virginia, is resisted upon The ground
| Of its assumed impra iirahii;iy. Physical din
| cuties, iasrfmoun BE IN character. are alleged
10 intervene. That these difficulties ale great
will no, ~ denied hui that ihey are inSurmuunt'
able is 10: the fact am thoroughly satisfied mat
they can he overcome al reasonable cns!, and mat
that cost should be incurred. Nm eyeio cur North
ern neiehtors will dissipaIe all doubl. The Bal
limore and Ohio railroad company arc prosecu-
ting similar work with energy and zeal. They
have already expended, in the C mple,ion OF las
miles Of their road, 9iS, 500 dollars and the
residue thereof. aboui 2G9 miles, will cost il is
estimated, abont 100000 dollars; making an
aggregate Of about 10000 dollars for the
| completion o. their work, inferior in many great
and important advantages 10 The one proposed
! Massachusetts has connected Boston and Lowell
! by railroad oniy 25s miles III extent, at an ex-
pense OF ,336 Oh per mile, though these cilles
| were previously connected through ihe Middle
sex canal. She has connected Boston with
Providence ty railroad, a, Cos, Of S5l ,4l9 ~
ner mile, and also with Albany by railroad, AT
miles Of which cost s'75,Sl9 81, and 1856 miles,
% 47S dollars per mile New York is connect
ING A bany with her great city b. Two railroads,
one throughout lis whole extent, cotermiEous
with her noble Hudson, encnun;efins enormous
difficulties in lis construction, which dwinde be-
| fore her enterprise and will. She will al.
| so soon connect the same city with Buffa-
10 by railroad now rapidly proceeding
10 completion, although the connection al.
ready cXsls bv The fines; natural and artificial inn
provemens Of the age. Pennsylvania Is also in
motion, and arduously engaged in eilccling The
connection between her great Eastern ard West
| erp cities by a continuous railroad, and her ell
| forts will soon be crowned with success. Snch
| efforts jrGcious!y conducted, have ever resulted
| in wealth and power. will not ask what we
! have been doing, for am no, content 10 take my
answer from The past But will ask what sha!!
we do. Let us adopi The Northern ron'e have
mentioned, and push it with energy and yea 10 its
completion 1t will protect us against The further
intrusion Of Nouaern enerprise-secure The bu-
siness and attachments OF our Northwestern coun-
| lies-sivc MS wcah-arfesl depopuaion and
sustain. strengthen and elevate The name OF which
| we hoasi. Shall We BE- deferred from unGerlak-
ing The task oi securing these great results BY The
phantom appeAe nsion OF physca! difficulties
ciffcses so unworthy OF regard, and inconside-
rable in amount, that they can be ahhdued al an
expense OF $50 600 a mica sum no, che halt
tie cost per mile Of several Northern rosds2
| have, gentlemen deemed ii my imperative
du.y TO present these views for your consldera-
tion AMI 10 urgently rec""mend ihem Tor adop,.
ton II | have one master passion, IL is love OF
nv native Slalc; bit in this case, the pTompinss
Of patriotic devotion are, humblY hope, happily
blended with The conclusions OF enlightened wis
| dom.
cannot pass over in silence the great question
| which discussed somewhat al large in my last
message. | mean the project OF railroad from
the town Of Buchanan, through The Soulh'W
| ern portion Of our State TO The Tennessee line.
! [, is difficult 10 estimate The internal wealth
| which This Improvements will deveiope. PeDe-
rating as il does, from lis start, country rich
| in all agricultural products with almost every
| contiguous monUta in bank VI minerals, unit
| ing with these local AID inestimahe advantages
| a most important connection with other States,
il will be difficult 10 estimate lis real and inlrin-
sic value. ! repeat The confident opinion, that
the first len miles o! this road will support itself,
aud, apart from great public considerations, this
enterprise will be fully justified as mere pecu-
| mary investment.
Ip selecting Buchanan as the point Of com.
,nencement OF this ruIk, look TO The character
|
| ing, as it piccmner,!y does, all the elements
OF supper, 80 important aud essential 10 the
James Rive aai Kama hi Company In this
| company The Sjac ss already directly or inci-
recily, invested s5,Gl5 pa SO, 10 which will be
added, in The course OF the next two years, under
an act passed al your las! session, the sum oil
$685., 600, making d sum total Of &c, COZ, 22i CO.
Nor is il 10 be overlooked, that the Stale has had
to advance, since The Isl January, l643 The sum
OF S23s,43l So, TO complete Inc payment of the
current interest due upon bonds endorsed by her
for said company, and that there can be but little
doubt that We shall have similar claims upon us,
unless we promptly adopt wise and vigorous
policy. 1t is then clearly our duty to foster and
sustain this important work, and 10 make produc-
tive the very heavy capital we have embarked in
it. Nothing can accomplish this important work
so edecually Us The proposed improvement
This great road will Cos, less money if com.
rarnced a, the pon, proposed than a, any Other
that can be selected; and thus profit and econo.
my combine 10 commend i, 10 your favorable
consideration. especially as il will descend The