Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-04-03
SPEECH OF JOSEPH SEGAR, ESQ.,
f1f EiiSob,th C,ty and UarEick,)

The bill 10 construct The mountain portion 9
The Louisa Railroad and 10 Tunnel The blu
Ridge mountain, being under consideration, w
SEGAR said:
am duly sensible that have little claim I
oceupy more OF The time Of the House, haVin'
shared already Sc much OF lis kind attention; bu
sir feel irfesisibIy impelled 10 add word u
behalf OF this bill AIN utterly unwilling, MI
Sneaker. that This Legislature should separate
without striking al least one blow Tor Virginia.
! We have struck many blows against her-biow
hard and cruel. We have smiIlen heavily ih
"sood old mother OF us all !" We have declared
by our votes OF Yesterday and The day before, ina
me mighty wealth OF her Western ena Southwest
ern regions shall continue penl up IN Inc noun
tain tasiness. By striking down the Southwest
orn railroad bill we have said there shall be ne
| addition 10 he agricultural production and wealth
II The riches; country God in his bounty eVeI
| youchsated 10 His creatures; that lhesiron, wool
! lead. gypsum and salt. which exist there suit
ccn, .ol The demands II the continent, and Whicf
! oroht 10 make Virginia the richest OF common
| weaIls. shall not lie diseinbcweled, and shall
| constitute 10 portion Il her riches. ~ vol
inc Gown The OHIO connection, We have
SAID 10 our Western h,e hren, remain shut up N
your mountains vel lon9tr-cut oii lfum the mar
keis q he WORT anG sepalaed from your East
, en- fellow ciizrn. ty rocky barriers and lmpas-
sabi. roads" Byrjrc;iDg The !wo schemes, We
haze h, ciddeu ...r .eIns oi commerce 10 hover
over our CITIES; we have SAID that The trade 81
| the Mississippi and Ohio valleys shall nct roll
down H. snlichine cu:rent upon The Giles IL he
easl; hat the obacca cotton, beet pork, bacon
fioui and assorted carsnes which lhesr improve
nent. would atiTac, u The S.abuaTd, 10 oui!d lp
there III cur noble seaport prosperous anu bfil'
liant commerce shall No take ma. CIR ctlOn, On'
continue 10 glide towE re Mississippi 10 New
Orleans, o. pass II by way Of The lakes . Ne~
| York We have. IN ruth, proclaimed another
years embargo upon Virginia. prosperity and
ViTsiuia'> glory All we have thus iai tuLe, IS
H. cr!ci The construction ot one poor mud Turn
PIKE Tor my lrien from Pcrdlrtcn
Sir, lct Us repair, Is be-! We can, he mischief
We have one. Lei Us make seme atonemen, iof
The wrongs w have torc The State. We can
make 10 sufficient Iera!alion. Mr.. Speaker,
bui we can do MmtMing 10 break the
eno!mily OF our offending. And here, Sir,
is The occasion. Here is ground on which
We can all meet in !ralefnal concord
together There, sir, in lie centre q Viz
sinias domain, where Tie blue cliffs ot our lofty
mountains rear their tall peaks 10 Heaven and
make Two VEgnas, Eastern and Western. =
Here, | say, at this holy, consecraed spo, let
US all meet, ant raising an altar 10 Virginia
| pour Uut al her huncled shrine he pure obla-
lions CT a patriotic devotion. Let U say
10 The mountain, "dirite, ant lc, Virginia be
one, nseparable and indivIsatie." Let US break
down tie barriers between the East and The
West lie. rs, oh, let Us tunnel lie mountain.
Why shall We not Twill il be protIless ex-
penditure oi our treasure
On This point, my friend from Northampton
ard my friend from jefferson are estopped from
saving a word Actual Iesu. has settled it,
Tire Louisa Railroad, I'll which the improvement
provided Tor in his bin is an extension, now pays
nearly per cent. in lis unfinished SAFE. Now,
!! il has done this III s Imperfect coEtlion, will
il not Tea lie at least per cent. when continued 10
the great producing VALLEY Il Virginia. Com
peie the tunnel, ant thr !oad ! soon n Saun-
lon. There, connecting with the PaTkeTsburs
nrnpike, il will draw 10 Richmond the rch trade
II thc counties OF Augusta, BAH Highland
peudrton, PocahoElas, Randolph, Lewis, and
paris Of Rockingham ard Rockbridgc. Down
| almost a perfect evrl, il may be easily taken 10
he mineral spring region OF Virginia; and this
done, with a railroad supplanting the jos.liIg
| sage coach, and the Blue Ridge leveiled 10 the
plain, a tide OF travel will rush upon the road
which will swell the dividends lar above per
cent. Sir, The trade oi The county OF Augusta
would almost Of ltSeli Justify the passage oi this
bill; and when you remember that The substitu-
ION Of the railroad iof The creeping wagon will
save 10 the farmers OF The central valley 10 cents
on every bare OF flour they send % our market,
with like saving on otter articles Of production,
the Sac IS called on BY every consideration OF
| parental policy 10 pass this bill
VIII the gentleman from Northampton be
Enlightened from his propriety," as ne was 10 re-
gard to the Southwestern road, by The estimates
oi engiueeIsl Sir, will chase away The phan-
tom ltat haunls his imagination, ny informing
| him that the portion OF the Louisa Rail Road
| from Gordcnsvile west, has been put under con-
racl al 10 per cent. less than the estimates; that
the estimates have been laid On the calculation
hal the iron would cost 500, whereas il can be
| had now for $40 per ION; and that contracts Tor
| the lunnelling have been oiierea Tor $50 600 less
| han The estimated cost
Bu, i is contracted view that regards this as
an insulated work lock upon il as part OF the
| grea line Of connection between Richmond ant
| he Ohio river. Il is 4 link in The chain which
| is 10 IL Cincinnati, The great provision market
| a the Union 10 Richmond ard 20 Norfolk, and
| viewed in This light, il pre- minently merits the
| patronage Il his Genera! Assembly, and challen-
| gcs nv Wafmcst sappun
Surprising il thus extended and this grand COM
| mCiciai cuDneXioa consuTma'eJ, you would be-
| nod new AID brighter era opening upon VIZ
| GINA. Imagine q argc portion oil the vast Trade
now sweeping down sirean 10 New Orleans, and
.. that seeking New York by way 4 The lakes,
| diverted from IL pre>en course and turned in up
IN nc cites Of Virginia, and then say il The day OF
| her commercial regeneration is not al hand? As
argued ihc other day The assorted ca'eocs. The
| only true bdsi, OF commerce, wurld fas'en hiihtr
ty The shortest cheapest. and 81 certain transit;
with the c0pcentraiion u Asserted cargoce, would
come commercial carai; and, wih The two uni
| : l. ours would lea prosperous ant brilliant CON-
lnerce-lhc puwrr q man could nj aYcn i.
| And sin The improvement ste ching cut 4
| the Ohio ask the nen' sEicn rom Northampton,
| j itf.on and Prince George, The sworn tr> ~
! ,aifoais in thu house, whe Ter u Woui nul aeac
| n The Baltimore and OHIO railroad company,
| snd taka through Virginia thotnughiaic a
| .rse r,r,,un Of The 500 600 passengers nov
| an.pur,ed on tie aicr improvement And
nsk item again. il lEat eTra' work 81 neon
| qles terminating il H. middle u mountainous
I ."aion and lrdgelsiry poorer country Al RAGS
. ,tSrl = it does, az anrual tonnage u 21i GOO
| ous. paving IL per cefium upnn q capital oi
| 50 coo COO wty vii rci the Louisa railroad
| porrarlct 70 GuyaEai'r, 'crgh richer coun.
| ny, and ~ 4 shurier rGuIe effect something like
| he SAM Iesut7 They mus, prove, that like
| causes viii 10. generate like effects, OF give Up
- question.
| Pu, pass OF o Tie controlling considerations
| mat commend tbs work o my waruesl, hear,ies
,uppoN lis tn no!al operation q ne mea-
.ul,, in breaking DOM he m.u tain barriers lie
Meer Eastern and rsleID Virginia. This
i Consideration which makes his Investment
| h" hottest, unhirs., mos; blessed use 81 Vir.
! .inia's rag'al i makes rs one people lor.
ever No longer snail &c be ron, 10 twain
W cismontaLe Virginia snail there he, AID
| !c,r, "onc insrrarabIc and iEiivisbe." The ci
zen I he east will no longer Chamber 10 lht
houniaiI lop 10 survey the land 'o milk ard O
! j rcy" which stretches GU. is b.cai rlaina -
I l-.,h. Ard II logger stall our western br h.
Ttn rrudec ty slow AM costly s',p o:rf he cras
=, s'sep. 2 maze Tel. c0a.fiouucn> ! tie g'n
c..! wealth, AID 10 !oiin irdtit2 aud social con
sioH* ~ith !t.ir fr'iaw citizens o. tic east
" .ha.i he socially and commercially barc