The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-06
MESSAGE of Governor Floyd.


A large portion of this document is devoted to
the internal improvement system of Virginia.
An article appeared in the last number Of Hunts
Merchants Magazine, on the public works OF
New York, and it commences with inquiring
why Virginia, instead of New York, was not the
fl st to unite the Atlantic with the West. This
very grave question we would answer Yankee
fashion, by asking another: Why does the Ohio
river run to the, Mississippi, in order to reach
the Atlantic, instead Of going directly South to
the sea! The reason is, there are half dozen
high mountains in one direction, and none in the
other And that is the reason Virginia has not
made a canal to the Ohio. There were no
mountains on the route of the New York Canal.
There is an artificial cause for the different
course of the two States, perhaps equally pow
erful with the natural. The Mississippi valley,
to which Virginia is contiguous, has natural
outlet to the sea by the river, which affords a
means of transportation so cheap that, nothwith-
standing the length of the route, no artificial
work has yet been found to equal it. Freight can
be taken from the city of New York via New
Orleans, the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to
Cincinnati, at less, than by the far more direct
routes of the New York and Ohio canals and the
Iake--athough the natural is about five times
rs long as the artificial route-But the valley
Of the lakes with which New York is connected,
has no natural outlet to the sea, except the St.
Lawrence, and that is closed to American navi-
CATION, or INSTRUCTED by British power. If the
mouth of the Mississippi had remained in the
hands of foreign power, Virginia would long
since have cut her way even through her noun
tans to the Ohio-for the trade Of such route
would in that case have been much greater than
that of the New York Canal
In addition to all that, the entire route of the
New York Canal extends through region of
the State not only the most level but the most
fertile of all she contains, whilst the route Of the
Virginia Canal must be, even after it passes sew
,ra stupendous ranges of III ountains, continued
through a very broken country Finally the
length of the Virginia route in addition to all
other disadvantages is much greater
Besides, if the James River Canal were COM
pleted to the Ohio, beginning as it does at Rich
mond its freights on being deposited at Nor
folk, would still be three hundred miles farther
from Europe than New York is, and that is an
important advantage Of the latter.
After all, the greatness of the undertaking
of the Erie and Hudson canal is much eXagger-
atcd, and so are its benefits. Tidewater in New
York reaches to Albany, and this passes the
Catskill and Fishkill mountains, the only two of
the Allegheny ranges that extend that far North.
From Albany nature which had already cut the
mountains, gave the Mohawk, a river coming
from northwesterly direction, as level and a
channel for the construction Of the Can. l. and
on reaching half its length, gave it the aid of the
lateral navigation Of Lake Ontario.
And then, rs for the cost of the work and the
means Of constructing it. New York levies an
auction tax on foreign merchandise sold in the
city, and tax on the salt made at her famous
salt springs and exported largely into other
States These taxes, either essentially incon-
sttutional, or burthens unfairly imposed on
other States, amounted during the construction
of the canal to about three hundred thousand
dollars year. This fund was applied to that
work-a fund large enough to pay the interest
on five millions of dollars, and the main canal
only cost about eight. Hence the burthen or
the risk assumed by the State was very small
for one of such large population.
The canal was finished-other lateral canals
were con, tructed, whose separate revenue is
wholly inadequate to pay the interest on their
cost, but they are tributaries to the trade and
revenue of the Grand canal, which improperly
receives exclusive credit for all the tolls col
lcctcd on its banks, including those on boats
from the lateral canals. The proper mode of
considering the merits of the policy, is to take
all the works together. The total of their cost
up to lS49, was $33,2l4,l5S But this does
not include the interest on the money after it
was borrowed and expended, and before the
works became productive-and rs they have
been engaged in their construction for thirty
years. it would probably be about fair to esti-
mate interest on half that sum for about half
that time which would make the actual nett
cost of the canals, principal and interest, fifty
millions of dollars. The total nett revenue at
present, is only S2,757,lo2 or about five and a
half per cent And this revenue, be it remem-
bered, has been realized only for IL few years,
and it is now kept up only by prohibiting the
parallel railroads from carrying .trcighfs unless
the companies pay 10 The State The same toll Uhich
the freight ,ooud hare to pay i carried on The
canal Here then is this mighty and boosted
work, passing through the richest country from
the North Atlantic to the West, constructed at
a low rate, crowded with the products of the
Lake and Mississippi valley, the former having
no other outlet to the sea, can pay only five and
half per cent on the actual cost Of its construc-
ton, and to do even that has to be protected from
railroad competition, by restrictive and prohib-
tary laws. 1t is true that some fourteen mil
lions have been expended i'll charging the canal,
but not yet so rs to increase its business, The