Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-06-27

i r,olicy by the lDulsti'A r,;,bp,ond
ed 10 on. p onHn.ry to all improvements
md Alexandria take advantage o. l'.' '"o
.,n,;nat. imposition of the Ilde"atei t
so.ohns With us to carry every sort OF mp 49,. s
our country and are compelled ~ did ". csn get
ovsrv thing they want for without .nes a,a We
every so'nf ar. opposed to the connection between
md IN. eeaboard, because they wish 10 pre
4be Growth of cities thereto rival them anu Know
e $50 e ,rs had tbs power We would carry the I'M
ing Una. ~ tho state to Norfolk. and build up apreat
,n.roal emporium there they invoke the delegates
ea. to stand firm in defence OF an eastern
;ority in the Legislature to protect themselves against
excs.siy. taxation. But wait until the Seu oass DC
an eastern majority i'll the Legislature secured
,han Underwater may call these cities and the ba
acs of Piedmont interested in internal to
in protecting them against reckless appropriations aud
onerous taxation but it will be like calling hrlts from
the vastly deep: they wont come They VIII still hold
the balance of power upon the question OF internal i'm
nroy.ments and they will it as they have heretofore
done not to check appropriations but to concentrate all
tLe treat improvements in their own section and leave
poor con6dng Tdewater pay the PIPER II an eastern
majority can be retained in the General Assembly the in
t,rns party in Piedmont can continue this
vs,en, flor.rolling bv which millions Of money lave
been expended for her benefit and the work of public
nluudcr as gentlemen call it, will still go "swiningly
along" will for short time direct the attention Of the
committee to another view OF thls matter. The amount
otaxes paid into the treasury by the counties wo OF the
aIlerhnuy mountains in the year 1850 was Sl2l0o0 50
and the whole amount Of expenditures in that section
including the pay of members Of the General Assvln-
blv was S6693l, leaving balanc" to the credit of
Trans Allegheny of S54 ll9 being nearly four per cent
upon the entire expenditures within her limits for
works of internal improvement Now let US see how
tho accounts stand. with these counties and cities which
; have tleuominatcd Piedmont. They paid into the
treasury in 1885, s3+6 and the amount expended by
the State within their limits for the sane year was $50
e3s leaviu. balance to their credit OF s26o3O being
M, quit three aud half per cent upon the expenii-
,.f t,,tnr al It,t,r nrD,np
Thu. it will be seen that the people of Traus Allegheny
who are referred to as punderers and rs living upon
the means OF Others actually paying larger per
ccn upon the amount expended Ill their sectoI t IN
t.rnal improvements than the people OF Piedmont pay
upon the expenditures in their section for the sane pu
pn.e But If gentlemen from Tidewa,er suppose for
moment that appropriations for works of internal in
are to stop beg leave tn call their attention
to few other facts which ought TO satisfy them OF their
error This debt of twenty millions q" dollars has as
have oIrealy stated been created for works yet uins
cd and paving literally nothing into the treasury In
order to competg them it will be necessary to eXpenl ten
or tw,,y, millions more. The city Of Richmond. in adj
d,ion to the Of her delegates in the General AS
sebv for every sort of appropriations has herself col
tractcd debt Of s. 10000 thereabouts principal
v if not entirely by subscriptions to works Of internal
Improvement Lyuchburg ha. contracted deb, OF $500
600 Alexandria S55OO0O and Petersburg has contract
cd debt of about The snine amount These cities
will b. compelled to continue voting appropriations
TEN shall be carried to its completion. These cities
aud the town Of Lynchburg entitled BY the mixed
basis to nine delegates. Who any eight of whom by
uniting with the western MEMBERS can pass any APP
preparation bill they please without the aid OF another
delegate from the East. Can 1t b. expected, under
these circumstances TINT these cities change their
policy. burdencd they with heavy debts contract
I'd in support Of this very system These debts cannot
be paid until the works for which they were contracted
are completed TO yield dividend to the stockin
crs and in the meantime the interest must DC paid by
tax upon their people. So far therefore from changing
their policy they arc compelled matter what may
b. the condition of the treasury to continue this system
of appropriations until these works be completed And
still Tidewatcr gentlemen look to these cities to protect
hsu against reckless expenditures and oneous taxation
great deal has been said about og-roig for aPpropr
aops in the Legislature Denuncatlon loud, long and
bitter has been heaped upon the systcu but tell gentle
me. they adopt this mixed basis. these cities aud those
who act with them will carry it on to m exeut perhaps
unparalleled in the annals log rolling their dcuncia
tions to the contrary notwithstanding The represent
taves from the west being in the minority in order to
csrrv on the works in their socion will DC compelled to
accept tho terms dictated to them by these Pc1mon
tsc delegates aud ii they canot otherwise accomplish
their object. contend they will be iustifabe i'll so do
ir Gentlemen may denuounce log rolling as much as
they please, rs uhprincipled and corrupt but 1t cannot
he more uuprncplrd aud corrupt. than that system of
representation which begets it, Wrong always begets
wrong pure stream cannot flow from corrupt fnnn-
tain The principle upon which you propose to base the
government is. in my opinion trrannica unjust and nn'
archical A principle which stiles the voice of the
people and makes the will of minority the law Of
the land And If under the operation of such system
of government the representatives from the cannot
obtain appropriations to works proper in themselves
without log rolling with Piedmont, contend that they
will be perfectly ustihabc IN pursuing that course.
| Here Mr. FERGrsuS gave way for motion that the
Committee rise. and the Convention adjourned.