Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-05-13

self to speak, am willing To 60 OH portion the tim,
this morning until the committee feels disposed rise
They can do so, or will submit what few remarks
have to make ut the evening session.
The CHAIR Is the motion that the committe ris,
withdrawn
Mr. PENDLETON Certainly. l Withdraw the mo
ton.
Mr. STEWART then addressed the committee bu
without concluding gave way To motion that the
mistee rise, which agreed to-
The committee then rose.
THE ruBL!c DEBr-GEsouRCES OF THE STATE
The PRESIDENT | have received from the secont
auditor communication upon the subject of the public
debt and resources OF the State, which beg to lay he
fore the Convention.
! The reading was called for aud the communication
WAS then read by the SECRETARY, as follows:
Second .im'itor's OFcr
l5:h April, 1851.
! Sin: In compliance, in part with 4 resolution of tho
Convention Of the 18th October last have the honor IL
submit herewith ta; honorable body through you,
Statement of the whole debt liabilities and
the State the 3oth of September, $780, in printed
FORM marked being the reported BY ME to the late
Legislature, at the commencement of their session
have also prepared all additional statement of the
subject brought down the first dav of the pres
ent month, in which the liabilities" are considered as
debt and the resource increased necessarily in
corresponding degree
portion Of the remaining information called for BY
the resolution, has been furnished in different forms II
the Convention The whole will be embodied III dis
tinct document, and transmitted at an early day.
With great respect,
Your nbG,lient servant,
j. BRowN Jr, I'd Auditor.
Hon JoS y Mason President of Virginia Reform Con-
yen,iun.
Mr. STEW ART. would inquire Of the Chair weth-
er the Convention meet this aftcrnoun
The PRESIDENT. That is not the existing order,
though believe that the Intention Of the Convention in
adopting the motion of the gentleman from Giles CIR.
PESDLEToS YESTERDAY was that should meet here
from day To day ut II o'clock in the afternoon The
order made Yesterday not expressed. The
only mode Of carrying out tia: order to day ana in the
utlre by some gentleman making specific motion
to that effect. Some disposition, however, S first be
made OF the communication just read.
Mr. SIIEFFEl. | move that il be laid on the table
and printed.
The motion agreed TO-
THE SECOND trDlroE-iIls CLASSIFICATION Of INTERVAL
IMPROVEMENTS.
he PRESIDENT. | have received q communication
from the second auditor in respect 20 the resolution Of
this house. calling upon him for the reasons for his cas
slTca"n OF the expenditures for public improvements
which was recently given this body in report submit
tc! bv him.
NJ " H. II. GARRETT. I move that the communi-
cation be referred 70 the select coni:lt.rc upon that
subject.
SEVERAL MEMBERS Read-Rcad
rs follows:
Second AUTHORS LETTER.
Second .2ui;tor'S OHce,
Apri! ID, 1851.
II the l'iy;na Reform, Convention
In obedience to the request contained in resolution
adopted by your honorable body OF the 18th inst. ask
ing my reasons Tor the classification Of the improvements
shcwn i'll ms repor; OF the l;h of March last, beg
leave very respectfully to submit the following state
mcnt:
In til" year 1876. session of lS45-6) called up
on by the legislature fur statement somewhat similar
to that contained IN my report ns the h Of March. III
that statement: made the classification Of the various
Improvements without particular regard I" the const
tutioal arraG5em of the counties. but under the
heads Of Below the head OF Tide wttcr, From the
head OF Underwater IT, the Blue Ridge" DC. &c Refer
e:lce had - that report in preparing the
cerIng which the Convention desires cxpli.
nation aud upon RI examination Of IT, became salts
He'd That CERTAIN improvements embraced III the first dl
vision did not properly belong to it, accordingly made
the change which my Judgment dictated, and placed
them in the second Division believing that by the trans
position should only be doing justice to the section Of
country through which those improvements passed and
which not benefited by them without the possbil
lty Of affecting njnriou>y otherwise either Of the
great cuDteIding interests intu which State is
divided My simple and only object was TO impart the
intormation, contained in ms department, in the plain
est. comprehensive aud satisfactory FORM know
ing that, il committed, they would not iil
Of d, lection when subjected the in"cst. CATION and
criticism o the honorable aud eug htcuc body whose
Instance they We're compiled.
The third and fourth divisions have by nature been
marked and separated by boundaries Of the most impo-
sing and rlmi>takcahle character, that in saying
that the third division is cDmprchendcd between the
Blue Ridge and the Allegheny mountains and the fourth
between the Arghanic aud the Ohio river is but to
assert propositions the truth Of which glance ut
the map will substanatc. Not SO, however with the
FIRST and second divisions. Here nature has drawn
such distinct line nf dcnlarkation and il division
to he made the dividing lines be created By some
mere arbitrary rule which might often its exist
ence tn prejudice or interest Is TO any other
We may, without difficulty, determine what is and
what is not Underwater country, but is not easy to
determine what Underwater Improvements charged.
bic as such upon debt and credit account For in
stance railroad running along the line and above the
head OF Underwater with It's branches and tributaries
penetrating country from Underwater, should
not, IN my estimation be styled Tide water improve
lncnt; whereas on the contrary railroad beginning and
ending in Underwater district receiving its nutriment
from and dispensing its benefits to the district is
properly named when it is called Underwater improve
mcnt Besides the dividing lines between the two east
ern divisions, far internal improvements are con
ccr1cd conceive to be entirely distinct from those 9TH
dividing lines which have been instituted BY legisla-
ton for other purposes such the proper regulation Of
representation aud taxation. With these views the
correctness of which has been confirmed by mature
reflection, | have been constrained far to alter
the classification contained in my report of 1916 as
To place in the second division of my last report some
Of the improvements embraced in the first divis.
ion Of the lorner-thus identifying those improve.
nents with what is called the Piedmont country which
heretofore have been considered by many belonging
exclusively TO what is called the Tde-watcr country
All things being considered regard this the most
natural and just classification If you will take the
trouble to refer to the map of the internal improvements
in Virginia you will find line of railroads. beginning
ut eldon and terminating at Aqua Creek beginning
the head Of Underwater and ending at the head of Tide
water and passing b. the head of Tilewa ut inter
mediate distances along the ne which marks out bet
ter than any other line that can imagine the two di-
Visions of that portion Of Virginia lying between the
Blue Ridge and the coast Admit the correctness Of
this posi- ton, and then the question rccurs with which
OF the two divisions, thus formed should these boundary
improvements be cassed: Their location having been
shown to be at and above the head of de.watcr the
only remaining question to be decided before the answer
can be given is which section is most benefited by
and Interested in those improvements. Clearly that
ton 'rest of the dividing line. Into it all of the feeders
and tributaries OF these Improvements, except one-aud
that only ten miles long-penctratc and by that means
accommodate the extensive rtaAel and trade of that
productive and thriving region. besides accommo-
dating the periodical travel between the North and
and South On the contrary the country east of that d
vidlng line has little interest in those improve
ment for no other than that it is not recipient