Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-08-28

Il
crops, that they have large surplus for
market. While other counties in the State
of Virginia have aroused and brought into
play, all their energies and resources to en-
hancc the value of their lands, render them
selves accessible to market, we should not
be idle. The average value of lands in the
county Of Jefferson is about forty one dol
lars per acre, fact owing mainly to the
energy Of her people in providing them
selves with facilities for Transporting their
produce to market.
The county court Of this county. at its
last term. made an order directing the She
riff on the fourth Thursday in October next,
to open poll books and take the sense OF the
qualified voters Of the county, whether the
county court shall subscribe on the part of
the county, the sum Of four thousand dol
lars. to be paid in four annual instalmcnts.
Should three ffths Of the voters be found
IN iavonr of the proposition ii is adopted
Now | believe subscription on the part
Of the county, is the only way by which
the necessary amount of money can be
raised, and by levying upon the tythes and
property of the county, one thousand dol
lars per annum, the tax will be so light as
scarcely to be felt.
Should three-ffihs vote for a county sub
scription, every man in tie county Of Pat
rick will have an interest in the road-he
will feel himselfan actual stock holder, in
terested in proportion to the amount of
tax paid, and there will be thus secured
an interest in its ultimate success and pros
perlty on the part Of every citizen in the
county. Not only SO, whatever dividends
may arise from year to year, from the stock
in this road, will go into the treasury of
the county to lessen its parish and county
levy. Again, another important argument
in favour of a county subscription, is the
fact that every dollar Of the money expen-
ded in the construction Of the road in the
county. will be expended Immediately a.
mongst us-we will get the benefit oft
The labourers-the workmen on this road,
must be fed, and this of itself will create
sort of home market for much of the sur
plus produce of our farms and our lumber.
1t is very generally the case. fellow-ci,i-
zens, that when these improvements are
set on foot by individual subscription. cap
ltalsts buy up much, if not greater part,
Of stock fiom individual stock holders, and,
instead of having the interest and profits
diffused throughout the country. thus pro-
tecting the general interest of the people.
odious monopolcs are created; one or two
wealthy capitalists absorb the whole profits
of the enterprise, and by such large shares
in the stock of the company, they acquire
such preponderant weight as to control
and direct the whole management, and
promote the interest of one or two persons
to the destruction of that of the whole peo-
pie. This state OF affairs can only be pre-
vented by a county subscription, which
would enable the counties to force indivi-
dual stockholders to yield to the general
good The counties of Pittsylvania, Hen
ry, Charlotte and Halifax, are very soon
to take the sense Of their voters upon the
propriety Of county subscriptions to the
Richmond and Danvlle Railroad, and it is
very generally believed the proposition
will be adopted. Gentlemen well advised
Of public sentiment, in Henry say that that
county will take her share of stock in our
road, and such is likewise the feeling in
Carroll, Grayson, and Wythe.
1t should not be our object fellow citi-
zens, to construct merely agraded road
from Danvile to Wytheville, but we look
ultimately to the completion Of a plank
road from the former to the latter place
Plank roads are rapidly growing into i'm
portance into many paris of the country,
and within the last two or three years
they have become part of the economy
Of New York. They are now considered
superior to Macadamized roads, in cheap
ness, ease of draught, in speed and com
fort to passengers. The weight that one
horse is capable of drawing, is absolutely
incredible. 1t is said that on the Selma
and Central road, one horse brought from
town called Brewerton to Syracuse in
New York, six thousand pounds Of iron.
On the Plank road, farmer has good
road every day, and it may emphaticalIy
he called the farmers road. He can Sc
lect for his trips TO market days when he
cannot work on his farm, taking with
greater ease in halfthe time, three or four
times what he formerly could carry. The
wear and tear to his horse, harness and We
hicle, are reduced one half Horse shoes
last twice the time, and, instead of frequent
new ones, it is only necessary to have the
old ones periodically moved. What these
roads have done for the country through
which they have been constructed, may
be seen by the following:
The Troy and Lanesburg road pays
seml-annually 10 per cent dividend, and
the stock is so good it cannot be purchas-
ed. The Union and Burlington road now
pays 20 per cent. The Rome and Oswe-
go road pays 10 per cent; and the Char
lottesville road has paid two half yearly
dividends at 10 per cent. On the Selma
road land rose from 50 to SIS per acre.
On the Syracuse road the increase has been
$40 per acre. And now, fellow.citizens,
let US not de behind others in this matter
Let us not QUARREL about the location OF
the road, whether on the north or south
side of the mountain. We should re-
member that "a house divided against itself
cannot stand" and that our sectional DIFF
ferences and disputes have had muchto do
heretofore, in retarding our prosperity
Let us go to work like band of brothers,
determined TO exert ourselves for ourselves
and for those who are to come after US
Let us first get the road completed, and
then we will be the better enabled, If 1t be
deemed necessary, to construct a second
road either on the north or south side OF
the mountain, as circumstances may re-
quire. Let the Engineer locate the road
and wherever he thinks it would be the
most conducive for the general good for it
to be located there let it be. So far as /
am concerned, am forihe road, and when
take stock as an individual, the amount l
subscribe will not be regulated by the To-
cation of the road, but l shall subscribe
the same amount whether the location be