Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-12-02

The last assessment shows great increase III .c var
her real propey that exhibited by the previous
men, Our population is rapidly increasing and signs ol
growth and prosperity meet The eye at every turn e
buildings have been erected and old repaired Our
streets exhibit the greatest activity and professional men,
and most valuable business ocsin to our CITY from
the Interior many in anticipation of the business winch IS 10
he brought here by our Rail Roads Su that the benefit 10 DC
from vigorous prosecution OF our lines oil improve
men is matter OF calculation and conjecture merely
bu, is demonstrated BY our own actual experience
Apprcciang the numberess advantages 10 accrue To the
cv from the completion of her rail roads citizens will
hardly stop enquire whether they will be directly remour-
sed the OF building them. Bat II TO enlist them heartily
in the Cause necessary show that investments IN
rail roads buih safe and profitable il can be very readily
DONE For many of the facts stated with this vlew we are
indebted 10 DC Bos Commercial Rcreu published IN New
Oeans excellent monthly Journal devoted 10 Southern
interests and full of the valuable information on this
an on kindred subjects.
In address the people Of the South West appearing
in the August number 1851 find stated page l4S) that
the dividends roads 10 the United States average over five
per Cent 'hough in massachusetts, this average reaches
eight per cent" The writer adds "Upon many roads IN
country anl greater per cent has been
realized by economical management No other invest
Of capital have paid more, and we take long Sc
ries of years, no others have paid so much"
In the October number 1851 wc learn page 43O that the
New York and Pennsylvania roads pay six per cent on an
average and even "lndccd says the writer where
raj roads have been constructed through Country under
ucrabe cultivation: and rih0u compiling lines Instances
# their being Improbable rarely heard Ut"
"rhr Baltimore aud ONO road, though incomplete has paid
dividend during The past Year n nurc than ten per cen
49, AS"t ~
found table sluwns very gratifying increase OF bust
The South Carolina Thus the tnal receipts
the years Al, AS 40 80 stated be- $3.50 215 SSJD
03 sS92 O3 and sy2 100 respectively Their aggregate cost
K stated ul 81 aggregate length ~ miles com
pieed, and l3o IN course OF construction.
In The adjfeSs oi the State internal Improvement convention
io Airbuma published in the October No $751; the authors
say pIse Az after presenting glowing picture Oh r pre-
sent improved condition OF Georgia. resulting from her wise
mud complete rail rnud system: This rr'"utinn mas oI-
lowei the expenditure Of millions ri dollars, upon
Inclously LOCATED railways which eania! lr0n eight u
siyue per Cent per profit The Stockholders upon
their cost while The taxable prure "f the Stale has IN
Ceased in 1850 upwards Of s335 GOO 0U0 bring almost
don;e the vnInllOn before the oil her pub
lie nrr"vcmrns" We ARE informed in the same address
tpa2e 42 that the "MIg oncry and West Point K Ill Road,
HE pioneer npruvenrn of Aabamu Is miles long, is now
sarnlng an incUmeul per cent It's capital"
In very Interesting cc The subject a" English and
american railways renDis:tri III the EXaTlntr, short
lime since from Ie LondJn Times il is said that The Anc:-
can rai roads, like English paid very good
tvefage dividends, but should regard American journals
Continuing more authentic inrailon IN lie subject ol
american uads rn the Ea.>h and il should be borne III
Innd That the English roads built The ave
ge cost OF $40 Q00 per nri according to tho Review
ON which quoted.
Ii has thus been that rail roads North and South OF
have pail wr,-oen high "a and ~ per cent and
I,en cher -huw is it in Virginia The very prevalent
"a that capital invested in rail in Virginia will yirl
mall profits and that railroad stocks possess but te
lue present prospective has been the Dlnc u" This cy
ID OF The State AT Ia:ge II has caused difficulty III
tanning subscriptions railways which we believe
IS not exist any where else in e civilized world 1t has
" the State and its citizens many hundreds Of thousands of
Oars in LOSS vi capital embarked in oGr pubic
wis Of Course being unpruductlvr, unlil tbs period
oheir completion. 1t has retarded the completion OF
Ste o! most important works Tor many long
VS. and has proved damper 10 every great enter
pr which has been projected While the citizens OF STATES
Nh and South OF have with the greatest aIucrty sub
seed the required TO build their roads, and thus 10
iufh themselves with necessary avenues 10 markell and
10 nua,e The growth and prosperity OF their cities, 10 ask
INTO subscribe TO rail ruad ~ Virginia. is like asking
tor nifty for donations 10 the Church the Missionary
II In horn
scrlto rail road, who may be worth their thousands In
andropery Immediately on the line! work las been
comaced- lis half Finished and fresh suoscrp.
lions. needed 10 complete it, Any one who may happen
10 belcitsd at oblects,-"l have giucn SO mucb
cannthurd 10 gire any more"
Ihhstaken idea, prevalent in Virginia, and espec-
ally iial part OF it Interested in the Danvl- road is be-
leveo be Inliny attributable to the unpruabeness and
very hprce OF Roanoke stock and Of James River Canal
Stock 10 the failure OF those Improvements thus lar To
answee expectations oil their lrisnos. We have been
consaf pointed 10 them examples 10 prove the great
losses sndan upon subscriptions to internal improve
ments huut opposing 'waer lncs either artificial or
natura should protest against the conclusion, that be-
cause hokc STOCK and the stock vf the Canal are now
selling iny $40 share SO per cent below par, and
because latter sold low $40 share, therefore,
our rail stocks he equally valucess. Just as we
would piit against any inference drawn from the present
enormonghs charged the Roanoke $50 cents per lUO
" lbs otiston 10 planter in Halifax and on the Canal
J. Us cents lse wheat from Lynchburg to Richnond)
mat there rail roads transport nj the exceedingly
u low rates oh their advocates have claimed Tor thcf
Inc INA Albany road transports PASSENGERS al
OF cent inlc, whilst the Pennsylvania road mas trans
ported coaI cent per ton per ne and III: acreage OF
freight on tads of New England is about two cents per
u ton per nlt the heaviest go"ds The Providence road
e has ranspoIpassengers at cent per mile ID: BOWS
: August No5l, p 1927 To conclude that because ,hrre
has been bu tie general provemen of The country along
the line OF lcanaI with It's TOLLS therefore, The
anticipated rovcmcn from rail roads will never be r2hll
u zed, would equally illogical.
II is npo to dvest the public mind OF an erroneous
opinion, 50 ious 10 the Of public improvements
The fact witsard 10 The finished Rail- Roads OF Virginia
Is Just the rose Of what is by many supposed 10 be-
hey are all idendpayng roads, win perhaps one excep.
ton. The :hrnuud Fredericksburg and Potomac R,il
) Road the P:sburg Road the Geensvie and Roanoke
Road the WEBSTER and Potomac Road aud the Richmond
and Petcrsb Road, all the Rail Roads OF any conse-
quence In Win which completed and in full opcia-
ton Inc IT. first named paying screen per cent, be-
sides apply of their earnings The Improvement
OF their roadi canccng their existing Indebtedness
hcr net ncos being sricent To pay greater DIVIDEND
han seven ptcni, II the excess had not been applet IN
the manner std In prupfo these assertions r 33th
annual report the Board Of Puhlc Works. Uhat Tor o3U)
continuing eInrnl .! lSe receipts, expenditures and
general condltloI all the internal Improvement Companies
IN the ComnoeaIn, pages 03 Isl, Us u.s. and l55 "i
mat report last report that lo5l Is not yet printed
Tue inches.ud Potomac rail road, has Just declared
senInl annual Edeni q" pr crf, aud The Richmond,
FreiercIsbnrg1d Potomac road, OF 3E per cent, up
pears BY adverimrn's III the pape.s
Inc nett earss ." The Richmond and Petersburg road
N'c ohiy llshroAd IN Virginia not paying over SIX per
cent? yelr brJasr, S3000 suiF :irn' 10 pay
three per cent otscosr, whca Including It's
expensive hrid: and aGJ,'ed 10 about 5000 Co., Tnc
Genital road Is npicl"!, and
10 Chl!lotcsvI lis President reported days since
that It's receipts re seiIer during III" prsI year by
than they were year previous, ana that they snl-
Gent u pay di!eud nj per the cast ui iil
road Us Tar as rompe;e,- ana 5, "'s epori)
Is iher; any rem wny the Uinvc road saJulJ cunsil-
trr an cXcrptl"o general rul and It's stock prove
pr'hi'r when AL rail roads, both oi the
state 'i In the ate, paying well! Ga the contrary
can 81 81 nIy sl'n, that i"iI lair prospect III
paying good uvinJs any improvement whichever. lis
cidlts as pdyinlmrosengnt have o.rn set forth
as July, cira ly, distinctly they deserve be. II our
clzths require larany oil SIX PER cent before any adi
TOTAL su5scrptlLi ran DC obtained t!en can be
given.
Massachusetts, Is ac oi $50 square niles Virginia,
nearly F lilies a'itGr has an .! OF UJO square miles
The inv'le rold' oca upui its rack almost, entire
:Lhde AMI travel the Counties OF Rockingham, Chs"el,
Guliod and Siuk, In NUrsa Carolina having nil roads
ad now coHieci5hu out from market and nj The c0un-
lies OF Patrick, Hey, Fmnlln syvaniJ, Halifax, and
Charlotte, IN Vrgin Fo' Ills trade and travel II will be
almost without cupeof and nearly the Whole If Alr-
il and parts Of Messnous, LunenoITg, Prince Edward
Nottoway, Po~huta and Chesterfield viii tributary to
IT, IL 'iii be seen ron map that counties first
named comprise an isa about equal TO that of Aassatu
sGtts let Mass ichseIts has thousand miles o
railways, costing siG0000O or $4,000 per mile
Ing the net sun Of $500 uU0 per (See the NuSem
Der 1851, De BW he