Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-09-22
products of labour and capital, belonging
to citizens of New York.

to citizens of New York.
| It'll perfectly plain that this policy is to
operate to our injury; but we can prevent
it, if we viii. and therefore have no cause Of
complaint against New York. who is, in
this matter, acting for herself, being de-
termined to preserve her commercial SUI
premacy. The question then arises:-to
what extent are we now injured We
answer TO the extent Of four dollars AID
ninety cents on every 2ooOIbs. ofleaftobsc-
CO, which goes to market.down the James
River Canal; and on manufactured tobac-
CO, two dollars and eight cents, so long as
the tolls stand in New York and Virginia.
as at present. This is proven by very
simple statement: Two thousand pounds
of leaf tobacco pay. on one hundred and
fifty miles of our Canal, fire dollars and
ticenty cents in tolls ;-on the New York
Canal, for the same distance, thirty cents;
difference against the Virginia planter. four
dollars and ninety cents. These figures
explain at once, why little or none of the
Virginia tobacco ever goes to New York
manufactured.
Our manufactured tobacco, in like man
ner, enters the New York market, even
now, paying duty of two dollars and
eighty cents more than Kentucky tobacco;
or, in other words, a bounty is given to this
extent on the manufacturer Of tobacco IN
Kentucky. This may sound very strange
Iy in the ears of our tobacco manufactur-
ers, but it is nevertheless true, as the fol-
lowing brief statement will prove: AT
the present rates, the toll paid by this ar
ticle, is one cent, six mills, per ton, per
mile, on the Erie Canal. This, for $50
miles. is t,co dollars and .futy cents. On
the Virginia Canal, it amounts to fire dol
lars and twenty cents; difference Tor bouh-
ty) in favor of Kentucky tobacco, in the
New York market, two dollars and eighty
cents, for every two thousand pounds.
We would ask our Tobacco planters
and manufacturers, how long do they think
they can afford to pay these taxes, and
sell at any profit in the New York MARKET
Virginia Leaf is excluded already from
New York, or very nearly SO, and In one
year more, nay in less time, the transit
taxes, on manufactured tobacco, will be
reduced to what they now are on leaf, and
then the bounty on manufactured tobacco
in Kentucky, for the New York market,
will be four dollars and ninety cents, in
stead of two dollars, and eighty cents
Gentlemen manufacturers, will not this
step seriously effect your interests2 If it
will, why do you not make some effort to
prevent the evil to which you are subject
ed, by the blind adherence of the President
and Directors of the James River and Ka-
nawha Company,to the policy Of taxing la
bour and capital, to the last cent they can
extort. 1.-THE New York Canal Commits
sioners reduce their tolls, do you not know,
that instantly all the other lines of internal
improvement, between the East and West,
will do so likewise, and that the bounty
against Virginia manufactured tobacco will
be offered at Baltimore, Philadelphia and
Boston, and that you will have it to pay,
in all the great commercial marts and at
all the great points Of foreign and domestic
distribution? Is not the apprehension of
such a state of things sufficient cause to in
ducc you to stop working while, and 60
to calculating how much of the earning of
your labor and capital, you pay annually.
to sustain the aniiquated policy of the
James River Canal Companyl We beg
you to work little less and think little
more of those things, that directly and i'm
mediately concern your interest. Make
this calculation each man of you, for him
SELF Take your shipping book and see
how many pounds oftobacco,yo have sent
to Richmond in the current year-calcu-
late the tolls on it, by the tariff of the James
River and kanwha Canal Company, and
then by the tariff of the New York Canal,
which is now one cent and six mills per
ton, per mile, VERY shortly it will be down
TO two mills, per ton per mile, on manu-
featured, as well as leaf tobacco,) and
strike the balance between the two toll ac-
counts, aud you have the amount to which
your labor and capital are taxed, to sus-
tain the James River and Kanawha Com.
pany, in their efforts to extort from the
producers oftonnage,in the valley ofJames
River, the means to extend their canal to
the Ohio
If you will only make this simple inves-
tigarion, we will have accomplished all
we have to do, in this matter. We will
have opened your eyes, to the mal-admin-
istration of the affairs of great internal
improvement corporation when this has
been done, we feel confident that you will
take such steps at the next annual meet
ing, of the stockholders Of the James River
Company, as well correct the policy of
that Company in regard to the exercise of
the taxing power
A writer for the Richmond Republican,
who signs himself "a friend to low tolls"
seems surprised at the information given
in some of our articles on this subject and
rather questions the correctness Of the in
formation given in our paper of the 7th
of August last. We assure the writer
that upon this subject we never ven
turc to write, without careful invest1ga-
ton, and we have at hand official testimony,
to establish every statement we have made,
ahonf the tolls ON tho Inn,ac Riue. II