Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-04-22


State, with the heson, Of dcs,rurt;on. Mr.
5. urged that the present Road from tho
lunchoh was not N way calculated 10
bnng heavy products Of tie West TO The
East; It " ould have TO he properly rebuilt.
and The scheme before the House, in bis
judgment, was one for building a Railroad
from the Junction To the Ohio River. A..
thug that could not be accomplished under
4 cost of $40 900 0po.
Mr.. s believed that a Communication NV
"water line" to the East. was better cal.
culafed % devol,pe the mighty resources
ofthe West; and stimulate the enterprise Of
the country, through which it passed. In
proof Of this he cited interesting facts from
the history Of the New York and Il rie Ca
nal, which originally running through d
comparative wilderness. had now made it
, thrifty and prosperous with habitations
and enterprise. and been tho means Of
pouring immense revenue intothe Treasu.
ny of the State
Railroads can never compete with Ca
nails. neither in the transportation offrciyht.
nor the Development of the resources of
the country. The Central Railroad oftho
State Of New York, transported from the
West thirty thousand tons per year. the
Canal had transported one hundred and
thirty thousand tons in the same period
This was grand vindication Of the sumo
riority of the water line over the Railroad
from the Ohio river TO Coyington, and as it
wa5 the trade of the West, which " as ury.
ed as the grand object in the construction
Of this route, the Canal should be adopted
to obtain ii. The Canal was the only
mode of transportation that could under
bid other routes in the charge for transpor.
tation; and bring to Eastern cities tho
trade that was now carried OF to the cities
of the North. Let the water line be con.
structcd, that cheaper mode of tran.porra-
ton, as had been admitted by the member
from Logan. and Mr. S. believed, that the
Eastern cities would as certainly obtain tho
! great trade Of the West, az that he held
the tumhler Of water in his hand Give
to the producers fthe Valley Of the West,
the cheaper mode Of transportation, and
they would certainly adopt it; rather
than the longer routes to the North, and
the great number Of transhipment they
| had TO encounter.
Mr. s. declared in conclusion, that in
reference TO the great cause Of Internal
Improvement, he occupied the same posi-.
ton he had always done. His views had
undergone no change He asked the
Clerk to read the following from hisspeech
! delivered in the House, when he was a
member il 1888.
The third impcdiment to the cause of
Internal Improvement, whose operation
viii be more disastrous for the future,
aud end unless removed in tho entire des-
truction Of the system. is the loose and dis
ioiutcd policy we have hitherto pursued
Oar plan has been that Of local appropria-
tons. Of local Improvement, Made as they
! have been. and as they must without a
a change, continue 10 b., without reference
/ TO fixed system, composed of leading
lines Of improvement, the aggregate debt
Of The State. is rapidly enlarging and with
ont any prospect OF returning profit
Gentlemen know well the operation Of
4 this policy One county asks nn appro.
/ prininn for a mere neighborhood work,
a road perhaps from one Court House to
another; a second asks another. and third
and fourth and on. until the amount
! is prodi sously swellcd by the aggregate
Of these many appropriations. Look at
\ yoir table grooming under the weight Of
! petitions coming to You from all quarters
/ OF the State far grants ofmonry. What is
The result That 10 discrimination is made
between those works hch promise 10 he
profitable aud those which do not The
resources ofthe State are FILTERED away on
u al aud Improbable works, instead Of
being expended on great central lines, that
will return the interest and principal Of
| Investment.
| The ultimate consequence will be. that
the " hole policy OF internal Improvement
will be cast into dsrepue. The fund for
Internal improvement becomes charged
with unava able works. As the evil pro-
/ crosses, taxation IS increased To sustain
\ the loDsc system-and finally, the people
looking 10 the proIuse expenditure and
seeing nothing coming in, viii become
dissatisfied with the policy Of improve
mcnt and III disgust abandon il forever.
| Now, this evil must be eradicated, and
il can only be Jore by adopting system
\ in contradistinciion to The lax policy OF
our past legislation. The wound upon
the body polite is then cut off as with a
sword, for both systems cannot exist whilo
the local plan would Of itself bankrupt tho
Commonwealth by creating perpetual
charge upon the Treasury. The moment
we adopt system, applications for local
appropriations would either cease TO come
to the body. or they will lie neglectedon
the table When they reach us,we have the
ready rcply-"Thc faith Of the State is
already pledged to the full amount of her
means, to certain central and general i'm
proyemcnts-you must wait until these
are completed; when completed. they will
yield us profit, and then we shall be ready,
for we shall have greater means 70 sup
ply the wants ofcvery section ofthc Com
nonwealth."
Let not western gentlemen imagine that
BY this plan, their local demands will be
indefinitely postponed, the postponement
will be temporary only. Nor on the
other hand, let eastern delegates suppose
that the change otpolicy recommended by
the committee, win increase the burthen
ofraxation. 1t eau be shown thatit is tho
peculiar interest Of the eastern people to.
rcpudiatc the plan Of local appropriations,
as it is peculiarly the interest Of the wes-
tern to accept i in exchange, for the sys-
TEN Of general Improvements.
And for the like reason, It is the peculiar
concern Of the westto make the exchange
advised bv The committee. Let her not
persist in system which, while it dispcnses
bot little coed, will lose her friends in the
-. n IL. .....I ,rs,,r,ural.1a