The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-28
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The Wheeling Inielligencer says:

~
for reaching the great valley of the west Vlr
gjna will ind, when she does arrive at the
IaEd of promise, nough but barren sceptre
IN her grasp. Had she bat acted promptly
had she but pushed forward al once her grea
line of improvement, she would now command
the trade Of the great West, and Norfolk woulc
have been second to no port on tbe seaboard
Her harbor, Inferior TO none on tbs continent
would now be studded with the sails OF every
nation, and the wealth of the world might nov
re passing over the great highways OF Virgil
MIA. As it is, we fear the cry will be, in the
language of the delegate from Albemarle, toe
late, too late!'
We very much fear it is too late' already
Our lines OF improvement, owing TO the scan
dalous sectional disputes that have SO long dis
graced the State, have been SO curiousIy con
structed that we an scarcely take step il
advance, without carrying off tine trade from
Virginia. The Northwestern Railroad carries
every thing to Baltimore. the link connecting
GordonsvilIe with Lyuchburg gives it a cleas
sweep, entirely across our State, and through
Tennessee to Memphis. The railroad from
Petersburg to Norfolk. apparently designed tc
take produce 10 that city, is nothing more than
feeder for the great New York line, soon &c
be prosec through Jersey, Delaware and
the Eastern Shore of Virginia. That it will
thus be prosecuted, there remains not the sha'
dow of doubt; that it will drain Norfolk,
there is Just as little. After having given TO
Baltimore the right to tap US as she thinks fit
after having, in fact, built up road for her
from the Potomac 10 the Tennessee line, after
having made provision to feed her great rail-
road by another lower down the Ohio, how can
we refuse the same courtesy to New York;
We cannot do il, and it would be unjust to the
people OF the Eastern Shore to do it. These
latter with the solitary excep ton as far as we
knog of MIR. Wise) have always been opposed
to internal Improvements. Their tone will
very soon be changed. and even the delegate
from Northampton will find out what advan-
tage internal improvements are to his consti
ents.
To these men who swayed the destinies OF
Virginia from the revolution to 1880. we stand
nearly in the relation Of posterity. We ean
see the results Of what they did and what they
neglected TO do-see, aye! ana feel it too
Never were,boundless. wealth-the elements oil
making Virginia the very head and front OF the
whole Union-so recklessly thrown away
With tolerabe energy, we'might have grasped
the entire valley of the Ohio, and the larger
portion of the Mississippi. We might have
made Norfolk or Portsmouth, or Ethan, the
r L
begging us TO stretch forth our hands and
take it, every thing that has built up Philadel-
phia, and New York and Baltimore. 1t is
enough to make man forswear his kin, his
been the result. While the other cities were
stretching out their arms TO the great West,
we were repelling her whenever she attempted
10 approach US. We were guarrelling among
ourselves, while the enemy was drawing his
lines of Giro umvs llation around us. The mi
SCRABBLE little jeaousies of one town or one Sec
ton against another, were sure to be excited
whenever bill was proposed which might, by
any possibility, be of advantage to any part.
cuar interest. Petersburg was in arms, be-
cause Norfolk had railroad, and Lynchburg
expected the James River canal to stop there,
and Charlottesville wanted to lay a writ of ne
ereat upon the Central railroad. W,h such
wretchedly narrow views-such miserable
neighborhood cross-road squabbles, such de-
plorable want of enlarged and comprehensive
Vows, is it wonderful that we have been re.
garded as lawful spoil by foreigners, or that
we should at last have become so curiously
wound up in the meshes of our own net of
r always that We cannot move a step without
doing far more good to rival and foreign inte-
rests than we can TO ourselves?
Still the Legislature has done much-as
much, perhaps, as could be expected. Pre-
vious legislation, and, above every thing
else, the dePlorable diversion of the road in.
tended for Harrisonburg directly-for Par
kersburg, no doubt, in the end, to Charlottss
vile, had placed them in such dilemma that
they could not well avoid what they did. The
link between LyAehburg and Gordonsville
gives the last blow TO all We could pect from
Memphis. All the travel must pass that uay.
unless it can be drawn upon the Dany lille line,
the true and best hope of Virginia. Yet they
are not to blame. That thing, sooner or later,
was inevitable, under the circumstances. The
great-the fatal stab was inflicted, when it was
solemnly decided that the mountain at Pow
ellis Gap could not be tunnelled, (tke Austrians
ere tunnelling the Great St. Bsrnard.) This
II was that threw into the hands of Baltimore
all the trade and travel from the Mississippi
Itwasthe darkest day fer Virginia that she had,
Or has ever experienced, notwithstanding she
was ovorrun and plundered by CORVALLIS and
his army. From that day the Orange and AL,
exandria railroad became inevitable, and no,
less inevitable became the connec ton with
Lynchburg.
FIRE IN PETERSBURG We learn from the
Express that on Wednesday afternoon large
wooden building, situated on Adams street
and owned and occupied by Messrs. ]. S. L. J
ID. Williams, as q tobacco factory, took fir.
accidentally, about 2 o'clock, and was en-
tirely consumed, together with much of lis con
teats, which were Of very valuable character
The loss is estimated at about $4,000. FnIi,