Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-07-14

PUBLIC MEETING IN BUCKINGHAM.
At a hubble meeting held i'll buckingham Court
House. on July Court day, the 10Th inst, agreeably
IL public notice, to take into consideration the condi-
| ton of our foreign commerce and domestic interests,
| OH motion, Col. Ihus. NJ. Bundurant was elected Pre-
! sidcnt, and K. 5. Ellis and John 5. Meredith Secreta-
ries. ,
hv +. W. Hubbard, he then moved that the President
upuoiut d committee Of ten persons 10 consider the
subjects brought before the meeting, and report such
| action us they might deem advisable:
The President thereupou appointed T.. W. Hubbard.
| Geo. A. LANCASTER, Col. Jos. Fuquu, Geo. w. Kyle,
Dr. Win. L. Moseley, Jas. VI. Pattcsou, X. l.. Patte-
son, Robert Shaw, VIM. Shepard, Col. w. A. Ford,
10 oct ON said committee.
! ed, that the President and Secretaries OF the meeting
be added to the committee.
Upon motion, the meeting adjourned for n short
time.
inc 10 order, all. E. w. HUBBARD, as Oh Iirmau of the
Committee, offered the following report and rcsolu-
lions, which, upon motion being made, were severally
| read by the Secretaries, and adopted by the meeting.
REPORT.
Whereas, this State has undertaken, and partly per-
facted the greater portion al her extensive system vi
;r,ernal i,nnroyement. In 1873 we had III operation
ga miles Of Ra;l Road, and 6lO miles in course of
constructions. Our canals, though unfinished are OF
great value aud extent. These improvements were
not nrn;acted with q view alone OF atlu.dlpg facilities
in rc,,;nr our own productions to market, or OF ilvi-
ting within our borders, the productions VI ncighDor-
ing States. But tue great. cohtrolihs MiotlTcs were,
to develop the resources OF the stare, 20 eniasSe our
commerce, and TO increase our shipping, by augment
inc our exports and imports. Thus our system vi I'M
movements was designed 10 advance ali the great IN
tar,.sts of the State. The development OF our agri-
cultural and mineral wealth, mas heretofore oeeh our
chief consideration. But oar coliiineTcial anu SNIP
| piup interests are OF equal Importance, and our I'M
| movements are 80 lar advanced, that |; now becomes
ts 10 use our best efforts 10 give an impulse 70 thelh'
The internal improvements OF me STATE Whet; com,
nlrt.d. even il they attract the full share OF trade and
travel Tim, we have been induced 10 expect, Yet, with
| out our commercial and navigating classes promptly
avail themselves OF these anticipated advantages, and
| speedily augment our trading a'il shipping caiaciy
Nv arousinp the dormant enterprise and capital Of our
citizens. and ,!ivcrtiug II large portion oi each INTO
commercial enterprise, we will, i'll fact, have gained Il
moie,v ONLY OF the benefits that ought 10 flow from
our hanyv expenditures i'll constructing our rall roads
aud rnnuis, Should we fail 10 enlarge our direct tradc
| win Europe, if we continue 10 20 North tor. import
| ed merchandise. VIC will doom rc State 10 IN inie-
riur position, by transferring 30 distant localities what
leqitinateiv belongs TO Virginia. To pierce Nlrginia
with 40 many urea; lines of Improvement, to make
| her n mere conduit through which the trade and pro-
ductions of ncighboring Stn:cs may pass. 10 spend
some twenty or thirty millions "t dollars 10 facilitate
our productions, as well as those from some of the
Southern and Western Suites, IN going through 10
baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, is III
fact nothing more than converting The State INTO n
MAGNIFICENT c~ullcnicr through which 70 strain the fat
of the land into the lap al those cities, rcservln% the
cracklin@s only US our share.
Whenever circumstances will permit, each State
should carry Oh its own foreign trade. Nothing eN-
crts n more powerful influence upon the destiny OF
communities than commerce. Each State, rs II mcin-
her OF orr Federal Union, should encourage IN cX-
change of productions between her sister States. Our
internal trade exerts happy influences, nnd should be
fosterpd hv all. But Us. IN independent State, It il
,uun,ly proper and wise, whenever we have local ar
n,i,rr advantages favorinc direct commerce with TO-
r.;.rn nations, that we should exert ourselves TO turn
them TO good account. The slave States have been
rclying too long upon agriculture alone. The north
ern States, on the contrary, wisely threw a very large
nroportion OF their energy, capital, and enterprise up
| IN commerce. Our lands are more productive than
theirs, but they, ut an early period, turned their at.
| tcutiou to trade and manufactures. They possessed
no more local advantages. favorinS N than
we enjoyed. The slave States, producing tho great
stapl,s of export. had not only equal but superior,
because substantial, elements OF commerce IN tier ia-
vur. But the action of the Federal Government in
locating the Bank Of the United States i'll Philadel-
phia, and subsequently the passage of several protcc-
tive tariffs 10y Congress, combined with our negli-
gcnce uud apathy us regards al great commercial en-
tcrpriscs, soon gave the northern States the control of
the commerce. of The Union. The slave States, in
comparison with the northern, have fallen, by the
force Of the causes Just enumerated. into the position
of what we farmers call, quarter plantations while
the northern have risen to the wealth and dignity ut
hom,stcnl.. Thus. we have been laburing for wears
fuly rs much to aggrunliZc the northern States, Us Ia
advance our own interests. We till the earth and
encounter oil their abuse about slavery, and furnish
the stables for them To export, and then are so def
c;cut in what is due to our own welfare and dignity.
AZ to 90 north in quest of our supplies. Thus making
our State tributary to others, and placing her i'll the
condition of Il dependant province.
IA illustrative of the e%nriching tendency of rom.
mrrce. we need not point abroad aud hold up to view
the history of all great commercial enporiums, bu.
invite attention to the following facts taken from the
last census returns. The average cash value per
ncre of the farming lands, including both improved
aud unimproved, in nine leading COMMERCIAL States