The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-12-13
The DAILY DISPATCH.

1
| The circalstion of the DAILY DIsPATCH
RishmosS eomhioo.sy that Of sliths Dsiiypspsrs Of
RIcHMoHD, VA.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER Is, 1854.
SPIRIT oFTHE PRESS.
The Examiner, 10 its leading srtice, investigates
the causes of the fall of Virginia bonds. the crippled
condiion ofrailroad finances throughout the State,
And the distresses and losses which all classes of the
community, directly or indirectly connected with
railroads. are suffering. The writer coments with
considerable severity upon the policy which the
State has pursued. in commencing a dozen great
works east of the mountains, and expendins all
nor resources upon them, leaving that which
was necessary to the productiveness of ALA
angie great western connection, untouched and
unprovded for. Virginia has now outstanding
some s25,0o0,0O0 of debt without . single pro.
duc'ive Improvement to help her sustain the bur.
den. Not one of the public works In which the
State is chief s,ockholder is yet earning expenses
or has any prospect of paying dividends for Eve
years to come Isi Continues the writer) remark.
able that her bonds should fall when even this
ugly condition Of sffairs is aggravated BY the me-
cessity OF pushing still other bonds upon the mar
ket, for the same unpromising and secondary
works, to the amount of several hundred thousand
dollars month Low charges upon railroads are
viewed by the Examiner as another cause of the
embarrassment. The extravagant appropriations
OF the Legislature were the foundation of the evil
the loans of the session before last aggravated it,
and the usurious sale Of corporation bonds that
nave been made In the last eight months completed
the role OF folly and madness SO far as railroad
corporations were enactors. The Examiner in
conclusion urges, as measure necessary to the
completion of those public works upon which the
productiveness of the whole Virginia system de-
pends, that the banks of the State must all be re-
quired to base their circulation upon State bonds
90 that there may be no conflict between rival sys.
TENS and SO that neither system shall be Interested
In destroying the credit of the State herself
The Whig publishes the vote of Virginia in the
gubernatorial contest of 1851 and also that of the
Presidential contest OF 1852 The vote for govern.
or Is as follows: Johnson e. 427 Summers so, 266;
Johnsons majority 7,14l. The vote for President
Is, Pierce 72,4l3; Scott 57,132 Pierce's majority
1921. Specializing upon these figures, the Whie
assumes that the Presidential vote were to be ta
ken over, Gen. Scott would receive majority, and
that with some other man of greater popularity.
Ger. Pierce would be beaten by az large majority
as that which he received But laying the Presiden.
tial vote out of the question, the Wkig considers
that the gubernatora vote of 1851 is even over the
mark of the true Democratic majority In the State
Estimating it however at 1000, all it wants il the
help of some three or four thousand Democrats to
beat the Wise ticket. 1t has no doubt of the defeat
of that ticket All that s necessary Concludes the
writer) is aproper concert of action among those
opposed to it,
The Enquirer publishes the preamble and reso.
iutions adopted at a general meeting of the order
Of Know Nothings of the city of Brooklyn, on the
oath ult, taking exception to the action of the
Grand Council of the State of New York, In max.
ing an independent nominations for State officers
without instructions to that effect from the subor-
dinate councils of the State &c. &c-purporting to
be official exposition of the means of coercion
and menace which Know Nottingham employs to
enforce obedience to its commands. The Enquirer
believes that when the purposes of the Know
Nothings are detected and the means by which they
operate exposed, they will receive the indignant
reprobation of the people.
The Penny Post gives summary of the revela.
tionA made by Smith, the captain who was lately
tried in New York for commanding vessel en-.
gagged in the African slave trade from which it ap
pears that New York is the greatest port for this
trade In the world. There 10 also an article upon
the action of the late Railroad Convention in this
city, upon the subject of free tickets, by which the
editors of Virginia, who have published column
after column for the benefit OF the railroad compa
mics, are to be hereafter denied the courtesy of
gratuitous travel. The Post learns there has been
some mistake about this matter, and hopes there
has; for it would not willingly think so badly of
human nature as believe that it was really the In
tenton of the railroad Presidents to exclude class
to which they are SO deeply indebted.
EXECUTION IN CALIFoRNIA-Dennis OfBrien
was executed at Mokelumne Hill recently for the
murder of Michael Ryan. His true name, he said
on the gallows, was William O'Brien, and that he
was from Balina, county Tipperary, Ireland.
AccrDENr.-Mrs. John c. Miller fell from the
verandah of her dwelling in San Francisco on the
14th ult, and was SO badly injured that it was
feared death would ensue
FROM JAPAN.-By the arrival of the Star Of the
West we have interesting Intelligence from Japan.
The steamship Susquehanna, on her passage from
China to San Francisco, touched at Simoda, one
of the two ports openedto our commerce by treaty.
Capt buchanan had an audience with the governor,
and the very best feeling prevailed, ali timdiy
the part of the Japanese having disappeared.
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FLORIDA LEGIaLAruRE.-It ID now stated that the
reports heretofore circulated, stating that the Know
Nothings were in the sscendent in the Florida Le-
gislature. are wholly untrue.
RAILROAD AceIDENr.-John Thornley,. an engi-
neer, was killed by an accident the Central Ohio
railroad on Friday last, and Noses Brown, fire.
man, severely injured.
FREE BANK SEcunrrrEs.-The State Treasurer Of
New Jersey, In view of the recent depreciation in
almost every description Of bonds. has made de-
| mand upon the Free Banks of that State for addi