The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-01-16
THE DAILY DISPATCH,
s., cAyURDAY MORNING. JANUARY Il, JssSs
] hj77fs RI5ER m k E';siSs q fI Il

yASuNuAI MOHNtNSA JANUARY ia tYaSsz
J1MES RIVER AND KANAWHA I'M
oysasr;si FRONEMENTAsas
a,As'sss rsadezsf havB Seen apprised III the
legislative proceedings published in yestdf.
days DppatA a committed has been APP
pointed BY the legislature to inquire into the
aaAirsaof the james River Company. We
Do not propose now to refer. 10 the various.
subjects embra ced in the proposed inquiry.
This we may do hereafter. We have no fear
Of the result Of any fair and impartial ipves.
ton. "A legislative committee was appointed
Last winter 10 Investigate the James River
Compamy's Affairs, and thesresuIt was, that
after . thorough sitting ofthe whole subject
Nssry charge brought againstth company
was blown into, Fragments as small as the
fnestpowdsr. Il The more 6srylthe ordeal to
which this company'is subjected, the brighter
and more tSiumphant will iscome out from
the furnace. 9 'ssa'a ,,szs.5 ct
But we must confess that, as citizens, of
Virginia, It is most Illuminating and mortify-
ing soAOehold the vacilating, caprieious and
sigzag policy.vhich seems to give shape to
the legislation of the State upon the subject
Of rnahimprovements.a There is no such
thing as regular, and systematic plan for
the sdsselopment Of the resources of the
StateEpo exhibition of a steady and tena.
c1ous adherence. to grand and 'comprehen.
sivesystem ofimprovements. We commence,
for example, . great public work, ike the
james River and Kanawha Canal, ia work
which was. suggested and enforced by the
wisdom,Of George Washington and of the
most iHustrious and venerable names of Vir-
ginia; work, the object of which, the union
of the waters ofthe James and the Ohio, 1t is
admitted, would, if accomplished, make vir-
ginia the Empire State ofthe,South work
which has On its side the lightly experience
offthe New York cas,als (which, at this very
moment, in the midst ofaYast network of rail-
roadn are setting: them all at defiance, con
veyih, lp SIS, property to the value of more
than g 'o0o'c69 faE the enlargement Of which
New Yorlshas recently appropriated 81 0 600
600 j a work, which, even in its present I'm
finished condition, and with all its peculiar
and heavy disadvantage, comes nearer pay
ing itsinterest than any other Improvement
of the Commonwealth, and transports lar
ger amount of tonnage than all the railroads
of the4State put together Instead of prose
cutting a. grand work like this TO its compile
ton, we scarcely bring il to the, threshold of
the field where it is to producetits greatest
cbenefts, before i. is beleaguered and assailed
Dian sidesAy thousand enemies, intent on
Its destruction Il must be stopped in mid
.,progress, crippled in every way land finally
ssBold Ont, lock, stool, and barrel. This tickle,
and unsteady spirit is visible in our whole
Legislation upon public improvements. We.
ootlke up one project with great ardour, start
it little way, then begin to cool off, find a
new love in some other quarter, and not only.
desert, but deride and denounce the old. AS
soon as one railroad is pretty.well advanced
instead Of expending. a sum large enough, to
complete it, we either deny any farther APP
spyepriatioA or give but stinted sum in or.
der, to allow us to build another railroad
(which shall tap and render valueless the one
already IN existence, With, one hand we
icrsate and with the other we destroy: The
result is that the public works of Virginia re-
onain unproductiye, a; ard the probability u.s.
othat long .ere she reaches the Ohio, the field
OWL hes reached and occupied by other
aStases a. tst, srsr45a yi'seio y ,;sia". ssai
yTl1G s s7 ~ - 3 : 80 - a., ~ So
80 si,d, PUBLIC EXECUFI0NS.; - 81
n. y the. Staunton Spectator, in an article upon
the recent execution of Trayer in that place,
sand the heartless levity manifested by many
On the occasion, thelarger part Of the crowd
seeming to regard the occasion as mere fro
hSY urges upon the Legislature the, preNie
sty OF abolisling public executions. Several
efforts have been made at former sessions of
the Legislature te enact law with that OBJ
.iect.nl Tn csc effnrtsl failnd hit we should he