Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-11-14

dearrr, and more uncertain routes, Is dong.
And suppose, moreover, that the through passengers
on the double track railway will, al the cnl Of this time,
be no more than half Il million q year. The Hudson
River railway carried q million and ahalf of passeII-
gers last year.
. Now TO keep the road bed and canal in repair for
all this business, will require no more than II would
probably not 80 much-to keep them in repair for one
train and one boat day. The rails on the road would
perhaps wear n little more, but the additional expense
TO the State on that score, would be trliiIng.
At the end of ten year, from the completion oil the
road, and when lis business siinll have become well
settled aud firmly established, and when competition
shall have brought all the charges for transportation
down TO the lowest figure, then the State without III
iuri0uslv affecting the amount Of freight may Ia! Il
small toll, say of two mills per ton per mile on their
estimated three millions Of tons, both over her ruII'
way and canal.
, Mills on three millions tons for iG5 miles, sa,79O,OOO
l cent on half million passengers for 10
miles. l,I2',"o
Total annual receipts from this work, $~3,9l5,0OO
Eyn.n.rs ON account of rrpair of way, 29G,000
Total ne: revenue to the State, S3,bl',ooo
4 net revenue of three millions md a half To the
State! Why, this continued for another ten years,
would pay of all her debts, and leave the people tree
from any more taxes.
Now, do not let this startlc YOU, for this was the
very thing that the Erie Canal WINS doing for the State
Of New York before it, enlargement was commenced.
Had that work not been enlarged, II would ut tins
time nave pnlu tor Itself ana would nave Drcn !lclu-
ing, If treated financially, n revenue sufficient to de-
frny the expenses Of that State, md SO relieve the pco-
pie there from any State taxation whatever. lhia II
whit WINS expected Of il then, and this Is what Is eN-
pectcd of its enlargement now.
Nor would this he all the end of the first year
after completion, the stock of the james River inn
provcmcIIt, which is now only nolnInally worm lew
cents on the dollar, would be ut premium. and OF which
the State owns three millions. The stock OF the Cen
trial, the Alexandra, the Tennessee aud the South.
Side railways, in all Of which the Stntc holds an inter
est amounting, | suppose, to some four orhVe millions
more, and worth Oh the average now about fity or
sixty cents in the dollar, would "l he, no doubt up 10
par.
For keeping the r0nd bed aud canal in repair for the
frst year or two, until the tolls Oh the railway passed.
gers would suffice, the State would be- handsomely re.
nunerated by the value which this Improvement would
impart tn the bonds md stocks Of the aforesaid rall-
WAYS and canal.
Of coursc this plan contcmPlates the ownership by
the State OF the entire works Of the James RIVER Com-
pany, with which corporation she should proceed u
compound forthwith.
promised 10 say n word more about the gauge oi
this double track road. Ii should he OF the marrow
gauge, because all the roads in existence with whlchu
is to connect are of that gauge. The CentTal roau,
with all its connections, IL OF that gauge, anu Vi tlh'
gauge are the roads of Ohio and Kentucky.
There is n notion among the South Siiers,.' that
produce from the Ohio on arriving ut CofihGtou'
would, If the road were Of this broad gauge, takr, III
stead of canal, the sire railroad routes 10 N"ri"lk.-
Not SO. Railways to canals are tcrdcrs not Suckers. =.
Being n free track, and open to the coinpe.''tinh "i
individual and corporate enterprise, M eitNcF III"
choose to put and run cars uponl', the hchtucky' omm
and Virginia roads that are in connection WIN H. III
having cars of the same gauge, can Rlso run 'lcir ,rulis
upon it,-and this is the more Desirable especlaHy NJ
the first going of, when individuals Will prefer 10 LOOK
on for awhile, because the business 10 them "ou'u oc
new.
There ia another advantage in this connection. In
times of pressing business over this double track
competitors upon it can buy, charter or h'rG ro r
stock from the Kentucky and ONO ro"aS' lne zen,
trul, the Alexandra, aud Richmond, ETC., to run upon
this double track and help to carry freight ana p"'-
sengers a. occasion may require. ~.
Moreover, the State il tlIrec.tftlis owner. Oo'l VI
the Central and Alexandria roads, and, therefore, us
more TO the interest Of the State that the gauge OF the
Central should not be broken. But the gauge CUES
ton is too small an affair to stand i'll tho way oil ms
work. Let us return to our examination OF ~"
Do you think that my estimate Of iG"fDy" .hirt
gers for this road the first year is too high MINK
it low. Let's see: There is a line OF PACKER ooats
between Louisville and Wheeling, and have seen II
stated that last year when the Ohio was IN GOOD oraep
these boats landed daily at Wheeling between wv
and 900 passengers. This they did for three or iour
months. They carried as many back also, ! suppose.
Thus back aud forth there was here an average
movement Of not less than lOuo passengers a u".'L
Surprising this travel continued but Tor io Iay', III
that all the passengers should, mud nearly ali "oulu'
come through Virrinia, We at once, ind without !unk.
ing elsewhere, have here u source tor tEis es'ill.'ea
number, and To spare. The mountains anu inc mllc-
raj springs Of Virginia would, especially IN inc sum-
mcr sine, draw them off the river, even II II "oie
advantages of the route should fail. y quarter OF n
million would, ! believe, be nearer The mnrh' even LOT
the first year, instead Of NJ the end OF rTe OF sA ye"s
~ per estimates.
You observe, that in my estimates as 10 the busi-
ness of this road, | have sought tn be WITHIN oo"n9s.
| have taken no account OF lis way business Nor
have ] invited you to contemplation ollts chcclsup-
on the salt and coal interests OF the h"nnwi"' upon ~
timber, the iron and the minerals among !he "s,un-
AMI. -. ,,-n a., ;,Jn,r;u1 r.spuri.ps of iUc NlNle
generally. Its effects in these respects woniu Dc most
cheering, yet | throw them ail III, Tor whcrc IL III a
gin is so large for through business, there Il no heed
to take any account Of these.
And why should II When | remind you that inns
work will bring Cincinnati and Louisville, WI VIII noo ol nn1
domestic trade, imports and exports, nl Soovwup:oco
per annum, nearer to the shipping points IN ,irslm"
than to New York by 500 miles. | mean by me wa
ter route to New York, which is the cheapcSl anu 'nt
grcatest highway of commerce bctwee" 'o ""'
r and that city.
The construction of this work, aud its management
upon the plan proposed, would have the eiiect" i CIV
ing TO Virginia complete monopoly "l me t"naceo
trade, for every hogslcad OF Kentucky too"cco
would pass over it: First, because by TINS roI'e IL
could reach n shipping port for the sea Vovn7c ,a'ni'
} er and quicker than by any other route: ana nHh', DC,
cause the voyage down to New Orleans, anu lneho'
to Europe, in the heat and damrs OF the gun stsam'
injure il ut the rate OF about q cent a pound ,HueRen'
r dent of the longer sea voyage, the heavier ireiShus'
, and the higher rates of insurance incident 10 'he ""'r
cation around the reefs of Florida.
Moreover, owing to climate AMI otl@ ctrHH'
stances, this Kentucky tobacco would stop III 'TS!nn
, TO be manufactured; for no wlrro III The tl'ttu
States is tie climate, which Is al IL al, niGt' in'otai
bic i,r this business than iii Virginia. l en- YOU
Kentucky tobacco has actually been sent aF1uEu ''Th
New Orleans by sea to Norfolk, thence back up tAg
country to BE- manufactured at Petersburg ano
Lynchburg. At these places it would stop on us way
down.
Brazil is our great -four market. From braz!' we
get most of our coffee, and the great, place Vi coz
sumption for coffee il "Out West" where II consu'
tutes a regular part of every meal. To exchange the
flour OF the West for this coffee, md send II over ,his
t free track railway to the people there, would iulme'
dlutely place Virginia in an active and prcftaoie C,
rect trade with South America, for then she "9uo
have the back country and the customers, instead' az
heretofore, merely the resolutions OF conven'ions 10
support her. .
You have heard a great deal said in Virginia aoou'
direct trade. Many plans have been proposed loi
building it up; but the architects Of oil these plans
appear 10 me to have forgotten the foundation. Sup
pose foreign merchandise in quantities were brought
into Alexandria, Norfolk, Petersburg and Richmond