Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-03-07

u
bushels q trip. and about eighteen trip
are made, on an average, by each. fesse
per annum. Thus, not less than sT mil
lions of bushels Of oysters are taken from
Virginia fnndnm per annums worth. Al
twenty cents per bushel, The sum OF So,
400, 900 per annun. About one sixth
only are taken in Virginia bottoms and
|fiYe-sixths in vessels chiefly from Mary
land. Pennsylvania and New York. This
is property OF the State; and sold at one
cent per bushel it would produce $780,
600 per annum of revenue. a system oi
revenue laws should be framed to regulate
this trade and to provide .gis
1st. For a monopoly OF our citizens in
the trade. ed. To protect the reprodue.
ton of the shell fish, by regulating the
times, places and manner of taking them.
Sd. To produce revenue, ,sby q system
of revenue cutters aud inspectors. TO SUI
perintend, the catching and planting OF
them, levying tax on licenses to take
them and plant them on, the fundula 81
public waters, SO as not to interfere with
the navigation OF the United, States.
Labor in this trade is more productive
than in the gold mines of Galifornia.--
Hands can earn from two to ten dollars
per capita per diem. A tax of one cent
per busbel would be the slightest burthen
Of taxation known in this or any other
State, and would yield at least one-fourth
of one million of dollars nett revenue
With two small steam cutters to cost not
and with inspectors for the creeks and
harbours to.be paid out Of fees ofinspection
the whole system. could, under the orders
of the Executive, be made effective and
to yield more revenue every year. as it is
demonstrable that the trade is indestruc>
tible. The oyster is so productive and
prolific that it yields two families fit for
market every seven years, and is incRleu-
liable in the numbers of its spawn, ! am
confident, from the data have collected,
that in few years the State could be
made to realize half million of dollars
of revenue per annum from the oyster
rocks. And beside the purposes of reyeS
nue. these steamers could be made obser-
Went to purposes of police, very necessa-
ry to be provided for in other aspects ol
State policy.
Let it not be said, then, that Virginia
is lacking in resources, or that she need
be oppressed By taxation, or that public
works must be stopped, or public credit
suffer, when she has relief SO ready al
hand as this remarkable and neglected
source of revenue, her own public pro-
perty.
Whatever may have been the differ
ence of opinions respecting the commence
ment of our public works, there Is no diff
ference of opinion at this day on the ques.
tionS whether the leading lines should be
rapidly completed-whethe taxes should
be laid amply sufficient to carry them on
economically and, whether appropri-
ations should be made and applied under
some regular system. We have been
wanting insystem, the works are nowhere
completed, and none yield revenue from
that cause. These causes impair the great
interest of State improvement itself, make
our incomplete works very costly, and ap.
preparations to them always difficult, and
some times. to fail. It is time that some
of our leading lines wese finished. Until
then, appropriations TO works Of minor
Importance ought to be withheld, and all
works Of every grade would thereby the
sooner be constructed and made TO return
a profit. The argument in favor Of Sys'
tenn Of improvements is in no respect bet
ter enforced and illustrated, than by IFS
relation TO our monetary exchange, and
our Banking system. We are an agricul.
tural and producing State, without a CEN
ire of trade, without foreign commerce.
and without manufactures and yet we
authorize the issue Of about Sl2. .0oo, 900
Of Bank paper. The issue goes 10 seve>
raj centres Of trade, in one form or anoth.
er, to purchase articles Of consumption, Or
to negotiate trade In our products, at least
four times a year, paying every quafter
at least three fourths Of one per cent, OF
three and oue>half per cent. on the ag-
gregate once year. In other words,
the producers aud consumers Of Virginia,
paya tax of about S42O, 600 per annum,
more than the whole amout Of the appro>
priation to our civil list, for exchange mp
on our Bank issaes. Why Not because
the Banks are unsound; or do an illegiti-
innate business in exehange-it may be
that they are our best defenders, properly
regulated against the brokers Of the cen
tres without our limit-but because we
have no centre Of trade in our own limits.
Western Virginia is under the centre Of
Cincinnati, and Eastern Virginia Is under
the centres of Baltimore, Philadelphia,
New York aud Boston. They do our bu.
sine5s Of exchange and Of commerce.
And Why have We no ceptre Of trade and
of foreign commerce No mart 10 eon-
troll exchange? Il is because we have
not brought the back country Of the West
by internal improvements; 70 our Atlantic
front. We have not reached back to the
Ohio River at Point Pleasant, at the Big
Sandy or at Memphis, and piled de psbd-
Ium for foreign trade on quay Of CON-
nerce on the waters Of the Chesapeake.
Do that. and capital and popuiatiou viii