Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-02-27
synopsis of the Remarks

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Railroad. -
The question being to indefinitely post ipone the
Virginia and Tennessee Railroad bill, as the IN
finished business Of yestssday, MIR. Harris opposed
the resolution, because it was test question. aud
would result if passed in the indefinite postpone
ment of the great question Of Internal Improve
ments for the next two years. MIR. II. declared
if he were to consult his own inclination. lie would
not trouble the Senate with speech now, but he
owed il to his constituents, and his own position
heretofore demanded of him. his views in opposi-
tion to the resolution of his friend the Senator from
Gloucester.
The faith of the State he declared was pledged
to the completion of her important net work OF In
ternal improvements The credit of The State
demands il, as it must be injured severely by put
ting sudden check TO her great lines o! Hallway.
The people of this glorous old Commonwealth he
believed were moi prepared for this. lie believed
although we had an unusual sirngency In our
money. owing 10 The high rate of interest. here
and on the n!her side of The water, caused by the
war in the Cti8ea ard other causes, that the peo
pie of Virginia were willing to submit 10 further
taxation to aid in carrying out her important linss
of Railway. The people of Virginia are hot
willing that The large aiImunts now Invesef shall
remain comparatively dead. and the works now
unfinished, in which The State has interest TO The
amount oi several millions, remain in an exposed
condition and in state of increasing dlanidstIon.
He, Mr.. H., believed the State credit would
receive renewed impetus if this Legislature
shall show bold front and a determination 10
finish the great work already begun, aud to meet
ihe interest promptly upon the appropriations
n ~ IN he audi In
that The deficit in 1857 would require only ~ !
cents upon every 500 additional taxation 10 meet
it, He was ready 10 meet The issue now upon
this and every other question OF importance before
the Legislature.
Mr.. Harris said that the indefinite postpone
ment Of this bill would be but to put period to
internal Improvements in this State. Ii this was
what was desired he wanted gentlemen to come
up and toe the mark at once. He believed the
hestating course of the last Legislature had done
more than anything else to depress the bonds OF
the State. And shall we do the same thing now
If measures had been taken 10 complete our great
works, in his (Mr. H's.) opinion, The State bonds
would not now be in their present deprecated
condition. Mr.. II. represented the largest tax.
paying county in the State, except Loudoun, and
he was willing to tax his people, who would sub
nit to it, to complete The great works. His con
stituenls paid 900 of taxes, and on their flour
and other products they had made $4,000 clear
by the Central Railroad alone. He could afford
to tax his people to carry out grand schemes oil
internal improvement, and fur that purpose he
would vote for an increase of 100, yea 200 pc!
cent, rather than see her Improvements stop short
and anguish for means. lie then went into q
calculation to show the extraordinary increase IN
the value of lands occasoned by works OF internal
improvement. On the Orange and Alexandra
road lands had increased eight or ten dollars per
acre. On the Virginia and Tennessee road the
increase was five dollars per acre--enough TO pay
double tia interest on all that is asked for both
those works. On the Covington and Ohio road
the increased value was two dollars per acre ln
expectancy. The increased value Of the lands on
the line of this great work, would not be less thar
thirty millions. With all Difference to the opinion
of his friend from Rockingham, he would say ia,
the people to meet the interest, and all would b.
well. Another thing. The banks are knocking
at the doors of these legislative has-their officer
were here present-their money was present.
asking for recharters. Require the banks to inves
four or five millions in the bonds of the State
likewise sell the interest Of The State in the banks
He was not an anti Bank man. AS an origna
question he did not know how he would be-
Ninety men out of every one hundred were no
interested in Banks. But every man, women ant
child is interested in the great cause Of interna
improvement The Banks have their favorite
and they take care of them. Every man havin!
turkey, chicken, or bushe of potatoes to sci
is interested in our public works. He (Nlr. H..
was prepared to vote on all the bills now on tht
table. If he could not vote on them he might a.
well 90 home and attend to his private Affairs
| He then went on to elaborate an Idea which hat
been suggested BY the Senator from kanawba
| (Alr. Parks that the Covington and Ohio roaC
was great Southern work. Gentlemen could q
West with their slaves without being wheeler
led" In national point Of view, this worl
ought to be completed. He did not know that he
was fire eater, yet he had been cIassed among
the old foqies If blood was to be shed on tbi;
sectional question, Virginia would be the field OF
which it was first to be split. Then lei US show
that on this great question: we are not The "fossi
remains of aniediluvianisn." flour public work:
are to stop, let it be done by the Juveniles
the other branch of the General Assembly. LIE
our public works reach the west so that when tht
day comes when their services are needed, on
western brethren can speedily lend US their assis
tance
He was pleased to see, in the discussion Of tn
Parsons case. each member of the Senate yieIns
with members Of the other House in declaration 0
| devotion 10 Southern rights. The cause OF inlef
nal Improvements in Virginia was the basis o
Southern rights, because it was the basis OF S0nth
ern Independence. and he would be glad to SCI
gentlemen of both Houses Of the General Assem-
/ bly, whom he was happy to find as hot as the!
| -l,,lo tt.p.. In ha I'm
Southern rights, come with that boItess whcl
characterizes Virginans, straight up TO this test
| their devotion.
A Convention, composed OF Southern gentlemen
was pow in session 10 this city, 10 advance tn
noble cause of Southern commercial independence
Shall we, this day, then, strike blow at Southern
independence, as far as The internal improvement
policy Of Virginia was concerned, which, whe
completed. would unite her with glorious cordo
of Southern States. who were outstripping US j
the march of empire2 Mr.. III. said he wante
gentlemen who showed so much fire in the Par
sons case, to come up TO the support of Souther
independence. He (Mr. H. had voted agalns
referring the House bill to a committee and want
ed to vote for the bill as it came from the House
but had no opportunity. He was, however, vii
inq TO 90 as far as the fiercest. He did not agre
with his friend, the Senator from Kanawha, tha
there was no danger of dissolution of this gNri
oss Union, cousecrated by The blood of patriots AM
the wisdom of sages. Practically, there was nov
no Union, as to several of the States, North @
Mason and Dxon's line; no Union under III
guarantees of the Constitution. The foul breat
of fanaticism and sectionalism had palsied tn
| right arm of the representative branch of the Ma
tional Government. Congress was in state Q
disorganizatiou the people had no ,edress throHg
their representatives. He was prepared for tn
worst. "Nlllons for defence, not cent for trib
ute," was his motto. He appealed to members
stand by the internal improvement policy of Viz
giaia. as great State and .Nalionat question, a
the basis too, of States tights and State sOveI
eighty.
MIR. H. declared that sectional jealousy on th