Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-01-19

MONDAY MORNlRH, "a
..1,,,p rKrg INTERESTS OF vIRGINIA. "-Unde
th;s head. a gentleman of this city is within
letters 10 the Argus, in which he has starte
out TO show what are the draw-backs upo" III
prosperity of Virginia, and to propose some =
form. We are glad to see articles upon IN
subject let them be based upon any PartIcul
xci;,. f5- they call forth attention and lead
p,op,e more clearly to examine what indeed
t.,eir trne interests. 1t docs seem, how!'
tbst * irr,inius '-earncst as he seems to r.
tho ,rc,fare Of the Commonwealth no'"s
to worI, the right way to suggest reform -,
ter speaking of the fruitless effects oil him
ycntions, in which we perfectly agree W 49,
lie goes on to say: o.ns
We come now to treat of particul .I I;tayS
which suggest themselves TO tne WIZ
90 accomplish the proposed ENDS. a comnle-
E;rct ard foremost among these ise conp, o,,
,ion of the leading through lines II VIRGINIA.
- ,rovament pOlig lls.a
We need not pause to enumerate I'm; ous Sun
ply remark that it is idle to eXS ..'.;
portatiOnS to be made through uSlh'a ee UNI li
the means are provided for taBlgthe! "n anu ,
distributing them through g Interior Oh Tue
South and West Hence propose 10 cum
plete the leading lines at searly day as Poss-
IbIe. The means we dC1iot no" SuSsTs'' ~
they would be quite difgent IRON those ne aa
fore adopted As a seCnd means OF Prouuoi"s
the desired result. weSould suggest the proPrl-
ETY. OF. in some forr,encouFaging direct impor
tation from FuronGb by i'her eXempting such
imports from taxa,On, or in some other manner
making 1t to the aterests of our merchants to
make direct impFtations:
We presuucJhat it is a fact well known to
the writer, ths population and internal improve
ments go hanl in hand-Or, that the latter in
crease in a raio with the former; and that to
either finish br sustain leading lines of railroad,
We must not only have the where-withal in the
iirst place. but forever afterwards to insure any
benefit from these lines when completed. The
policy OF Virginia, the writer well knows, mas
been anti-internal Improvement. She has man
ifcsted a listless Indifference to the growth OF
her sister States, and has been content to see
them grow up beside her and outstrip her.
Wewill illustrate our meaning by an example.
Some days ago there appeared in northern pa
per, an advertisement of a farm for sale, near
Frcdericksburg, through which a railroad and
plank road both passed. The farnrcontained,
If we mistake not, some 100 acres, and it was
stated that the whole body of land could be had
at SIS per acre-and only one-third cash would
he required at that price, Conserving this
town of Fredericksburg, which is so convenient
to the farm, Iippencott's Gazetteer gives the
following: fredericksburg, the chief town of
Spottsylvania county, Va, on the right bank of
the..:: Rappahannock river, at the head of tide
water, 60 miles north of Richmond. 1t is plea
sanity situated in a fertile valley, and has Gd-
aontages for commerce and manufactures. The
railroad from Washington to Richmond, passes
'hrnn0ll tho town. and n canal has been con-
structed from this place to point on the river
10 miles above, by which large quantities Of
wheat, flour and tobacco are received for cxpor-
ration. The river affords ertensire mater poacer,
which, however, as not much used. Large guam
titles of fine granite and freestone are found in
the vicinity. 1t had in 1850, 1862 inhabitants
Here, then, is a farm, lying in the centre of
Virginin, in n fertile valley, railroad and plank
rond passing through it, few miles from the
chief town of the county, only GO miles from
the capital of the State, having extensive water
power, and rich beds of granite and free stone,
all these advantages situated around it, aud
yet offered for So per acre.
Now it becomes Virginians to take this fact up
for consideration, and show why it is that this
land, so we'll situated, is so worthless. Why it
is that land in Ohio county, Virginia, or indeed
any where in the Panhandle, hilly as it is, is
is selling ut 500 and $50 per acre, while land in
the centric of the State is worth only s..
How does he expect to build up railroads and
sustain them by such lands as these, for he must
own that agriculture is at the bottom ofall com
1nercial prosperity? We hope to hear from him
upon this subject.
The second means which "virginius" propo-
scs, is to encourage "direct importation from
Europe, by either cxenpting such imports from
taxation" &c. That is, we suppose, from some
port in Europe to some one in Virginia. We
are not sure that we understand the matter
clearly on this point, as to whether or no he
means that Virginia should act in this case a
State. Taking the heading of his article, which
reads, al propose now to suggest some practi-
ral means by which Virginia may accomplish
what she so much desires" We are induced to
think he does If so, we remind him of the
following clauses in the Constitution of the Uni
ted States. Section sth of article LIST reads:
''.ll duties, imports, and excuses shall
be uniform throughout the United States.
,'Congress shall have power to regulate COM
,nerce with foreign nations, and among the sew
eral States, aud with the Indian Tribes" -
NO preference shall be given by any regula-
ton of commerce or revenue to the ports of
one State over those of another; nor shall YES
sells bound to, or from, one State be Obliged TO
enter, clear or pay duties in another" NO
State shall, without the consent of the Congress-,
lay any duties on imports or exports, ex
ccpt what may DO absolutely necessary for
executing its inspection laws, and the net pro-
ucc of all duties and imports, laid by the State.
or imports or exports, shah DC .tor tho use Of tD