The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-05-16

The Of delay in beginning and completing her
works distractions Of extraordinary character not
hndcring any other State new or old. Her social and
territorial conformation not only segregated her commu-
mites, hut detached her plans of public Improvement into
separate and independent and competing schemes they
wanted unity, entirety, and concentration :
Again Cast your eye upon the map of her mountain
ranges and you that from the point where she first
touches the steps of the Blue Ridge with her great canal
her roads TO the point Allegheny where she can
connect them with the Ohio waters she must pass
through back bone of from TO two hundred miles of
mountains running in parallel ridges northeast aud
southwest her entire limits Tunnel after tunnel
at short intervals arrests her progress and makes each
work of patient labor and OF time She has to
come summitleve Of nearly 900 feet, for breadth
from east TO west which other people the continent
than Virginans, have yet Another
obstruction of improvement has been very defective sys
tenn of land laws, preventing dense settlement of popua
ton by the confusion of titles which involved the western
people in litigation, and drove them from our locations to
other States settled under the land ordinance Of the Uni
ted States by regular surveys entries and regstres We
have had no land system warrants OF location We're
left 10 private selection the State has issued patents with
out proper tests of titles and thus surveys entries and
titles have become confused and uncertain and litigation
has depopuated the very western territory which most
needed settlers 10 develop newer larger and richer
regions of the Commonwealth This cause trust will
be removed for the future by next general assembly
Another obstruction in the past up to 1851 was the
anomalous condition in which divided territory had
placed popular representation in the Legislature The
mountains divided people three
apparent diversity and opposition of interests The east
slope with every facility to market had the power of
representation the new, rugged western mountains and
valleys without to market except the hoofs Of
fat CATTLE had the majority of population and felt the
necessity of taxation for development Thus he popo Of
The State dipidef against The necessity Of de State The me-
cessy was side of the mountain and the repre-
sentaton the other. The struggle to equalize the
representation according to the number of citizens and
voters engcndered strife and sectional antagonsm. The
east then felt necessity to be taxed for roads and
nails and had the majority of representatives to withhold
appropriations to public works. the west was obliged to
get to market and demanded representation according to
the number Of sovereign voters in order to exert the
Legislative power of taxation to develop the transmon
tame section TO connect the east and the west to give
homogencity of interest to the State and TO begin the
work of improvement and progress The east with equal
sagacy and generosity yielded the contest, and equal
lied representation seeing that the west was its back
country of production, and its only resource OF COM
merce, and that il Qhe cast would benefit
trade than he scest agriculture, it wisely consented
to the great problem Of uniting he power 10 NE nee
silly Of The STATE, and thus gave impetus TO
internal development AT first this impulse was too
strong and ever-acted Appropriations to the amount
OF some twelve millions in 1851 1852, 1858, raised
the amount of public debt rather rapidly, and there
reaction credit But the checks and
balances provided in the new constitution of
1851 to restrain the extravaganza of appropriations and
to guard the sacredness of public credit BY the 27th
section debt be created without majority of the
members of each house of the general assembly BY the
18th section the general assembly cannot pledge the faith
of the State or bind it in any form, for the debts or obi
cations of any company corporation by the 10Th
ton sinking fund is mperativey provided for the old
debt, and debt in future be incurred without
in like manner, providing the means to redeem 1t in thir
tyfour years and the general assembly is prohibited from
appropriatng the sinking fund.- except in time of war,
instruction, invasion BY section 30th provision is
made for sale of State stocks for increase OF sinking fund.-
and by section 3lst the general assembly is restrained
from contracting loans causing to be issued certificates
of debt bonds of the State redeemabe for period
greater than thirty fonr years Thus you that muni
cpa legislation is guarded by the organic law and public
credit fortified and guaranteed by the constitution instead
of being left to repealable statutes SO jealous has Vir
gina been of her honor debtor that no Rev Sidney
Smith of England could make her blush for any sin
of Reputation in all her history.
In aid of this removal of distractions to progress and
Of this consolidation of public credit other Of
prosperity have arisen and coopcratcd. Whilst the
States tonnage foreign trade has not materially incIos-
ed the vessels of coast and licensed tonnage have been
greatly nagnied in capacity and speed and regularity OF
voyage The steamers plying between Norfolk and
Richmond in Virginia and New York, and Philadelphia
and Baltimore the points of export and import are OF
class quite equal to the ocean class Of steamers few years
ago increased licensed and coast trade have gradu
ally demanded these and these in turn have increased
that trade and enriched rivers by their aYmgs Of
trade in traasitu.
Again the increase Of our population and Of the com
paratiye activity of trade in the eastern portion Of the
State has changed the large plantation system of culture
into smaller horticultural and arJorcuurat farming, and the
immense fields scourged by tobacco brought
der rotation Of cereal and garden products, made
green again by manures and grazing.
And above all the agricultural causes ie concentrated
maures taHo and he chemical preparations have come in to
fructfy our fields and make them smile gardens At
least millions of have been thus improved at
the rate of 81 so per acre, making gross annual in
crease of products Of at least ten millions of dollars at
cost OF three and half millions, leaving net annual
gain to the State of about six and half million dollars
per annum from this cause alone This more than the
demand for cotton and than the increase of the pre-
cous metals has added 10 the price of labor and the value
of our slaves and lands
The effect of the public works already completed and
those other causes has been in the last five years to
increase the value of the real estate than hun
dred millions of dollars to double the value of about
500 900 slaves and to largely increase the amount of tax
able personal property, exceeding two hundred mil
lions BY actual assessment just reported for
purposes
The real estate is, In round numbers S3Ts 900, 900
The slaves -----r-v---~-------- 237 000, 900
The personality --------------v----- $4,000, 900
Grand total of State wealth. ------ 7s2, 900, 900
But the personality greatly mdervaIued and the ag
gregate wealth of the State may he safely estimated
exceeding 800 millions. In 1850 the maximum estimate
was 600 millions showing increase in half decade of
200 millions Besides this permanent value already
CURED the State has nearly lG millions of acres Of
PROVED land vel u drolopa and appreciated, and has be-
sides an annual product OF IS 900 hogsheads Of obaeco
Is million bushels of wheat 500 900 bushels of rye