Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-05-30


the manufacturing States, hut the causes
enumerated ~ere required to settle ilissou-
ri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Loui-
siana, Mississippi, Alabama. Florida Qcor-
gia. Texas Aud besides these planting
,S.;ttns, Virginia has contributed to gil mp
Nhia, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan. Iowa,
Wisconsin,, and now California, Kansas,
and Nebraska She has cmigrants and their
DESCENDANTS in these States and Territories
equal u the number she has retained at
ho,ae, And this has given her moral iu-
iuenee equal to if not exceeding the power
of railroads. cauals, and denser population
Il she has noteonstrucied tho former and in
creased the latter, she has built up empires
Of free States to acknowledge her maternity
70 sustain her PelitY, ana to feel her syn.
pathles and ties Of political affinity. Sho
aes produced the population Which has g6ue
forth from her womb, and they have fyucti-
iicd and multiplied 50 rs to strengthen her
stakes in the Confedor9ey af States If Sic
has not commerce n vet, she has tais, and
thi5 is not going behind commerce. and she
has done Der part for commerce too, for she
has furnished 10 New York her fill proper
zion Of raw material to make up the audit Of
? great American mart. besides I direct
trade Of g., 1875 ,3GI Of exports and SG92a.
800 q. imports per annam In all aspects,
then she has not gone backwards nor stood
still in the race of empire; and this is PROV
Cd ty the moral force she now wielaS in the
nation. with thirteen Federal Kenecsenta-
tvos oal vas compared with Ohio, Fenusyl-
sania. or New York, each having nasrly
double her number in Congress. Il she ,l3es
mot WELD stocks on OK sbange, she deeg have
the peRef Of first rate State in tileGu6inet
of Government and III the conservation Of
society.
And during all this time fg3gn first TO
last, she has not a has been supposed neg
ieetod her physical improvements Her
undertakings Of grand works were among
the very earliest, aud she gave birth to the
first conceptions Of the greatest enterprises
which have since been executed aud realiz.
ed by applied science in our country
By turning your eye to IA new chapter
n the carly life Of Washington, in connex-
ion with the Narrative History Of the Po-
tonac, BY John pickell," published by D.
Appleton L. Co. New York, 1856, you
will see that it WAS the Virginia mind which
anticipated every idea of De Witt elnton ,
that it WAS the forecast of Washington which
opened mp to view the most extensive con.
l!cxions in North America, reaching indeed
across the continent in space to California,
and down the tide OF time to the very ideas
sot improvements of this present day and
hour And under the influence of Wash
angton the State aud private contributors
expended nearly q million on the Potomac
river IN commencement Of tho policy of that
Development Of internal trade which is now
exciting universal wonder It is a great
wonder still that any mind should so carly
have eomprehended the plan and praetica-
bility Of policy so astounding and though
the first effort was failure for want at the
time of trained civil engineers, vet the con-
cep.ion was there then, if not the art Of
manipulation, and the spirit OF enterprise
and development MAS sent forth from the
Virginia oracle at Mount Vernon. That
spirit has not ceased to brood over our ter
ritofy and our destiny. After projecting
.the great Chesapeake and Ohio caual re-
smiling from the Potomac company, Vir-
fin.a organized and pet iato progress the
groa, James river and kaaawha company,
and has executed 200 miles of its canal. at
an expense Of nine millions; also the Dis.
nal Swamp canal, twcnty-thyco miles, at a
cost Of s II, 600. And her railroads are
numerous and extensive. Norfolk Las pene-
tratod North Carolina hy 80 miles. costing
one and half million, and has smother road
10 Petersburg Of 50 miles, at probable
cost Of one and Il half million: Petersburg
has connected herself with North Carolina
great Southern route, hy e3 miles, al a cost
d one milton and with Richmond, By %
t.iica, at q cost IL 81 $50 600; and with
Lynehburg, by the South Sie road, Of l23
miles, ut Il cost Of 81 ,975, Goo Richmond
has penetrated the Roanoke Valley to Dam
vile, y miles, at cost Of four millions;
has reached the Tennessee line by the South
western raad, 204 miles, a: 3 cost Of five
aud y hall millions; has touched the polo-
mae by her fredericksburg road, 20 miles,
st q cost Of one and three-quarter million:
has nearly completed her Central road, by
$50 miles, :at cost of four and quarter
billions; has her York river road in pro-
gress. 50 mles, at probable cost Of ono
million; and has 81 miles Of road ia opera
ton 10 her coal mines, at n cost Of some
thing less than a million. Alexandria has
her Orange road complete 10 Goraonsyilic,
So miles, al a cost Of two and three quarter
millions; and, crossing. the Central, is reach
ing south to Lynchburg, 30 miles. at pro-
babe cost Of 81 zoe, 000; and has her Ma
nassas road penetrating the valley to Har-
risonburg, 1879 miles, at cost Of three and
half millions. Wheeling has her part Of
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad complete
between the Ohio and the Patapsco, 1872
miles III ALL at cost Of twenty-three mill
ions and Parkershurg has her branch of the
same complete to the forks Of the Potomac,
i03 miles, at a cost Of four and half mill
ions. These, besides innumerable smaller
railroads and turnpikes ana improvements
Of nayigable streams costing the State, 9TH
er than individuals, in the aggregate about
$6,T03, 900. are in addition to the great
works now in progress on State account, the
Blue Ridge and the Coyi0gton aud Ohio
read, 2f7 miles, At . probable cost Of six
teen millions.
Thus you see what variety and extent
of works Virginia has begun and is going
on with, and what an amount she has al
ready expended upon enterprises of the
greatest magnitude, Notwithstanding that