Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-05-15

| OF
THIS and this is not going behind commerce. anu e
has done her part for commerce too for che has luz
nished to New York her full proportion OF Tn" mn
| ,erial 10 make up the audit at great America"
mart, besides direct trade of ,3b' u eSP"s
and s692 395 of imports per annum. In all aspnc.s
then, che has not gone backwards nor stood SIN ID
the race Of empire; and this il proved by me nof "
force she Yields in the nation. with ID lguera'
representatives only, as compared with ono rem
| syvania or New York. each having nearly oo"or ,
her number in Congress. IL she does not wiriu
stocks on exchange, she does have the power OF Il
frat rate State in the cabinet Of government auu i"
| the conservation OF society.
And during all this time, from first to last, she mas
not. as has been supposed, neglected her phys'Ga,
| improvements. Her undertakings Of grand WORKS
among the very earliest, and she gave olrn 10
the first conceptions of the greatest enterprises when
| have since been executed and realized by appheu
science 10 our country.
by turning your eye to "a New Chapter in the
Early Life Of Washington, in connection win Tue
Narrative History Of the Potomac Company, by John
Pickell," published by ID. Appleton s. Co.. New
York, 1856, you will that it the Virginia mind
which anticipated every idea OF De Witt Cilnton;
that it the forecast Of Washington which opened
up to view the most extensive connections OF Norm
America, reaching indeed across the continent III
space TO California and down the tide Of time to the
very ideas of improvements of this present day anu
hour. And under the influence of Washington, the
State aud private contributors expended nearly a
million on the Potomac river in commencement OF
the policy Of that development Of Internal trade
which is now exciting universal wonder. 1t Is Il
greater wonder still that any mind should so early
have cnmprehended the plan aud practicabillty OF
policy so astounding; and though the frs, effort was
failure for want at the time OF trained civil engl-
neers yet the conception was there then, If not the
art Of manipulation, and the spirit OF enterprise anu
development sent forth from the Virginia oracle
| at Mount Vernon. That spirit has not ceased TO
| brood over our territory and our destiny AT
ter projecting the great Chesapeake and Ohio CANAL
resulting from the Potomac company, Virginia organ
lied and put into progress the great James h'ver
and kanawha Company, and has executed 2ou mlies
Of its canal at an expense Of nine millions Also me
Dismal Swamp canal, % miles, at cost OF 81, li2o
And her railroads numerous and extensive. Nor
folk has penetrated North Carolina by 30 miles, cost
ing and half million, and has another ROAD 10
Petersburg OF ~ miles, at probable cost OF Que ana
half million. Petersburg hss connected herself with
North Cardinals great Southern route, by b3 miles.
at cost of one million; and with Richmond. by =!
miles, at cost of $l,l5O,OO0; aud with Lynchburg
by the South Side road, of l23 miles, at a cost OF
81 ,g75, 200. Richmond has penetrated the Roanoke
Valley to Danvile, li3 milcs, at cost of four mil
lions; has reached the Tennessee line by the South
western road. 2O4 miles, At cost OF five and hall
millions; has touched the Potomac by her Federlcks
| burg road, IS miles, at cost OF one and three
quarter million; has nearly completed her Central
road, by $50 miles, at a cost OF four ana quarter
nlions; has her York River road in progress, 50
| miles, at probable cost of one million; and has "a
|
| OF something less than million Alexandria has
her Orange road complete TO Gordonsvile, 81 miles
at cost of two and three quarter monsi ana cross
ing the Central, is reaching south to Lynchourg, ~
miles. at probable cost OF sl'2ou,ooO; ana mas her
Manassa road penetrating tho valley to Harrison
burg l39 miles at a cost of three aud half millions
Wheeling has her part of the Baltimore and Ohio raj
road complete between the Ohio and the Patapsco, 49,
miles in ALL at cost OF 70 mllll0ns and Parkers5arg
has her branch of the same complete TO the forks OF
~, D,t1ro tnilo NJ nj
millions These, besides nnumerable smaller raj
roads and turnpikes and improvements OF navigable
streams, costing the State other than Individuals III
the aggregate about s67U3OOO are, in addition to the
great works now in progress, On State account, the
Blue Ridge and the Covpgton and Ohio road. 2iI
miles, at probable cost of 10 millions.
! Thus, you see what variety and extent of works
Virginia has begun and is going on WITH aud what
IN amount she has already expended upon enter.
prises of the greatest magnitude notwithstanding that
she IS so reproached With being laggard in the e1=r.
ton 10 develop her MISUNDERSTANDING, IN the aggre-
gate 223 miles of canal and s2O miles of rail road,
at grand total expenditure OF near ~ millions OF
dollars.
The causes of delay in beginning and completing
| her works, were obstructions of an extraordinary
character not hindering any other State, new or Old
Her social and territorial conformation not only seq.
regated her communities, but detached her plans OF
! public improvement into separate and independent
aud competing schemes; they wanted unity entirety,
| and concentration.
Again Cast your eye upon the map Of her noun
tain ranges. and you see that IRON tie point where
she first touches the steps Of the Blue Ridge witt her
great canal or her roads, to the point TransAilegba'
nv where she can connect them with the Ohio waters,
| she must pass over through back bone OF from
one to two hundred miles OF mountains running
10 parallel ridges, northeast aud southwest across
her entire limits Tunnel after tunnel at short inter
vs- arrests her progress and makes each WORK one
| of paen. labor and Of time She has to overcome
summit Level OF iI.ary 2OOO feet, tor breadth from
east to west which other people on the conntn''
no more than Yirginans, have rs yet overcome An
other obstruction Of improvement has BEEN very
detective system of land laws, preventing dense set
Element of population by the confusion OF titles whc.
involved the western people in Irrigation and drove
them from our locations to other States settled under
the land ordinance OF the United States oy regular
surveys, entries aud restries. We have had no land
sys.em our warrants 81 io0etun we're lett TO private
seection the State has issued pseltS without proper
tests of titles; and thus surveys entries and titles
have become confused and uncertain, and litigation
! has depopulated the very western territory which
moat needed settlers to develop newer larger and
richer regons Of the Commonwealth This Cause, l
trust will be- removed for the future BY our next Gen
era Assembly. ,,.,
Another obstruction in the IsSt up to 1851,
was the anomalous condition in which or di
yided territory had placed our popular repre-
sentation in the legislature. The mountains divided
our people into three sections, with apparent diVers
ty and opposition Of interests. The eastern slope
resenta,ion; the new, rugged western mountains ana
| yaleys without access TO market, except on Inc
hoos OF fat cattle, had the majority OF population ana
felt the necessity Of taxation for development mus
The oner Of tie State cas d'0,ded aSd'a" inc Aecs'sf
tn of the State. The necessity Was on one eide OF
the mountain and the representation on tn. other.-
The struggle to equaze the representation according
to the number OF citizens and voters oneendertd
strife and sectional antagonlsm. The east men lei,
no Necessity to be taxed for roads and canas, ana
had the majority Of representatives to withhold ap.
preparations to public works: the west was ooi'sea
TO get to market, and demanded representation ac-
cordng to the number of sovereign voters 10 orner
to exert the legislative power OF taIaton 10 develop
the transmontame section, to connect the east ana
the west to give homogeneity Of interest to the Stae
and to begin the work of Improvement ana progress;
The east with equal sagacty and generosity yielded
I the contest, aud equallzsd representation eens
that the west was its back country Oh Plouu'I,"'
and it's only resource of commerce. ano mat u l'ne
sas) would benefit more an trade man me
rest IN agriculture it wisely consented 10 the
great problem Of mnting the Porsr 10 tne V'
ccssity Of the State, and thus gave new ilii
petus to internal development. AT hrst nus I'M
pulse was too strong and over-acted Appropriations
to the amount of some u millions in 1881, 1897 looo
raised the amount of public dsbt rather rapidly and
there was reaction on our credit Eutt cnecks anu
balances were provided 10 the new Constitution OF
1851 TO restrain the e1travagance Of appropriations
and to guard the saoredness OF puolc credit' by
the 9th section. debt can be created without
majority of the members Of each House OF Inc Eenc
raj Assembly. BY the 2sth section, the General AS
sem5y cannot pledge :he faith Of the State or bud
it in any form, for the debts or obligations OF any
ing fund is imperative ely provided for the old debit
and new debt in future be incurred without W
like manner providing the neans TO redeem it in 81
years. and the General Assemolyis prohibited ron
approprating the sinking fund, except IN time oil
war, instruction or invason. BY secnon 3Oh' pro
vision is made for sale of State stocks for increase OF
sinking fund. And by section 3ls., the General As
sebly is restrained from contracting loans or eans'
ing to BIZ issued certificates Of debt or bonds OF me
the State, rredeemable for period greater thao %
guarded by the organic law and public credit fortified
and guaranteed by the Constitution, instead Of being
left to repealable statutes So Jealous has virginia
been Of her honor as debtor, that no Kew. Sidney
Smith of England could ever make her blush for any
sin Of reputation in all her history.