Staunton vindicator. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1858, 1858-01-09


use, it is impossible for us to pay our debts,
unless those Indebted pay US
1y~ We feel mortified that our good
friends Of the Spectator should have SO far
misunderstood the true state Of our feelings
as to charge US with making merry over
sher nlisfortunes. We were not Sin sight
taking notes. when Capt. PECK was s.aftcr
them" If we had been in sight, we should
certainly have perpetratcd a rescue for sad
experience has taught US rather to, sympa-
thise with than make merry over the vic
tims Of such persecution. The fact is, we
saw that our contemporaries had committed
a very grave blunder in taking sides against
Internal IInproyement-a subject, in the
active prosecution of which, the whole
state, and this part Of ii III particular, is SO
much interested. and we were disposed to
help them out Of it in the best way we
could. Without knowing the cause which
had operated to lead them astray, VIC guess
ed, from our own feelings, that it must
have been some such disturbing influence as
the -gatherer, and at once, with gene
rous disposition to extr;cate them, oh; rgcd
it to that account, and are glad to find, from
their own candid confession, that we chit
the nail on the head" and that our friends,
in their calmer moments, are not opposed to
all appropriations for public improvements.
They are not satisfied, however, ''that as a
matter Of State policy, it would not be bet
Ter to postpone, for a short time, an appro-
priation to work Of such acknowledged i'm
portance as the Coyington and Ohio Rail-
road "Virginia Bonds sell low'-tbcy
say. Well, if they cannot be sold at par,
the law forbids them to be sold at all, and,
in that case the appropriation would do no
harm. because it would be Intellectual. The
Governor puts the case strongly when he
says, make the appropriation, aud, if the
bonds can be sold, the work vii! be done;
bat il 10 appropriations arc made no work
can be done, even though the times should
improve. The sessions Of the Legislature
arc only biennial. If nothing is done now,
nothing can be done for two years more.
La the mean time, the million and a half al
ready expended GA tho Covington and Ohio
Railroad will be dead capital The State
viii be losing the interest, $50, coo year,
and the work done will be going to ruin,
whereas, by finishing that work even to the
White Sui. Springs, it would earn hand
somely besides throwing large additional
trade and travel on the Central Railroad.
But this not the only work, in behalf of
which the Legislature are bound to strain,
if necessary, the credit Of the State. The
Railroad from Charlottesville to Lynchburg
claims a generous patronage. That road
completed, and the country will have a di-
rect and continuous line Of railroad from
Washington City to Memphis, on Tie Mis-
s;ssippi-a linewhich has not, and never can
have, a successful competitor running tAro'
The whole length and heart Of Virginia,
commanding trade and travel, even within
tie limits Of the State, which must make ii,
al once, immensely rcmunerativc. We arc
in debt-our taxes are heavy. For that
reason we should urge these two great works
t. completion with our utmost energy, be-
cause, wien. completed, they must not only
increase to an unknown and incalculable cz-
tent the value Of lands and other property
and the populations along their borders, thus
pouring increased revenues directly into the
Treasury, but with tolerabIy prudent
management. these dividends to the State,
AZ the holder Of thrcc-ffi!,s Of their stock
sill most materially tighten, if not in time,