The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1858-03-01
TERMS.
rs" Circulation equal to all the
other City daiiies combined.
Our Public WorAs-The Virginia
water Line to the West.


water Line to the West.
The Governor of Virginia, in the third
part Of bis last annual message, observes,
in his wel-considered and iudicious re-
marks upon the importance-nay, indis-
pensable nccessity-of obtaining control
over the great monetary operations of the
country through the establishment Of
central commercial power somewhere
within the limits of this State, that shut
control cannot be had aoiNoW q centre Of
tyo2e: ondMat centre Of trade cannot be
buNN2 acjt4oM public scohs 10 bring q
back country TO some point Of commerce"
He urges this argument as "alone suffi-
Gent to maintain the whole policy Of
State improvement upon which We have
entered" And to our own Judgment the
argument is irre!utabe
testibly, the completion ofour Water
Line to the West should be the paramount
AID overriding work to be fostcred in
every proper way by the present l.osisla-
turc ofthc State. IL comparison with
its stupcu.ious advantages, admitted ly
every body. its cost wouis. be bu. tritl,ng,
and indeed utterly Insignificant 1t Will
at once set Norfolk upon tie short and
easy road to that commercial power as c
great centre Of trade controlling the mon
led affairs Of the country wlic! New York
has acquired through tie use Of similar
means and which enables her. as the
country Las lately found to her cost in
the great financial revulsioa we have
hardly yet issued from, and from which
few active business men outside Of New
York will issue unscathed. to play the ty-
rant at will and to WELD the seepter Of a
pecuniayy autocrat over the stocks the
commerce, the manufactures, aud il short
the whole business Of the country. The
possession Of such great commercial
centre, certain to be secured, eventually
if not Immediately, as q necessary and
manifest matter Of course from the &C
complishmcnt Of this great measure which
will divert large portion Of the trade
HOW seeking New York to Norfolk, the
Possession Of such commercial centre,
VIC say, will bring with it advantages Of
untold value to us, to Virginia, to the
South, and to the whole country, 1t
will utcrposc much needed check to tie
reckless and ruiUous expansions and con-
fractions Of the money market-r clless
and ruinous to everybody but themselves
which make the pleasant pastine Of
the "Bulls and Bears" Of Wall street, as
they sit at either end Of their Bis fnan-
cial sca-saw. That such check IS i'm
peyatiycly necessary to assure the public
confidence and to encourage activity and
enteyprizc on the part Of those who would
gladly invest capital could they d. SO
safely, but who prefer to let it lie idle
rather than expose it to the mercy Of these
money vampires it seems to us can hard
" be doubted even BY the stifest deyotees
of the patron apostle of the sceptics, or
by the stoutest disbelevcrs in the theory
Of cheeks and balances" Even il for
several years our scale should not coun-
teYpoiso that Of New York, it would at
least do something towards making that
wholesome equilibrium which recent c.
vents in the financial world have shown
50 desirable.
In few days the Legislature Of this
State will be asked to aid the Water Line
to the West, in manner which is entire
ly unobjectionable and which cannot fail
to be approved by their constituents
We sincerely trust that no dangerous pro-
crastination will be evinced in matter
SO vital and exigent, so nearly identified
with the best interests of Virginia. Now
is the time for legislation if we are to
have it at all; now, while the public atten-
ton, here and all over the country, is at
tracted to the subject; now, while the CO.
operation of our representatives at Rich
mond would be more serviceable than at
any subsequent time; now, while so
many are ready to engage in the execu-
ton of this great measure, and are only
awaiting the authoritative endorsement of
q 1noislotive aDnrOval