Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-10-11
Finances 81 virginia

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vrnarfA flxAxcks--It is stated that Kidwell
Of tke Virginia Baardof pahlic Works. arrived 10
Washington last Tuesday, and reports great i'm
pruven2ent 10 the dances Of the State. At tbs
prsssnt rata OF tsxatioa, be fesls confident that
the State will not only meet the interest on The
public debs bat have large surplus TO add to ths
sinking Iund. snd soeomplete MI Improvements
now in prpcess of ooustruesisu, within Ten years.
We are glad 10 hear, apen such good Authority
~ shs Of DR.. Kidwcn, tha, the finances Of the
State are in 20 healthy condition. Noone need
b surprised At L. though. in view 81 the heavy
taxcs With which We have been afflicted for the last
three or four years. II they have not sufhced TO
put the State Treasury In soand financial con-
dition. we may very we'll despair Of ever securing
that desirable result Ne take 1t for granted the
taxes IN Virginia hare reached their maximum
and that the people Of tho Commonwealth arc i'-
dispossd 10 ',grean" mach longer under the PRE-
ssut ra,es. 10 say sothins oil Tie increase which
woald Be necsssi,ased BY the adoption Of apology
wkieA has been lately urged with srea. deal OF
pertinscity in different sections II the State.
We refer. Of course, 70 tho speedy completion"
now % much clamored for. Of the -Covington and
Ohio Railroad. The expression ia the above par
aeraph about completing "all Improvements now
In process Of construction within tan years. re-
fsrs evidently to that rosd Tiny have lately held
Convention osi there so@ewhere--in Putnam,
we hslisvs--snd. adopted set IL heavily charged
resolutions. desigsed not only operate upon pub
lie sentiment, but upon the uext Legislature 81
virTiaia. And est nDsd segar, whose hones.
sal q ~ cause - sppreciaie aud applaud. at
the same time tlas We are thoroughly convinced
he il wrong, has published al able letter which
hes given much comfort and .a' sae,ion to those
who arc bent on pushing this project through at
all cost, aud in tie briefest pessi5lo time.
But let a. see how il will b.. at the present
rate Of appropriations is, at the rate es'ab-
lisLsd BY the Las. Legislature Of two hundred
thousand dollars q year (which Will build. through
saeh country that. about Ave miles Of road
Per snann,l j, wil take exactly forty years to
complete the Covington and Ohio rad. Before
they get half way, at that rate they vii! have to
60 back and rebuild the beginning. Evidently.
then. when tbe talk is about completing the read
in ten years, it is contemp lated appropriate four
times a. much per annum as wns appropriated by
the last Legislature Unless tina, is done, the road
caaDes be completed within ten years" This
will involve an annual addition 10 the State debt,
on hlis account alone. Of nearly million # dollars.
And this annual addition is to be kept Up steadily
for ten years in succession. The Covington and
Ohio Railroad, At the very loweat estimate cannot
cost less than millions Of dollars. Constructed
by private corporation il would cost ,ha,--bu,
constructed by the StArE, which everybody seems
TO think himself. privileged to eheuse and chissie
in every possible way--it would not surprise us If
twenty millions ef dollars, FIRST and last, would
be consumed before they got through with it.
Nov, we are not inimical TO the Coyington and
Ohio Railroad per sc. We would be glad 10 ace ii
built - other railroads have been, by u combine
ton Of the capital Of the State and Of the pe"rle
10 be benefited by it, That Is tho way other Dads
have been built. and we see no reason why an eI-
oeption should be made in favor Of this pet pr ect
We had to take tho money out Of our pocksts--
and n great deal Of 1t TOTO help 10 build the
Virginia and Tennessee Road, and we know rot
why the State should be called on to make d.
elimination in favor OF one line Of local improve
ment by building it entirely, after having refused
such speciality to all the others.
Bot VIC are opposed opposed ito
that policy which supposes an antngonism bewecp
the Covington and Ohio road and the James River
and Kanawha Canal, and seeks to elevate the
claims Of the former and deprcss these Of The latter
Build the railroad" say these gentlemen. land
the road will demonstrate the necessity Il the Ca
nal" The argument answers itself. The propo-
sition is logical reverse. "Construet the anal
it shonld be-" and then il ti,ere is necessity ioi
it. build the road" Canals always prccede rail
roads, whore the former can lie made, for tho oh
vious reason that freight always preoedes travel
II anybody can show that n railroad can. carry
for long distances, cheaper than canal, suci
heavy articles as the productions of tho Kanawhn
Naiicy-ircn, coal, salt &c, then VIC will give il
up. ifanybodyc can show where shs local travel
is to come from, on a road beginning IN the wood
and ending in the woods. then We will give it ~
again.
Ifthereforc those oovis gson.and Ohio gentle
men viii abandon their hostility to the Canal. an,
stop embarrassing to create tho impression tina
there is m antagonism between the two. and tina
one or the othcr must be abandoned. II viii be al
the better for their interests. There is no "irrc
pressible conflict" between the two Improve mcat,
Both viii undoubtedly be constructed in process
of time-but let US begin FIRST upon tina, one whie
is infinitely cheaper at the same time that it vii
be infinitely more valuable. We wish il to lie Ut
derstood, for ourselves tina. ne utterly repu,list
the idea that the sound financial condition. Of Il.
State-caused BY the imposition of onerous take
lis to be made an excuse for committing Il,
Commonwealth to work, the speedy compl,
tion" OF which win throw Is back into muc
greater financial embarrassment than any we hay
ever yet encountered.
New Publications.