Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-04-06

-. 30 and in the fiscal year 1861 to SlS4, |.
total $l93,7771G or the whole amount necessary
To pav interest and set aside one per centum
rnr Sinking Fund, provided $4,000. 300 should
BIZ appropriated. would be in the fiscal year
1860, SIg,27J. and in the fiscal year, ISL
$:O';. Gsj; total S322.: .:'riI and wonlI leave The
following result
Surplus as above shown. .....$ ,U7G, $50 5:
Deduct interest rs Aforesaid. -. 322, 9G0 OC
Surplus in the Treasury, October
l$t, 1851 l....,....... $IJ3,2I9 5:
Mr. {. said that with the existing rate O
taxes and an appropriation Of 10000, 900 tc
works Of Internal improvement, the surplu.
would bc greater aL the end Of the fiscal yeal
1862 than 1T the end Of lSGi: for in the fiscal
year 1862; more than 100000 would, for the
lrsl time, be received from the Virginia and
Tennessee Railroad rs dividends. and large adj
ditiona! sums f.oM the Orange and Alexandria
Railroad, the ManaSSa Gap Raiiroad, the Nor
folk and Petersburg Railroad, the Richmond
and Danvillc Railroad the Richmond, Fred
erckshurg and Potomac Railroad. and the
York River Railroad. which would largely
swell the surplus Of the fiscal year 1862 Sc
there can no longer bc any cXcu,c for voting
against this or any other Improvement Oil tho
ground that the finances will not justify it.
Mr.. CHAPMAN said he considered the faith oi
the State pied ged TO the completion Of this great
work, and therefore the question as to the er.
pedtency of constructing it had been closed
Has not the State, III every act that could be
considered binding, pledged her good faith to
ali interested that this work is to he completed
She ordered survey Of tile route and located
the route from CoYingtOu to the Ohio river
She then appropriated one million Of dollars to
its construction. As an assurance that she
would build the road after that Was expended
another legislature made a second appropra
ton towards its further construction. An
other Legislature lnade n appropriation 10,
! is construction. thus, three different legis.
laturcs. by solemn legislative acts, have
pledged the faith of the Commonwealth to tho
construction Of this road. And upon the
| faith OF that pledge many Of your citizens have
invested their means in property along the loca.
ton Of this road, which will be raluclcSs, in i
great measure, unless the road is completed: for,
/ otherwise, they are completely locked up from
all the narts Of the world-but relying on
the honor and plighed faith Of Virginia, (plight-
ed by no less than three Legislaturcs,) they,
with confidence invested, at prices greatly en-
hanrcd, never dreaming that Virginia would
violate any pledge which, by any fair construc-
tnn, she had given.
Mr. c. said, that in his own county, lately,
number Of tracts Of land had been sold by
one conference.-the minimum price obtained
for any one being $2j per acre, and running
up TO $4T and $50 per acre; and bringing. in
the aggregate, 100000. Those lands were
enhanced in price by the assurance that the
good ElitIl of the State was pledged TO the COM
plctiOn of the Covington and Ohio railroad
and he doubted not it is m assurance they
NAV rest upon with as much certainty as they
did upon the truth Of their Bible--i0r Virginia
will never be dishonored by repudiating any
promised pledge or contract; and more espe-
lily when such pledge has been endorsed by
not less than three successive Legislatures.
Sr. e.. said that 4 voice seemed TO be com
in. up from every portion Of the State, de-
uaf,,iine in tones rot to be disrcgarded, that
measures shall he taken for placing the State in
complete posture OF ,lclcnrc; and already had
100000 been appropriated tor that object; but
the first measure necessary for the defence and
protection Of YOUR citizens, is 10 provide 4
lTIIfsL NuilI III Nioit$ HfoSs'-
cable time, TO the point Of attack. Suppose
John Brown, in the madness Of his purpose,
had made h;s a,,a:k upon the helpless and
unprotected ciii-rnS Of the valley Of the ka-
nawha-a point penetrated by no ralroad-
and which vour brave soldiers and vol
unterrs could not have reached in week,
instc i Of Ilarpcrs Ferry, having railroad
com, unicatiOn with many portions OF IT.
ginia and baltimore every few hours
wilrt sccics OF dcsOlation and ruin would
have followed: Coming like thief in the
night, when all were unS,specting and unpre-
p.red, men, women and children would indis-
criiniratcly have fallen rictims-ior no military
assistance could have been had, to have driven
the invaders to q hiiiTg place. And is II not
wonderful that the attack had not been
made on the kanawha valley instead Of Liar.
per's Ferry: And If John Brown had
been governed BY the advice Of those more
prudcn, than himself, such would have been
the caSc-for in several letters addressed 10
him in Charlcstown after his conviction, the
writers remind him that they advised him
that the attack should be made upon points
further west than Ilarpers Ferry (lneanlng the
valley Of the kanawha), and had he needed
their advice the raid would have proved success
ful." And, Mr. e. said, if ever the tempest OF in
vasion and iesolation, should again DC abroad in
its anger, its violence would first burst forth
lIuon the heads Of the unprotected inhabitants
OF the Kanawha valley and neishboring local-
ties. And how, asked Mr.. G., are you to render
tllc.n assistance. There is no other way than
by the construction Of the Corington and Ohio
Railroad, over which you may, in few hours,
nnrAI-
tai, ready and competent to meet and drive
back the invaders Of your soil. How useless
to arm, equip, and train your volunteers, if,
when the hour Of invasion comes, you have no
way by which they can he conveyed to the
point of attack in less time than wcck:-and
bv which time, that beautiful but unprotected
country would Ge laid vase, and scarcely i
white inhabtant left to tell the bloody tale
You cannot. then, Mr.. Speaker, (said Mr. C.,)
put Virginia in Il complete state of defence
You cannot give to Il large portion Of her peo-
plc n sense Of sccurltv--without the conStruc.
ton of the Coringtom and Ohio Railroad, to
which they will always look with entire conf
,lcnce for protection and defence. This great i'm
proyeInent, then, becomes a necessary measure
in yo,w system Of defence and upon that ground
he claimed the united support of the members
of the House for the bill under consideration.
The very able engineer of the road, after
thorough examination and careful inVestlga-
ton, estimates the entire cost Of this road, IN
ciuling rlepotS, &c, &c, with double track ma
sonrv. and including the suus which have here
toiorr been appropriated at the sum Of
:ll.6l2, G3G 90; but should the tunnels be driven
fr a double track, (and s,lch has been the case so
fnr. the cost would be increased to the sum OF
81, ,llo, ,G3G0U And he was happy to say
that the engineer was having his work done
within his estimates, and should liberal ap-
preparations he made by which he could COM
n,ai.d experienced and proficient contractors;
thc whole work would certainly be completed
wiu.ihf the cstimatc-but should mere p!ttances
be tolcd ont, which would not permit large
contracts to be given to able and trustworthy
contractors, then the road would cost some )
per ccntun above the estimate, and fer which
the engineer could not be held responsible.
Mr. II vnuld mt the cost OF the road TO-