Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-04-23

Begging you to accept my thanks for the honor done
me,
l am, gentlemen,
Very respectfully,
Your friend and ob't svt
WYNDHAM ROBERTSON
To Messrs GopDN 4 APPERsoN, R. Ii. MAuEY, and
others.
Mr. Robertson said Though hborng under serious
iudispOsitou so as scarcely lie able make himself
heard nothing should prevent his at least making the at
tempt to say something on the important bill under con
sideratOn. The apathy and seeming indifference OF the
House towards it. he at loss to account for. could
hardly be that they did appreciate its Importance
1t rather perhaps that shrinking often oceasioned
by the very magnitude and difficulty Of great questions
with which feel are bound to grapple. Whatever
the cause whatever the solution the necessity OF act
inc on this subject could be evaded. The exigency
was messing and must be met The House had recent
" passed under review the long line of internal I'M
provcmens of every grade from the largest to the least
considerable. 1t had dealt with almost all OF them, he
thought in spirit OF wise and judiciOus hberay. 1t
had in the main given them the they needed and
in proportion to their Ii had opened up also
new avenues of trade and intercourse for districts Of
country now amOs, shut from them. 1t had, in his
opinion deserved well Of the country and entitled itself
TO public gratitude But the greatest work of al-the
James River and kauawha Canal-was still behind
That was still to be provided for. 1t that which
must give them their sureSt title to be gratefully remem
bered by pOserity by the blessings would confer on the
country, 1t that which yet remained TO crown their
hbors EYniS cOrOaat ODtS" Without that their work
was still incomplete. Without it, he fully convinced
that hardly work they had projected aided but would
utterly fail of realizing the rich returns expected OF it,
and which it is capable of yielding. Many OF them would
be mere burden the treasury and had better never
been undertaken. This work is the great sustain
ing tunnel of almost all OF them He would ventue to
state it as his opinion however extravagant it may be
viewed by some that it not only the most important
OF them all, but more important than all OF them combin-
ed Let not gentlemen be startled He repeated that in
his opinion greater amount OF public interests in
voyed in the support the decay aud abandonment Of
this work. than in that of all they had far provided for
He challenged the fullest scrutiny and analysis Of the opn
ion. He asked them TO come close up TO the grounds of
| it and Judge if it were well founded.
Let US suppose the work abandoned or gone to ruin
what are the inevitable losses which would follow It
has already upwards often millions Ofdoars, which,
OF course would be totn loss to the State Underrsted
and misunderstood it continually is in that respect
hazard little in saving that its benefits in the way Of
duced tolls and fares represent sum less than the
annual interest Of ten millions more.
Looking TO its length of 25O miles, have no doubt it
is an uuder-en to say that it adds dollars per
million of acres of land, making another ten
millions to 20 down with IT, You would hardly estimate
the Injury TO this city, Lyuchburg and Petersburg and
the smaller towns along the course of it, less than
other Of ten millions Of dollars. But look in another
direction. It's abandonment would depress, if not des-
troy all hope Of foreign commerce. IL would at oncc
iwraf your York River Railroad from State to hardly
more than county Improvement II would almost des.
the value of your SouthSdc cOnncctOus-Of your
lGyanua and North River improvements. 1t would be
tct throughout its whole length most ujurOusly by your
great Virginia aud Tennessee Railroad aud the great III
creang trade and productions Of East Tennessee, for
which mainly it was built aud even with the adyan-
tage Of the canal vibrating in the balance whether TO
adopt the Western outlets to market, woud-that
advantage rcliuquisAedbe lost rrecoyerably both TO
IL and to the State Most OF all would il be disastrous to
81 nt1D Of
fruitful Of benefit to the State il Is so oudy hoped
TO prove, would then become but huge monument of
legislative tOy-a curse, and burden upon your Trea-
suy forever. Look upon these inevitable results as
conceive OF the decay OF the James River and Kanawha
Canal and say il have exaggerated the Importance OF
sustaining 10.
These certain and direct consequences Of abandon
ing this great work Who shall pretend TO estimate the
value OF that rich freight of hoped for blessings aud ben
etts to the Commonwealth in the future whercwith IL is
hden; to secure which it projected and for which it
has been still sustained aud urged, however ugghly
onward for space OF five aud tWeuty years What is
the character OF IL and what j. it, ohecy IL is de-
Sgucd TO be a continuous line OF water communication
ubut at end the waters of the Ohio which is
the gate OF the Western world, and on the other the
water, OF the James, which Is the gate of the Eastern
world IL il to De cut through the mountains that inter
and be the conduit of their and diverse pro-
auctions On the one side the vast plains aud noun
t,s OF the West rich in al the raw products of the
fields the forests and the mines and the other the
great hive of manufacturing industry OF the East teem
Ing with every variety OF fabric made by the hands OF
man-bOt waiting but for the removal Of the barriers
thai separate them 10 rush into exchange, and mutu
ally meet aud furnish the supply and demand that both
are prepared and eager Interchange Let these barriers
be but removed aud what picture of prosperity would
Virginia present. Lcvying just tribute on the vast
streams of wealth that would then pour through her
whole length from extremity the other of her
rirorv, what would then be the spectacle she would
f4l with IA ,f
cultural product her valleys everywhere vocal with the
cheerful hum of manufacturing industry her population
doubled the wharves of her cities become the great
change of world cities that should then recall and rival
the ancient gores of Sydon and Tyre her
whitening every her moral development keeping pace
with her maeria Virginia would then attain TO the in
pert grandeur and opulence and power for which God
aud Nature seemed to have designed her. Is this
schoobOys fancy: Is it mere sketch Of the magma
ton practical deduction Of the reasony Ii it be
dream il at least ofmen who indicated in their
day tide to practical sagacy that none living will ven
call in question. II the dream of Washing
ton of Madison, of Marshall who each in the different
aud in many respects dissmar, careers it allotted
them to run, showed themselves beyond all their
peers fitted and able grapple with the realities of life
Who is there here or elsewhere that shall derde vs
onary or mpracticabe any project that received their
favor aud sanction?
But sir if We let this great work fail what would be
the spectacle Virginia would then present? Her towns
tered and unprosperous populations her people still leav
ing here for more inviting fields Of industry she falls
back still recedng lower aud lower in the scale Of States
"a thing it may be- of scorn pity, without power to
make herself either feared eSpected-subect might
be- to aggression insult which she could neither pun
ISL nor resent.
What is the condition Of this great work that now
calls YOU for aid IL is the verge, it in the
~ jaws OF bankruptcy 1t cannot pay its officers, its
contractors or its workmen It's absolute necessities have
been met by the private credit of its President and D
rcctors and by the fOibeaance in instances emf
nerty patriotic, of the contractors themselves. The
evil is confined this Some ofits principal works.
its dams, two especially, Lynchburg and anoh
short distance above this city which depend the
vast products of the valley of James River for the
of getting TO market in mOmenary danger Of giving
way. And the snow may be even now falling on your
mountains, which, melted by the coming spring, may
furnish the swollen food that shall sweep them from their
foundation. And this great and eminent catastrophe
which, If 1t should happen, would speedily occasion to
the State losses tenfod the necessary to avert
them, it depends, now, you, and you alone to pre-
vent
But you will say it has been said 'Shall we be called
TO aid company that has so mismanaged its affairs
ead TO this state Of thngsy that has thus shown it.
sell incompetent and unfit to be ttuStedy Sir, deny
that the condition OF its affairs is the result Of misman
agement or proof of ncOmpeteucy. Not that or any
msn can suppose that so great work could be carried
for more than twenty years absolutely without mis-
takes-but that any have occurred capable at all Of
counting for OF producing the state of things that
now exists | am satisfied cannot be shown.
During this whole period it has been in charge of
three Ony Of your most respected citizens John c. Ca
bell John Y. Mason and Thomas II. Ellis, distin-
guished for the intelligence, fidelity and zeal with which
they devoted themselves the interests of the work
committed to them. They not only gave to it all
cir time and enerres-but il deserves be mentioned