Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-03-12


durrg che prescott session OF the General Assembly, 'o'
the redemption Of the State We have unlocked mere
and there the casket Of her wealth We have Dd tne
iron horse snort along her valleys and over her mus
and across her mountain heights Atlst, we have lnui
Gated our firm resolve TO heed the advice of Washington
and Marshall. and, bv line OF communication between
our Sahoard and the great West TO strike for our snare
o.. the Western trade
But 10 complete the glorious work on which we are
entered we have something vet do. We must mt up
from rs present PROSTATE condition the James River
and KuuaWha Canal And we must do II now-"ithout
hesitation withou, delay. Pass this bill we must anu
Instantly as We can
Sir / am not unaware that he who undertakes the
yindcsdon of the James River and kanaUha Oahal'
takes upon himself an uugraCiOUs task. know 'ua'
heavy weight Of public odum bows 1t down. almost as
the huge trunk of the fallen oak brushes TO the earh the
slender shrub beneath &c. But this know as WELL that
much of this prejudice is uudeserved, and tnat we nave
nor been wont to make proper allowance for the adverse
circumstances that surround IT, Nay, more sii' 'ua'
those adverse circumstances are, mostly, OF our own Gre
a,1g-the legitimate fruits Of own unwlse Ieglsa
ton.
Sir. we started wrong with the canal We babe en-
b3rrssmcut hang around It's first natal hour Before inc
drst spade was stuck encountered It with au annual
debt of S2I OJ0-the annuity TO the old James RIVER
Compauy-Jo be paid out OF the revenues oil "orA NOT
vet begun.
Another embarrassment inflicted in the beginning
The original capital of the Company was hve miious Vi
0f stock against TWO millions OF private suoscrP'O"
Bnt instead OF keeping our fun faith with the private
stockholders We required the company 70 take tue
works of the old company at the eXorbtut price VI Oue
million of dollars when, in fact they were not worm a
gro5t SO that instead Of putting IN cash caP Vi 'ue
millions we iu fact put 10 only SLtohu''
And what IS entirely without precedent IN our internal
Improvement history We required the company TO pay
from the start interest on t1e sums ootio%gu I'o '
time for the construction OF MS "otNs eNlN'eu o.,
-..ft ,f M 0fI4 int ID
tls company what we have required OF no o'"ei ''y
Improvement company u the state ana 'e extent VI 'e
hlrisrfp NAV be iuigjei from the TACT thU the James
River aud Kauaaha Company has ds5urSed for interest
alone from the proceeds OF us unfinished work tne large
sum OF three mil.O oi dollars
True We have granted it liberal loans, ana endorsed
los credit by guaranteeing IFS bonus, puI We 80 uea ca
our Sind Offices and we've so irregular IN our dlspeHSa-
lion of them ttlt bv the advanced pgicc OF laOoE anu
materials the cost of the work IS nearly treble what II
aIf have been bad We like wise statesmen, shaken on
.l rayir- incubus OF nrooyas,uatiou. Sir II the state
han dome what 5t the FIRST she ought 20 have done, paid
bob L.r who'll, substitution of three millions iH cash, in
5 f WORTHLESS, works az a high price aud not iupOs-
"a ,s annual Gcbt of s.l OtO the company would have
started without embarrassment and tins moment the Ca
m might have been completed to Covington and al sew
erll millions less than the present cost
To illustrate the harislip7 under which tins company
has hbored suppose taat YOUR rlI'oau companies u'u
been encountered vi.h heavy debt IN the beginning,
hd been required 90 take worthless works as part oil
I :
further thar thew had been required 10 pay interest from
rrs start las u the case OF the James h1vcr company
hi yrIi Dad, thair condition now but Of hopeless
endorsement. WIv sir II We had pursued towards
m ;lr,,F e,r,rsr-s. the same policy have in regard
b.. ,r ,r We .borI8 not have had now u single rail-
-i corsry i'm existence, nor a completed railroad in
.ls Soto
Sir have we not been all the time helping these rail-
-1l .--~s-i.s having for them the interest on the
. So .i,ri.-s ana otherwise aiding them until
.r tr. fy rr ir,or.. p % revenues. 10 help them
rr-s yy6s- would have been the Dauy.le Road, and
-se Virginia aud Tennessee and the Central and Orange
s ,f,.,.f-,s and rte S5uth-Sde and Manassas Gap,
'-- .;,.,,, hand of the St,tsg
NJ '.' ....-, tt-r, fbe S-are acted viselv-
81. t..,r r.-,. SIMS i1 them and she bore With
.. . .. .r Isl ,...,- ir ,t, borr of difficulty put
..-,.,-s t-sr,l belned them and still help
I'D -re i. ana thrice again, until they first crawlst,
..s rbsr Nar,ef and then stood erect ia maturity
strength and until starting on their mission OF develop
meat. tlev lsyc fulfilled a glorious expectation by adj
ding the social comforts oil t-e people sinuilH5 Ie
veal q. the le.i the mlue aud the WORKSHOP speeN
s , rr,,b the loom the furnace aud the forge,
III. q .,;,,- clements of commerce and making
n ,.-7 80 ~. -..,,.r5 h, t-s -r,tsprv.
,,-t .- LT mn ,.-, n, for the canal what we have
.''' 80 J-.,,..oT.g done for our Railroads
SD ''"~.. anu ~ -, 81 ~, p,ir-o,5s it .bU
....-5 .. -.
49, ...t.- b.c,-, y-. mss sarferca of con.
N-' .- 49,. i,-,ra--srt and exconru.
- b. t-, ,,- f.rr~ that besides our own an lst aud
81. ,.,..,.;,, ,-.;,s.it we qvprai.at mo al
49,. 5-.r..l 7.-.. which cor,uetiu, Tor
..! ;,. .,or, .,l-v-b,t would otherwise have been
.- ,-s b,,s rr,ts,i,liv reduced its business
PA ,t, l,,,.f.ri,, f,r many of The
,,f-.ssarrs .ss- bssetit THIS Is orr fault and it
-- s.l,,.1 mn l.ls. remember mercy" and
.--..-. ...- ...,i.,.r-i.s for which ourselves
.- ....''..... ..-. -..-,-..fie.