The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-04-19

Ntfggmdnu BlspaHg.
1OnNIlg0-. APRIL IA ieea
RieAsasnA A. LyasAssrs RailrsaA.
We hold IL - - self-svidsot trutA, tnas
no comnnniy ever bsoane gssAt mai e'e
mot do somstAang srsas shs0sssvss' AZ.
diyiduas ~ hxvU 9EUasnsss 0eeW ~
them, csmmasis1w nsvsr -. Ne 60 aos
what their peslsioa nay -; bow mucA they
he favored By nasase, o. ptsSssrsd ~ secs.
dent. WtSAont Aet1vA stsonuoos, posstetao4
labor. directed - ~ deveaep0sst Of -.
sources whicA aarsAdy exist. Or - IL ersa-
lion Of resources where none existed before,
no comnanity caA - coAunaoualy proaper-
ous The city which dspsa1s on its natural
advantages, and lee suptnely on tts back, ex-
pecting 70 - ~ BY he hands Of others. with
out any exertioA Of iu own, viii inevitably
be disnneed In The racs, In which. 1t the pres.
ent time, Tia whole civilized world y en-
xaeed-,hs race Of material prosperity. ~
an example were wanting, we might point :"
Vera Crux, ~ only tolsrabls haroor On ~
great Gulf Of Mexico. % far - We A.o".
rpot Of All others, pointed oat By me nnee1 q
nature a that most appropriate for the sro".o
of city which should In fact ana mol ID ns"e
.,one he the Emporium Of the Western HEM
,.rh.r. with all It's natural advantages,
~h., IA II but q town not ranking or deserving
70 rank. greatly higher, - regards Popuiauon
and wealth, than many an inland village
II IL he necessary u illustrate the position oy
a contrast, we fnd one much nearer home
There is NO locality 50 favorable to the growth
Of great city, within the boundaries OF the
United States and along the Atlantic Coast. as
Norfolk. It has harbOr in which might ride
a, anchor the navies Of the world. This har-
ho- 10 completely laud-locked. and therefore
perfectly safe 1t communicates with James
river BY a short stream, navtgable all the way
for the largest ships that ever breasted the
waves or are likely ever 10 breast them. 1t
can receive the Great Eastern with rs much
ease As It can receive an oyster boat. 1t has
access 10 Chesapeake Bay, by short route.
free of all obstruction, aud by means Of Chesa-
ueake Bay 1t ought TO command the trade OF
that mighty SYSTEM of rivers Of which 1t
is the recipient. On the contrary, Baltimore
stands at the very head Tor nearly so) OF this
same bay. communicating with 1t by river
which. At low tide, leSves the small craft which
freouents its harbor wallOwing like swine In
,hs deep aud tenacious mud. To judge from
the map, one would suppose that there could
not be, along the whole course Of the Cnesa-
peake. and anywhere In its vicinity, moro
unpromisinx spot for . great city tnan
Baltimore. Yet what il the relative posi-.
ton Of the two places at this moment 3
Norfolk. " hich was . considerable town dur.
ing the Revolutionary war, il now place OF
come twenty thousand inhabitants. Baln.
more. which during the same war was mere
fishing village, has at this moment popuIa.
ton LARGELY over three hundred thousand, aud
she increases every year, by figure not mucn
below the entire population Of Nor1oik.-
There may have existed other causes TO impede
the growth of the one, and promote that OF
the othsr-we pretend not to deny that there
may have been. But the great cause OF the
difference between the two consists, we appre.
bend. mainly in the different systems they
have pursued. In Norfolk, until Of late years.
apathy has been the prevailing disposition OF
the inhabitants They were burnt out dur
ing the Revolution, and they seemed con-
tented to stay burnt out. The large trade which
they had with the West Indies, previously 70
the event in question, left them, and they
never seem to have thought of making an eff
fort to get il back. The course of Baltimore
was exactly the reverse. Her people have
been renowned for their energy ever since
they became a community. Nothing can sur
pass the intrepid energy with which they
faced every difficulty Of position, except the
entire success with which they oyercame each
rs it presented itself. II the one of these COM
munities be = mighty city. and the other but
promising town, we hold 1t to be due entirely
in both cases to their Inhabitants.
Der the important truth which we are en-
deavoring to impress and to illustrate. Let
them search for examples all over the world,
if they please; we are convinced that they
will find none which do not demonstrate III
unfailing applicability. WheTevcr we see
community great and hOurishins. thefe VIZ
may be sure industry has been stsadliy, sys'
tematically, energetically and continuously
active This great levelier OF oimcui.'es eau
often redeem tho disadvantages Of . bad situa'
ton. Without it NO locality. however natu'
rally good, can long retain the advantasee
which properly belong TO Il. we must wosA
il we wish 10 be prosperous. IT u vain T.
cal, on H..cuIrs without putting our own
shoulder 70 the wheel. The primal curse
0f indeed. II b q curss.) rests upon all the
Children Of Adam. We must all earn oul
bread bv tho sweat Of our brow. and the mar
or the community that hopes to obtain it in
any other way, IL very apt to 60 altogether
wi,hout 1t. For great city of 5000 inhabi.
tsnts Richmond has done almost nothing
Not single railroad Of her building termi
nates here. When she was , little town
thirty years ago, she subscribed $780, 900 Il
the james River and Kanawha Canal
Now that she IL q large city. she look
with complacency on what she did il
former DAYS, and seems satisfied with tina
terrible exploit. ssso.O0o to tho Central ana
Danville Railroads, not 50 much as the littl
town of Augusta subscribed to q single im
provement, forms q weight Of glory to which
she cannot venture to Add. The only grea
railroad that penetrates any Of those countries
to which she casts q longing eye. terminates II
Lynchburg, among the Blue Ridge Mountains
two hundred and flfty miles from the ocean
and more than one hundred from the larges
city In the Commonwealth. With that fata
proclivity TO inactivity, which has 20 long dis
tinguished her above most Of her contsmpo
raries, she has lain perfectly still, while rival
all around her are tapping the rich depot Q
Southern trade, that has grown mp at Lynch
burg. Lynchburg herself il crying aloud 10
farther facilities, to reach the capital OF thu
State, TO open up new avenues for her com
MERGE Yet we sit regardless Of the cry, glaa
enough il anybody will do the job for us, Ant
pour the wealth into our laps without an.
exsrtion Of our own; but not at all dispOse<
TO lift fnger In the enterprise. Alexandria
situated one hundred and forty miles Nortl
of her. backed BY Washiagton, neither Of then
having any trade or bstsg likely ever 70 hav