The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-01

The mfoinentous subjects which have peeH
before the Legislatsre since the commence
ment of the ertra sess ION, seem to have osef-
ridden and thrown In TO comparative ooseun's
that for which IL was originally coh's'icu
Yet II would be easy, we thinA, 10 o.Ho"-
s,rate that none Of those TO swhien exclusive
attention has been given are eithef ''oie IN
| ,u,r,,r, In themselves, or likely to exercise
,.srn,anept influence upon the future of
,sis STATE. whether she remain a member OF
che (,ontederscy or go out OF it.. Let her fu-
,nrc political condition be what 1t may, II
cannot add to or tiefract from that influence
IL will he the same, whether she be a member
OF a Southern Confederacy, whether she be a
member Of Border State Confederacy,
whether she resolve to stand by herself, or
whether she remain as she is at present. The
great James River and KalDlwha improve
ment is one of those schemes which cannot be |
affected BY the circnms lance Of political con- |
nection. which is good for all time, ana |
which viii be equally good for all govern
ments.
Let us suppose that the State of Virginia |
has determined to leave the Union. Ii Is OF /
the highest importance that she should make |
all proper prepare tion for such a contlngen- |
cy-that she should lay deep the fonndat ions |
u,ssn which her future greatness is TO be |
buiit-that she should make preparation for |
main tanning in n new political system, the !
authority and the influence which she has |
exercised in the old. This she can only do by |
securing as large an amount of prosperity as it |
NAV be possible TO secure. Now, we believe it |
is an economical axiom, that n broad, deep /
we'll regulated canal connecting the waters of !
the Chesapeake with the waters of the Ohio
at a point so far South as not to be incom- !
NODDED or TO be incommoded but little !
by the freezes of winter, must inevita-
bly, secure the largest amount of West !
ern trade. OF what value that trade is,
il is not necessary to speak in this place
In forty years it has added 500 900 to the popu-
lation of New York. 1t has made that city
the wonder of the world. All that we read
OF Tyre in ancient times, and of Venice in
modern, has been surpassed by this wonderful
city. Tyre and Venice We're the growt tn of
ages. New y ork is the growth of forty years.
Ihirty-six years ago the water was let into
the great Erie Canal. Thirty-six years ago
New York had but l50, goo inhabitants-to-day
she has 100000. That this enormous increase
of population has been owing TO the great
Erie Canal, there is so little doubt that we
never hear it disputed. AT the same time
that this western trade has made New York
what it is, it has kept Philadelphia steady in
the march of progress, and but q few PAGES in
the rear of her sister city. In the neantime.l
Baltimore, having the advantages of neither,
has grown into mighty city through the same
influence. She is larger than Philadelphia
would be, fully large as New York
would be, had neither possessed any more
means of reaching the Great West than
they possessed fifty years ago. She is
almost 1T the head of the Chesapeake Bay
She is far surpassed by her neishbor Annapo-
lis in the advantage of port She can only
reach the great West by means OF q railroad
The cheap conveyance by water has been de-
MED 10 her by the peculiarly of her situation
Yet she numbers three or FOUR hundred thou
sand now, against fifty or sixty thousand in
1880. These however, are hut Il few of the
marvels which the trade of the great West
has wrought. II has built hundreds of mag
niiieent cities all over the face of the western
country. II has converted the country
wherever it has passed into Il garden. 1t has
made the wilderness sVbsid,e, and the desert to
blossom like the rose.
What the trade of OphKr and Tarshish was
to Tyre, what the trade OF the East was to
Venice, what The trade Of India was TO Eng
Etnu, me tfaut OF the great W est Is TO ' IL
ginia Tyre, Venice and England grew into
mighty empires A mighty empire is dest tined
TO grow out of that State which can obtain
and secure the largest portion OF the trade of
the great West. Virginia has it in her power
TO obtain Ibis trade--the greater part spf it
perhaps the whole She has unrivaned ad-
yantages 10 begin with. Her seaports are nu-
merous and Of the first order. Her climate is
delightful. H,sr waters never continue frozen
more than Il few weeks during the year. In
this respect she has the advantage over all her
NortherR rivals. New York has now power
which is hard TO be overcome. She has the
population, and she has the capital. She
was first i'll the field. The course of trade is
i'll her favor. But II must be recollected that
she had not these advantages in the outset
She created the trade, and the trade brought
the capital and the population. Let us keep her
example constantly in view. Let us recollect
that we have great advantages over her, and
let ms improve them to the utmost Thus
only Gan Virginia become what nature seems
to have designed her to be-a great self existent
empire.