The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-04-13

MONDAY ,.,,...,........APRIL Is, 1858.
Virginia and the West.
Among the earliest projects that occupied
the atten ton OF the greatest OF, VirginiaAes-S
headed by MASSACHUSETTS, the Revoiution
OF rs. was the scheme.to open to Virginia the
trade of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys by
an ,mproven,ert connecting the Atlantic tide.
water with the Ohio, by way Of the james:
River and Kanawha valleys. These great
men saw that this was the best line Of com.
munication between The Atlantic States and
the great West. s - /
This was the first talked OF, yet, strange to
say, 1t is the last to be completed. We have
never ceased TO expatiate uponits excellences-
and, while II Is but half finished, we are ssiii'
talking aboutit! 80 - s-7teaeA t&,&,,Es2 :
AT one time the State went to work ,nobly,
with the view Of taking the Improvement
steadily through TO the Ohio. But the canal.
persisted in after the railroad era, -because Of
the wonderful results Of the Erie canal--was
the then form of the project. That cost an
immense sum Of money, and progressed very
slowly. By the time IL reached Lynchbnrg
there was confusion in the Internal improve
ment party OF the Legislature. The strength
of the party Of the central water line was
weakened, and the railroad sectional parties
began to appear The tide.water country,
being so happily supplied with magnificent
rivers and estuaries, felt not the least need OF
artificial works, and presented itself en- nadsse
against further appropriations from the Irea-
sury TO build such. This necessitated tnat
combination Of all the sectional parties 70
continue those appropriations which, as we
have often shown, resulted so disastrousiy "
the State Each OF the contracting parties
had its scheme. and the treasure OF the state
was frittered away upon them. This weak
ened the power 10 press forward with energy
the main great work, and we find 1t now at
this late day incompleted.
But even this was not the greatest evil suf,
fered by the State from this never.too- much
TO. be.regretted course Of legislation. The
sectional organizations, based upon the va
rious schemes-some Of them not only rivals
of one another, but hostile to the true inte-
rests Of yirginia-were continued after the
States bur then became so enormous tnat 1ur-
ther appropriation for the general scramble
became impossible These parties still exist,
and Stli ODSLSuCt ell httcuIPbo W heA1 AAASA>A~>
the public mind upon any grand measure for
the protection OF Virginia interests. This Is
the saddest fate of all for Virginia. It is
worse than Radical rule: That is only tempo
rarv, and will be blown away like chaf by
the wind. But deep seated sectionalism,
nourished and stimulated by outside interests,
which are to be propitiated by our DIVISIONS
may have far more injurious and enduring
influence!
The great Chesapeake and Ohio line of i'm
proyement-the earliest, most cherished, and
most important line of Improvement pro-
iected by Firgnia--is now sufferer from
these sectionalisms thus nourished and stimu- 1
lated. There are agents busily at work, feed,
as we believe, by a corporation which would,
if it could, destroy every city in Virginia, en-
.leayoring to obstruct and embarrass the 4
county subscriptions to the work, and to
retard and delay all our movements. We
mean the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. We
know some of these agents, and have seen
their works. We will not say that they are
paid for any specific work; but we say they
are agents of that immense corporation for
some purpose or other, and that they under
stand its policy and conform to it. Delay Of
the superior Virginia line from the Atlantic to
the Ohio but strengthens that corporation,
and encourages the hope that the success OF
the Virginia line when it is built will be all
the less imposing and solid the longer it is
postponed.
II is an adroit step. and as inscriptions
as it is adroit, thus to take advantage of the
.ectionalisms of 4 great State to cripple its l
prosperity and prevent the increase of its re-
said IN have
souls but they contrive to appeal most efec
lively TO the generous impulses of unsuspect-
ing people through. favors and good cheer
bountifully employed, to profit by emotions
they were never suspected themselves to own.
1t is not little remarkable, too, that cor
poration which built up Baltimore, city
which has displayed 1--WE say it most sincerely
go largely and literally her sympathy with
the South, should exert itself to continue the
pros tration OF the State that bore the brunt
of the southern struggle, and to dwarf forever /
that city which became the funeral pyre OF |
the d" Lost Cause!" -s.- ,.s.s.- ...a.s.,. ss n
But have we not enough of patriotism, OF |
real devotion to Virginia, left amongst our peo-
pie, 10 band them together in the common
cause Of Virginia commerce ana Nrginia
That highest and noblest SEN
timent next to the divine adoration-love OF
TO unite them as one man
standing by their own beloved Virginia But
every argument of a practical nature equally
urges them to this union of purpose and ef-
fort. Would they increase the general wealth
of the State, Its population, and Its revenues,
let them sustain the measures and the means
of increasing its commerce, Of building up
mighty cities within its territory, thus bring.
ing markets to their own doors, increasing the
varieties Of their crops, converting them into
money rapidly, promoting general thrift, en-
HANGING the value OF lands, developing the
mineral resources of the country, and beauti.
flying and improving the entire State. Will
any man say he does not desire this7 that he
does not wish to see tho public debt paid, the
taxes dim inished, and the State powerful in
this age, when might is indispensable to the
preservation Of right? No man will say so.
Then every man ought so to exert his own
energies, and his own influence, as to bring
about these things.
In the name of all that is holy and noble,
all that is right and just, it becomes especial
ly the people-the Notwithstanding on the
Oh esapeake and Ohio line to vote the sabscrip-
lions to it, They cannot fail to do it without
running the risk of subjecting their State to
the ruthless oppression Of q powerful corpora.
tion whose office is to promote other interests
q n hot vs,,s, =