The Weekly Washington telegraph., 1871-10-04
RAILROADS, INTERNAL IN
PROVEMENTS, ETC.
WAsHrNGToN, Der. /, 1871.

Ed. Telegraph: We see much IN
nearly all the newspapers of the state
about railroads, and many important
routes for railroads have been surveyed
and located, l,ading from and connect
ing with important points. These, too,
are receiving the attention and en-
couragement Of some of our most
worthy and enterprising citizens. But
| contend that the first, most important
and essential step towards building up
and encouraging railroads and other
internal improvements in our State, Is
to rid the State government of It's
present crew of radical officials. I'M
less this be done, you may rest assured
that all contemplated enterprises Of this
kind will prove failures. Enterprises
of this kind, to succeed, must be en~
couraged and fostered by the governs
ment; and we all know that it is not
the interest of these fellows, who have
control of our State government, Cor
of any of that class, } to offer encourage
ment TO profitable investment of copi-
tai. Upon the contrary, their time is
taken up in studying how to convert
these projects into sources Of speculation
for their own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. For
instance, nearly all the different rail-
road schemes in this State were pro-
jected by the last Democratic legisla-
ture. Since that they have fallen into
the hands of radical, carpet bag legis-
lators, who have appointed directors
of their own party. These, in dis
posing of the franchises of the roads to
capitalists, have required such a bonus
as condition of their REIMBURSEMENT
of title, as to preclude the hope of
honest capitalists undertaking the work.
And if the reports Of Democratic
journalists in the State be true, and ]
have not yet seen them disproved, the
bonds which have been drawn for the
aid of the roads have been squaudered
and embezzled, while the roads are
languishing for help, and the people of
the State left without any hone of being
indemnifed for the losses wEaCn they
have sustained.
All projects ot'fhis Kind, if fcom?loted
at all, ro.ust be either through the enter
prise Of private eitizens or through the
: efforts of capitalists from abroad. 1t
, is evident that under our present rule,
t citizens are in no condition to contribute
to public enterprises. Take, for In
stance, the merchant. As the laws of
/ the State now stand, he is compelled
to a great extent to sell for cash. At
anv rate the homestead and exemption
laws are 50 comprehensive as to almost
destroy the credit system. So that
when he has made his collections at the
end of the year, paid his taxes to the
government, and settled with his mer>
chant abroad, lie has bat little surplus
to subscribe to the building of railroads.
The planters condition in this respect
is yet more hopeless. n great majority
of these are not able 10 Pay tteir taxes
to the government and keep their farms
in repair. Their farm fences are going
TO waste, and their out houses and
buildings are rapidly decaying, and
there is no reasonable hope of soon
restoring them. The negroes-the
: great source of muscular labor in this
country have been converted into
. politicians and statesmen, and they
cannot be induced to gather and save
; the crops which they make, much less
: can they I've induced to build fences
and cabbins. Hence we may reason
ably conclude that the planter has nc
surplus means to invest in public enter
prises. Year by year he sees his farm
growing Up ia bushes and briars, and
fast becoming a wilderness, lie IS
compelled to draw in his fence and
turn out acres of fine, rich land. liC
can't sell off his surplus lands, for there
are no purchasers. And even II these
two classes of our citizens-the mer'
chants and planters-had surplus OF
means TO subscribe to the building Of
III .