The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-06-16
IThe Great INTERNAL Improvement Of
the Age.
tExtracss from an editorial In the Cincinnati

Inc 6ES0L 1Ht6x1hE Aak0xUs~Asa1AAo "
the Age.
hxtraess from an 1 slsssa1 In the cn'lnaa''
One of the greatest impro vements that has
ever been made In this country is the Erie
canal, which connects by means Of the Hud-
son river the Atlantic Ocean with the great
northern and western lakes. In its enlarge
ment and original cost the State of New York
has probably expended $30,000,000. BY
means of it she almost monopolized the trade
Of all the great region which borders on The
lakes. This colossal and most valuable work
was devised by the genius Of De Witt Clin-
ton more than half a century ago.
But there is an older and still larger and
more valuable idea of internal Improvement,
| which attracted the attention Of the states.
men of our Revolutionary Washington,
Madison, and Marshall-which is not fully
carried out as vet, and which rests upon this
generation to accomplish. 1t is the completion
Ofthe James River and kanawha canal, which,
with the improvements of the Ohio river,
| would give us an unbroken connection OF
| waterth year round of the Mississippi with
the ocean at Hampton Roads. As we have
intimated. when the West was wilderness,
the statesmen of Virginia, headed by Gene
raj Washington, looking into the future, saw
the great advantages of the connection to
which we have alluded, and they took
! steps to form a company to accomplish it.
But it was too large and expensive for pri-
yate enterprise, and it eventually became q
State work. upon which Virginia has ex-
| pended S12 100000. The rayages of the war
have SO IMPOVERISHED her that she is DESTROYS
to hand it over to the United States Govern
| 10 iufprpGfG
| whole country. Having given away the ter
| ritory out of which the Northwestern States
| have been made, she is now willing to ten.
der a franchise which will render their trade
easy and accessible by water to the Atlantic
The distance IS az follows: 1928 miles by the
Ohio river to Point Pleasant; thence by locks
and dams I'D the kanawha to the Greenbrier
eO8 miles; thence 275 miles by canal to
| Richmond, and from thence open-riVer navl'
CATION 1913 miles to Hampton Roads, making
| distance of 1886 miles from the mouth OF the
| Ohio to the ocean. The feasibility of the
| route has been demonstrated by the most
| eminent engineers of the country.
The feeling in the West in regard to the
| exorbitant transportation Of agricultural
products is greatly assisting, at this time
| the friends of this mighty enterprise. In
| his last message to Congress the President
| of the United States alluded most fayorably
to it, and gave it a prominent position as one
of the most necessary improvements OF the
age. Leading members of Congress have
pronounced for it, particularly those from
the Northwest, and there is every rea
son to hope that it may be pu'
through at the coming session of Congress
It is a scheme upon which those frlendl!
to the improved navigation of the Ohio
and western rivers should concentrate then
strength We are glad to see that Fir
ginia representative oft, Mr.. w. P. Burwel
was present at the late meeting of the Agrl
cultural Congress at Indianapolis, ana ID al
interesting speech, full of facts and flgures
called the attention of the member, OF thai
body to it. 1t is only necessary for its merit:
TO be made known throughout the West tc
secure in its behalf a most vigorous aglta
ton and create most imperative demand
upon Congress for its passage.