FARMERS' REGISTER— INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT. 



549 



it cannot be necessary to show the vast advantages 

 which have ever redounded to a state from a proper 

 system of internal improvement, or the necessity 

 which now exists in North Carolina for its adop- 

 tion. Her wasted fields, her deserted farms, her ruin- 

 ed towns, her departing sons, all reproach us with 

 supine neglect. The immense tax which North Ca- 

 rolina now pa)'s in the way ot extra expense in trans- 

 portation of the fruits of labor to market, and 

 bringing back necessaries in return, are sulficieut 

 to palsy the arm of industry and weigh down the 

 spirit of enterprize. By way of illustration, we 

 will mention salt alone. Of this indispensable ar- 

 ticle, it is stated that the county of Iredell con- 

 sumes, on an annual average, 5,000 bushels. The 

 ordinary cost of this article, in the eastern markets, 

 is 40 to 50 cents per bushel. It now costs, when 

 it reaches the Iredell planter 150 cents per bushel ; 

 making from one hundred to one hundred and ten 

 cents per bushel for transportation. It is supposed 

 that this, by rail road, may be reduced to 25 cents. 

 Thus shewing that, upon the article of salt alone, 

 an annual tax, for want of convenient transporta- 

 tion, is levied upon one county of 3,750 dollars. 

 Suppose, upon a moderate calculation, that there 

 are 30 other portions of the state in a like situation ; 

 and we shew, by a simple process of arithmetic, 

 exclusive of what is paid by other portions not 

 mentioned, upon the same article, there is an an- 

 nual drawback, upon the labor of the state, of 

 112,500 dollars. Carry out the principle, and the 

 mind would be overwhelmed with astonishment 

 in the computation. It is said that the counties 

 on the waters of Roanoke, Neusc and Tar pay, on 

 transports, annually, by reason of their extra dif- 

 ficulties, 335,000 dollars. Upon this point, the 

 convention thinks it unnecessary to dwell. 



Admitting the necessity and propriety of the 

 works proposed, and the expediency of tlie state 

 government undertaking them exclusively, it next 

 becomes proper to inquire, what sum is necessary 

 for their accomplishment, and can the state com- 

 mand it? Five millions of dollars, it will be seen, 

 is the maximum sura required ; and this, it is pro- 

 posed, should be raised by loan, in sums not ex- 

 ceeding one million annually. These sums are 

 fixed upon as being extremes, because the conven- 

 tion are not willing to practice any imposition 

 upon themselves, the legislature or the people. 

 They must necessarily speak in round numbers, 

 and they choose such as were rather likely to l)e 

 over than under the amount; that the public 

 mind, at the same time that it was called upon to 

 contemplate tiie happy fruits of their proposed un- 

 dertakings, might fully understand the difficulties 

 to be encountered, and the price to be paid. That 

 the correctness of the computation may be tested, 

 the basis is furnished upon which it is made. 



85 miles of railroad in the northern 



counties, at ^8,000 per mile, 8280,000 



150 miles of railroad across the state, 1,200,000 

 365 do. do. from east to west, 2,920,000 



Ship channel from Newbern to Beaufort, 600,000 



85, 000 ,000 



The rale of cost per mile, for the first three 

 items, IS supposed to be excessive, and is founded 

 upon the comparison of the rates of similar v.orks 

 in other states, although it is believed that in this 

 state the rate would be less than in any other : 



while it is further supposed that by practice, expe- 

 rience, and tlie improvements for which the pre- 

 sent day is so remarkable, the rate of cost of rail- 

 roads per mile is in a regular course of diminu- 

 tion. These items, however, must at last depend 

 upon the surveys, reports and computations of ex- 

 perienced engineers. The convention believes that, 

 upon the whole, their computations will be found 

 to be sufficiently liberal to cover the actual cost. 

 They can only say, that it is their wish to be cor- 

 rect, and they have taken some pains that they 

 may be so. 



You will next inquire, can the money be bor- 

 rowed, and upon what terms.' We are "informed 

 that in the city of London alone, fifty millions are 

 waiting the demands of a borrower, to say no- 

 thing of the other portions of Europe, and the sur- 

 plus capital of our own wealthy cities As to the 

 rate of loan, the committee, in their report, have 

 undertaken to say that it may probably be obtain- 

 ed at four per cent, and can, in no event, exceed 

 five, if proper measures are ado])tcd to provide for 

 the regular payment of the interest. But can this 

 be done ? 



The convention feels certain that the legislature 

 can and would do so by a proj)er system of taxa- 

 tion, should any accident create the exigency — a 

 measure in which they would not only be fully sus- 

 tained, but which would be imperiously called for 

 by that high sense of justice which has ever cha- 

 racterized us as a people, and forced unwilling 

 plaudits from those by whom we are least admir- 

 ed — a measure to sustain which, should it become 

 necessary, each member of this convention doth 

 hereby pledge his sacred honor. But it is hoped 

 and believed that it will not be necessary. The 

 schedule annexed to the report of the committee, 

 shows, in addition to uncertain items and the 

 swamp lands, an aggregate available fund of 

 1,067,000 dollars, which it is advised should be 

 set apart as a partial security to the proposed 

 creditors of the slate. This, by further refe- 

 rence to the report, it will be seen, in connex- 

 ion with some certain annual items, will yield, 

 without infringing upon the principal, a sum more 

 than sufficient to defray the annual interest upon 

 the first million borrowed. That million, if judi- 

 ciously expended, v.ould probably, b.y the time the 

 second million sliould be borrowed, yield an in- 

 come which, if not sufficient of itself, would, with 

 the surplus of the annual product of the original 

 fund, pay the amount of interest upon such second 

 loan, and so on, ioties quoties, as the loan might be 

 required. But even if a less happy result sliould 

 t;\ke place, and it should be necessary to make 

 some small encroachment upon the principal of the 

 original fund, it would take seven years and nearly 

 one half to exhaust the fund now on hand, in the 

 payment of interest, by borrowing one milllion 

 annually, for five years, although no actual income 

 should be drawn from any part of the works; and, 

 in that time, if the money was not most stupidly 

 expended, would not the gradual increase of the 

 value of property along the lines afford a capital 

 for taxation sufficient to discharge the debt? That 

 increase on the route of the New York canal, is 

 said to be ^90,000,000, and on the South Carolina 

 railroad, a sum sufficient to defray the whole cost 

 of its construction. So that the convention may 

 confidently predict that the sum proposed may be 

 safely borrowed at the proposed intervals, without 



