624 



FARMERS' REGISTER— RAIL ROADS, &c. 



have ^one f.irllier with impunity, and decided 

 on tl'.eir iintitness. He feared their ivant of po- 

 litical comprehensiveness. He might, stili more 

 justly h;\ve denounced their want of political inlcf;- 

 rity. He characterized their mind, as stitTcned to 

 a circle of routine. He might with more fidelity 

 have cautioned his country against the fatal flexi- 

 bility lohich legislative laivyers exhibit in adopting 

 every side to the violation of every principle. To 

 this rule there may be striking exceptions. But 

 the general rule, beyond all controversy is, that 

 the lawjer forms a distinct species in the house, 

 and that his profe,«;sional haliits, training h.im to the 

 defence of both sides of ail questions, rapidly ex- 

 tinguish in his bosom the stern sense of trutli that 

 this result is so })erfectly understood, that it is al- 

 lowedfor; and that few men look on the tergiver- 

 sation of a political lawyer as a matter of surprize ; 

 fewer still a matter of indignation, and none at all 

 as incapacitating the zealous antagonist of to day, 

 from being the equally zealous advocate to mor- 

 row. The public opinion of the lawyer's motive 

 in entering the Legislature, is no more led by his 

 declarations than it would be by his briefs. He is 

 looked upon only as extending his practice to a 

 higher court, pleading not for his client but for 

 himself, and angling not lor fees, but for attorney 

 general-ships, chief justice-ships, and the other 

 golden bails, which tlie world, half laughing, half 

 in scorn, universally admits to be goocVand true 

 motives ibr the conversion of a lawyer. 



" But even tiie mental functions required for the 

 senate and the bar, are singularly distinct. The 

 one is analysis, the other combination ; the one is 

 the detection of error, the other the acquisition of 

 truth ; the one is the labor to bring forward part of 

 the question, the other to bring forward the whole. 

 The distinction is as wide as betweeji the pleader 

 and the judge ; between advocacy and delibera- 

 tion. If the Legislature is to perish, a surer mode 

 could not be adopted than j)leadiiig it v.'ith law- 

 yers. If the Legislature is to be reformed, more ef- 

 fective methods could not be adapted than clearing 

 it of every practising lawyer now and forever 

 .xnoTe."—BlackKWod, Nov. 1833. pp. 548-9. Bos- 

 ton edition. 



To conclude, I would say, that since I have writ- 

 ten the above, I have met with Mr. Bruce's admira- 

 ble speech in the House of Delegates ; and I request 

 you to superadd an extract from it, illustrating in 

 some measure, my opinion on the subject of ad- 

 vances in money by the state ; and close this pa- 

 per with a simple observation, that, as to the in- 

 crease of revenue, he must be infinitely below tlie 

 mark. Will he be pleased to reconsider the mat- 

 ter, and perhaps, when he recollects the annual in- 

 crease of the tolls on the James, he will confirm, 

 as well as illustrate my ideas on the subject ? 



" The gentleman from Petersburg, thinks the 

 interest of tlie stale in the stock of the Peters- 

 burg Rail Road Company ought not to be jeop- 

 arded by raising up a rival. If tlie state were a 

 mercenary capitalist, who had invested his mo- 

 ney, for the purpose of turning a penny, there 

 might be some reason in the argument. But, sir, 

 what was the object of the state in establishing the 

 two fifth system ? It was not based on a principle 

 of speculation, but to stimulate her citizens to ex- 

 ert themselves for the improvement of the coun- 

 try. To Call forth all the energy, the enterprise, 

 and the capital of individuals, and direct them to 



a great and lnudal)le object; to stimulate, in fine, 

 each and every section of the state, to increase the 

 flicilities of commercial intercourse. The slate too, 

 by tliis system, not only avails itself of the saga- 

 city and economy of individuals, but has by it es- 

 tablished the most equitable piinciple on which its 

 resources can be divided. Though I am willing 

 to admit, that a subscription on the part ofa com- 

 pany of three fifths of tlie capital nec^sary for 

 any scheme of internal improvement does not hind 

 the state to a subscription of the remaining two 

 fifths, yet it is a strong reason for its so doing. 

 The funds of the state ought not to be given away 

 arbitrarily, but upon some fixed principle, and I 

 know of none belter than the two fifth principle. 

 I therefore conclude, that where individuals sub- 

 scribe three fifths, the state, prima_/ac(e, should 

 subscribe the remaining two, lobe controlled by 

 the circumstances of the treasury and the nature 

 of the work. But sir, when we take a move en- 

 larged view of the elTects of this work on an ex- 

 tensive section of country, the probable increase 

 of its wealth and resources, its probable agency, 

 too, in raising up Norfolk into a seaport of conse- 

 quence, the state's interest of 89,000 per annum 

 in the Petersburg road will sink into comparative 

 insignificance. The gentleman has attempted to 

 alarm the hou.se by the very appalling information 

 that the state could not pay the interest without 

 raising the taxes. I presume it is hardly necessa- 

 ry for me to inform the very intelligent chairman 

 of the committee on finance, that at the present 

 rates of taxation, the revenue of the state is in- 

 creasing about 8 12,000 annually, which is more 

 than ample to meet the interest of 8190,000, 

 which the state is invited tc subscribe to the Ports- 

 mouth work." SJVIEATON. 



ILLUSTRATIVE ADDENDA. 



Exiractsfrom Message of the Governor of N. York. 



" While our puVdic works have been attended 

 with local advantages, they have contributed, even 

 beyond our anticipations, to the general prosperi- 

 ty of the state. 



" It was our fortune that the most practicable 

 route for a water communication between the At- 

 lantic ocean and the great western lakes, lay 

 through our territory. This advantage was early 

 discovered by the sagacity of the people of the 

 state, and efTectually improved by their enterprise. 

 The internal commerce carried on through the 

 Erie Canal, aided as it is by the improvement ex- 

 ecuted by the enterprise and energy of the state of 

 Ohio, has, during the past season, increased to a 

 magnitude which was supposed to be attainable 

 only in its full maturity, and has extended to re- 

 gions which were conceived to lie beyond its ut- 

 most limits. The country around those lakes, and 

 along the rivers emptying into them, as well as 

 the valley of the Ohio, quite down to the Missis- 

 sippi, have been supplied through this channel 

 with some portion of their merchandize. Boats 

 are daily seen passing upon it, freighted with goods 

 destined for the territory of Michigan, the states 

 of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, 

 and even for Missouri and Alabama. The de- 

 lightful climate of this western region, the great 

 fertility of the soil, and the numerous convenien- 

 ces it offers for the enjoyments of human life, are 

 daily becoming better known, and attracting to- 



