The North Carolinian

On the Central Railroad bill:

The Raleigh Register, in noticing the speeches and votes on the above named bill, says:

"When we entered the Hall, the floor was occupied by Mr. Dobbin, and we regretted that we had lost a single sentence of his able and spirit stirring speech. He contrasted the poverty and desolation which our supineness had brought on us, in spite of great natural advantages, with the flourishing condition of States which had adopted liberal systems of internal improvements. He said that North Carolina should not hesitate to go in debt to the amount of three or four millions, in order to carry on extended, but judicious plans of improvement. We had nothing to do, he said, but to instruct the State Treasurer to advertise that North Carolina wanted to borrow four millions, and ten times the amount would immediately be offered her. The citizens of the little State of Massachusetts, which was not much larger than his pocket handkerchief, would alone lend us a much greater sum, and never feel it.

"How," inquired Mr. Satterthwaite, "is little Massachusetts able to lend us so much money? How did she make it?" She is enabled to do so, replied Mr. Dobbin, because years ago she commenced, and has continued to carry forward, an extensive system of internal improvements. It is because she has accomplished what we have yet to begin, that she has her millions to lend. With a territory less than one-sixth part of N. Carolina, she has now more population, and by actual assessment near four times as much wealth. The city of Boston alone is worth more than the whole State of North Carolina.

If North Carolina will imitate the noble enterprise of Massachusetts, said Mr. Dobbin, we, some twenty years hence, may lend our millions to some far off frontier State, which then may be as needy as we are now.

Mr. Dobbin was frequently applauded by the members, in spite of the Chairman's efforts to preserve decorum. Indeed, a man must be stoically indifferent to the welfare of his State, not to be moved by such eloquent appeals."