The proceeds from the land sale were an enormous fortune. Coupled with the fifty thousand pounds Charles had given earlier, the Pennsylvania Assembly instantly became the wealthiest assembly in all of America.
However, representatives from the other Colonies in the Continental Congress immediately set their sights on this large piece of the pie.
John Adams, one of the most influential and revolutionary representatives, frankly stated that Pittsburgh did not specifically belong to any one state, but rather was jointly owned by the Thirteen American Colonies. Therefore, this money should be remitted to the Continental Congress and used as funds to counter the British army's offensive.
The first issue to be resolved was the proposal to construct a canal.
As Charles expected, the discussion of this proposal was conducted according to republican principles, meaning that the main leaders of the Pennsylvania Assembly—Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, James Wilson, George Clymer, and others—would consult with Charles, the proposer, beforehand.
"Charles, you've only been in Philadelphia for half a month, and you've already brought us such a big surprise. It's truly both delightful and a headache!" Franklin commented on Charles before discussing the proposal.
"Yes, Charles," Robert Morris chimed in with a chuckle, "you bring us trouble, yet you've also brought us so much profit. What was supposed to be a good profit has now stirred up so much trouble."
As one of the main participants in the canal and land speculation, he naturally knew what was going on. Since he was already confident about the canal construction, he didn't forget to joke with Charles at this time.
"Benjamin, Robert, why don't you just tell me your thoughts on building the canal? If this proposal gets your joint endorsement, I think it should pass without a problem," Charles replied with a smile.
"Charles, there's no hurry to endorse the proposal. Robert has already mentioned this to me. The few of us know the benefits this canal will bring to Pennsylvania, and even to all of America, once it's built. It's worth it, no matter how much manpower and resources are invested.
I first want to ask, why can't our Pennsylvania government invest in its construction?" Franklin asked Charles seriously.
The issue of canal construction was highly controversial among the public and in the Assembly. Many people, without even conducting any investigations, arbitrarily believed that building a canal between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh was impossible and would only waste a lot of manpower and resources.
Some also believed that this matter didn't need debate, as the government wasn't investing anyway, and private construction wouldn't have a major impact. The key concern was Charles' proposal for future tolls, which they believed should not be permitted.
However, a truly farsighted group, like Franklin, after reviewing Charles' detailed canal construction plan, unequivocally supported the canal's construction.
The only question was why private companies should invest; they believed the government should at least invest its own money in the construction. As for the controversy over tolls, they didn't care, because even if the government invested, it would still set up toll booths to recoup its investment in the future.
"Heh heh!" Charles gave Robert Morris a meaningful look, thinking, "Because these vested interests don't want to give this income to the government."
He asked aloud:
"Benjamin, are you planning to use the money from our Pittsburgh land sale?"
The investment for building the canal would be at least tens of thousands of pounds. Pennsylvania previously couldn't afford such a large sum of spare money at once. Now that they wanted to invest directly, they were naturally preparing to use the land sale proceeds.
"Uh..." Franklin was a bit embarrassed. He indeed believed that this money should be used to build the canal. However, he was a very straightforward person and wasn't annoyed when Charles pointed it out directly. Instead, he candidly said, "That's right, I do believe a portion of the land sale revenue can be used to construct the canal between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Once the canal is built, it will bring tremendous benefits to Pittsburgh. In this way, it would be a partial return of the land sale revenue to Pittsburgh. Moreover, according to your budget, this shouldn't use up all the money."
This made a lot of sense, but unfortunately, Charles already had other arrangements and was unwilling to accept this suggestion.
"That's right, this canal will not only bring great benefits to both places, but it will also generate a huge profit itself. Our government and Assembly can do it ourselves," James Wilson and George Clymer also expressed their views.
"No! No! The sooner this canal is completed, the sooner it will show results. I don't believe that a government-organized construction project will be as efficient as private, segmented construction.
As for government funds, this isn't the only profitable project, so there's no need to limit it to the canal. Furthermore, I personally believe that government funds should be used more for public welfare construction," Robert Morris immediately came out to object.
He was one of the true beneficiaries of the canal project, so of course, he couldn't let the original arrangements fall through.
"Moreover, gentlemen, do you think the government will have the energy to personally dispatch personnel to build the canal in the future? If the government really does it itself, the first thing we would need to do is recruit a large number of relevant responsible officials.
With too many officials, how much money will actually be spent on building the canal? And most importantly, I don't believe that the money can be invested in canal construction before the ownership of those funds is resolved," Charles also resolutely refused.
Compared to Robert Morris' reasons, his refusal was more targeted at the political stances of Franklin and others. Because the three of them advocated for a clean and efficient government, and government construction of the canal would inevitably lead to a large, bloated, temporary institution, which they did not want to see.
As for the latter reason, it concerned his contention for the land sale money, and he certainly would not back down.
What relieved Charles and Morris was that Franklin and the others were not very insistent on the government taking charge of the construction. Besides the reasons mentioned above, there was another very important reason: they knew that Morris was involved in this construction project.
Morris held a very special position in Pennsylvania, and even in the entire Continental Congress. Because he was a great Banker, who founded the Bank of America, which was not only the first bank established by Americans themselves but also the only American bank at the time, and also the designated cooperative bank of the Continental Congress.
He himself had also provided a large amount of donations for the war. Compared to the Biddle family, a figure like him was a true powerful individual who straddled both the political and business worlds. Even Franklin, the leader of the Pennsylvania delegation, had to seriously consider his suggestions.
The first question quickly had an answer: Charles' proposal would ultimately be jointly submitted to the Pennsylvania Assembly by the five of them.
However, the matter did not end there. The astute Franklin decided to first exchange opinions with Charles on the issue of distributing the land sale revenue.
"Charles, there's a lot of controversy now over the land sale revenue. How do you think the proceeds from Pittsburgh's land sale should be handled?"
"Of course, it should first be divided according to custom, and then each party uses its share. However, regarding how to use this money, my view is consistent with Robert's: it should be used more for public construction," Charles replied calmly.
This money was related to the development process of Pittsburgh, and he absolutely could not give it up.
"Divided according to custom? But previously, Pittsburgh's land sale revenue was entirely controlled by Pennsylvania, wasn't it? Are you suggesting..."
"No, Pittsburgh has already established a town assembly and has its own government. The land sale revenue should belong to Pittsburgh. Considering that Pittsburgh is still relatively weak, and we are currently under the state of Pennsylvania and protected by Pennsylvania, a portion of this money should go to the protector and the superior government.
Therefore, according to the custom of dividing between protector and protected, it's naturally half and half," Charles interjected.
Although this was entirely Pittsburgh's land sale revenue, he was also very clear that if all of this money truly went to Pittsburgh, he feared that tomorrow a large number of bandits would flock to the roads leading to Pittsburgh, waiting to rob it.
Half and half—he inwardly felt that he was already asking for too much and feared it would attract covetousness.
"Half and half?" George Clymer gasped, "That's highly unlikely. Even for protective responsibility, the Assembly wouldn't possibly take only half of the revenue.
Previously, Pittsburgh had no government agencies at all. Even if one is established now, it would certainly be a temporary institution, at most receiving appropriate financial returns annually according to the distribution principles for towns under the state."
This time, it was James Wilson, the legal expert, who supported Charles.
"Pittsburgh is, after all, only under the trusteeship of Pennsylvania. There is currently no legal document stating that she belongs to Pennsylvania. If Pittsburgh truly establishes her own government, this money should be returned to Pittsburgh.
Even if Pennsylvania wants to collect it, it can only do so after both parties conclude a cooperation agreement."
James Wilson was a legal expert. He was more inclined to observe these matters from a legal perspective and had no intention of favoring either side. That's why, after the States was established, he became one of the first federal justices.