Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1850-06-17
Fur the Vir,;o;,,

good housewife ndusriously and labniously epoa".
weaving cloth for her domestic pupos.s T,, W
day very hot and exceedingly uncomfortable 50 mocI
50 that my sympaes excied for This oo,, '
man. and said To her. why, madam. you have L,r,
work before you and not very profitable, should idg
for you purchase either in Rchuord or Iynrbh,,
as good an article as that in your loom, for g. cents ne,
yard Every true she replied, (s,ill keeping the beam
swinging } but all the material in the ,nm came Cnun
our farm and est money. Now if we do no, uss
our own raisngs, but send away 6. cents for such
things, we should soon have left pay taxes and
t. buy such groceries as are necessary for family"
Now. Nlessrs. Editors. was not this volume npm
the subject of "domestc economy? reasunings and
practices which if CONFIRMED to by all families nechbor
no IDS counties. states and nations wond 90 far ye,v
far. 10 do away with sheriff. sales lnso vences repnda
ilons and bankruptcies. Apply this common sense view
of This ih'iiy helpmaie the question 80 learnedy
discussed in your paper as To-, if we should mako
'uf own railroad iron out Of mountain ore or send
across The Atlantic for it, and what will be the re-
suit. Virginia is actually engaged in CONSTRUCTING
about 700 miles Of railroads. all of which will be cum
peted in five years, The iron for which will cast zen at
The low of $40 per ton SO 600 00O Now the state
is worse off than the old woman, for she had me few
% cent pieces snugy put away IN her cap drawer pru-
IDENTIFY reserved TO meet such expenses nolhng but
money could do while the state less prudent in her saw
ings, propos To borr, 35 shares If this $4,000 900
(sho being 5 owner Of the roads and 10 SEND this mon.
ey with accrun9 interest, the ocean, there 10 add
10 the mighty capital and TO quicken The energies Of tn 80
princey iron masters, who are banded tog ther for the
purpose of crushing our eff s bring into value and
the rich and inexhaustable Of mountains to
render imperative The bounty of Divine Providence by
continuing these rich gifts as but things for theorists %
speculate upon, promising future wealth. all neglected.
Of present want
The good dame better off than is the state in
another and most important point. She could send her
law cotton, or flax or hemp, to market, and get
thing for it. but The state cannot do the like with her
ores. for these will not pay cost of transportation whou,
her limits, so that their value is but Of sand.
W hen will these millions return 10 the state? Never,
but in the shape Of manufactured articles upon which
new profits will be demanded from aud received until
finally, we shall be dependent well for the nails in
our cradles he spades wherewih to dig graves.
Reverse this policy make no railroads but with our
own lron and we may 90 at liberty, for The wealth OF
no nation or state was ever essened by expenditures
lis own citizens, within it, own limits; its prosperity
general happiness Otherwise Than advanced by ber-
al and rapid circulation of money amongst its citizens
But, will confne my remarks particularly to
our Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Of which
stakeholder, and consller the interests of its
in this iron question. The state is 3-5 ckho'der
and such she had better pay to her citizens for the
10000 tons required, any price. not running into extra
yagance rather than send the half of this without
her limits into the hands Of never back
again; for the total of her wealth remaining the
by this course, she undergoes change than dues
the man who, having five dollars in each waseoat poe
ke', takes the five out Of his right and puts with the
liable for his debts and useful for his every purpose
they had remained in the two pockets The has
all the taxable property she before had, except change
in its distribution nor is this ALL for every ton of iron
oe-worh nothing now-tufned into dollars and cents,
just that much additional wealth 10 the Sta,e-an
gument than which other had more weight with the
Legislature in granting the liberal state assistance OF 35
subscription argument, too, made effective of
by all the advocates of the road, whether upon The
stump or 10 the columns of newspapers and pamphlets
And let m mt uesfio tn all wi do
expect to deveope these rich iron ores, whichas tho
address of the Chrisansburg Convention says-'are
locked up in natural barriers and excluded fem all par
ticipaton in those markets where, under dsren, ccum
Stances they might defy competition2' There
20 900 tons Of railroad iron wanted be laid down al
most within sight of The as it remains, where
TONS dawn beheld it entepTsng citizens of our own
state are ready To make it, and al the lowest possible
rate without loss to themselves, and yet because Eng
lish iron will deliver it So $40 less per
TIN. although our best Engineers not those who make
roads and edre them for others discover by long cape
rence in their and tear the facts, but these last,
practical, and, therefore, best Engineers acknowedge
this $40 difference in quality. Still told these
foreign bids be accepted repeat the question, cit
zens of the southwest citizens Of Virginia, if we cannot
make iron where little OF no expense for transporton Is
involved because others can, do, make it, transport it
5000 miles the Atlantic, then 100 miles up
and crooked James River 10 City Point thence light
ened so miles further to Richmond thence up Canal
$50 miles long. the tolls upon which enormous. ,cc
erer do it2 thirty per cent duty now IN
favor and The expense of all The transportation and hand
ling above referred TO, against foreign makers and
yetthe iron Of The latter is (be mountains of iron,
notwithstanding the difference in price is made equal by
the superiority of American, especially Virginia iron !
II such things 10 be- pate no more of your rlch min
eral resources ""your hest iron "the development
of which will sustain rail rond for all such sayings
are vain boastings and senseless.
Next the state, the of Iynchburg is the M st
interested in this question, and she hesitate in her
action2 If this 10000 os the half Of it, should be
made her business circle, there would have 10
be large increase of business, upon which the profits
would tend to increase her wealth. population would in
crease houses and lots would increase in demand and be
enhanced in value indeed, all kinds of town property
would become valuable, and there would be more
inhabitants to help pay by their taxes, the debts of the
town. In truth. this is plain that will not suppose
the enterprsng, Industrious and intelligent citizens OF
this thrifty town, otherwise than in favor of home
made iron home made locomotives and home made cars
Finally, what the interest of private stockholders,
residing, they do generally along the line of the rail
road II the iron is made from The in their
ans it will increase the consumption of all kinds Of agr
cultural products and of course, enhance their valne,
is now being exempifed between Lynchburg and Salem,
during the operations of the contractors, there
gagged in grading the road II will take from their noun
ains worth nothing now, and convert it into dollars
and cents, and this to very large extent, for the 10000
tons of railroad iron will require &c 66 tons Of pig metal
This will be worth about 81 per ION at the furnaces. ID
all So99999 to say nothing of many other incidental
advantages.
Again: Rolling Mills put up, under the enconr'