The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-06-05

man.
We visited yesterday the cotton mills across
the river, and the large woollen factory (hanneD
on this side. Work is partially suspended in them,
and, the managers declare, for the want Of
little protection. Bad plan to put up facto-
ries where they cannot be sustained without spe.
cial tax on the people 1t might have been good
policy twenty years ago; but factories established
in the United States nowadays, must not be built
upon expectations Of government support by boun-
ties paid from the public money. The consumers
will have voice in the matter.
The Washington Monument in State House
square progresses finely. The granite is a beauti-
ful, hard fine grained, ivelycolored stone, obtained
in any quantity five miles above the city.
ALEXANDRIA, Va, May 30, 1881.
Trginia Pcluics--1he Presidential Question-Ihe
South Carolina Qusstio,,--Intrnai improvements
Progress Of Alexandria, &c.
"But now I'm old and feeble, too,
And cannot work any more,
Oh carry me back to old virginny,
To old virginnys shore"
When the Hon. Daniel S. Dickinson, at the Bal
timore Convention in lSa8, declared that he wished
he had had the honor to be born in Virginia, he
spoke like true descendant of the +. +. V. 1t is
the sa ne sentiment Of veneration for this old COM
monwealth that brought back this old city to her
bosom again and this old county Of Alexandria, at
ter being for half century under the supervision
and care OF the abolition members of Congress as
part of the District of Columbia. In 1910, Alexau-
dria ranked as high as the fourth commercial city
in the Union in exports Of -four, tobacco, and pro-
visions. and in imports Of dry goods, hardware and
groceries. Now, with population Of only 5000, in
Guiding all colors, ages and sexes the old town has
fallen such obscurty, that north of Baltimore
it is all the whether it is located on the bor-
ders ofNorth Carolina, or on the banks OF the Ohio
river Alexandria, will state, therefore, lies on
the right bank of the Potomac, eight miles below
al, and in fha Sfafa nf
about one hundred and twenty-five miles above the
mouth of the river, which is here mile wide, with
fifty feet Of water ut the wharves. Bat Of this
after word or tive upon slTgna politics. :, N.
compromises, is not saying enough. majority OF
the people of Virginia are perfectly satisfied with
them, and particularly with the Fugitive Slave law,
which is OF special value to this State, lying, as 1t
does, upon the borders Of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
But the fact is, that very large proportion OF the
people OF Virginia do not believe that the institu
tion of slavery in the State can be perpetual and
they are, therefore, comparatively indifferent as to
any further acquisitions of slave territory, or any
losses of slave territory The rapid increase Of the
whites in tho last ten years, and the present rate
of their increase in ten years more, will crowd down.
pretty much the system of slavery into the south
east corner of the State.
1The idea of disunion in Virginia has become can
obsolete idea" She has acquiesced, and takes 1t
for granted that the Union Is to continue-whiie
slavery is gradually sloughed of further South,
leaving her clear, when she has sold of her slaves
to the Carolnas and Georgia, and exempting her,
at very distant day, from all responsibility IN the
matter. But, notwithstanding all this, there Is
still a southern rights party in vhe State small
party but party Of influential, wealthy, and active
men-shrewd and active politicians, never expend-
ing their strength their resources without an ob-
ject, and always with object in view Of COM
manding importance. At present they are silcnced
by the late action Of the Legislature, so Thankfully
submissive; but they are watching South Carolina;
and if that State secedes, shall have an excite
ment in this, If nothing more.
The Presidential question is in the same chaos
here elsewhere. Talk as you viii OF the majesty
and power of the people, the dear people, the sove-
reign and free people, there is great deal Of hum
bug in it. The sovereign people play second hddie
to the party managers OF political caucuses and no
limitations, and little cluster Of half dozen men,
1t Richmond or at Washington, decide upon the
candidates Of the sovereign people Of Virginia. or OF
the nation, whig or democrats, And tho very rea-
son that the dear people are now in such fog Is,
because the politicians, the WIRE workers, these
| fellows OF the managing cau,uses, have done mo-
thing. Public opinion is, therefore, dormant, be-
! cause the caucuses have not spoken. Public OPT
Mon, sir Give me the control Of the primary eau
cuses of either party, AMI will manufacture pub
| lie opinion of my own. There may be good time
coming when the people will be really free and In
| dependent of caucus management; put That uine
has yet to come. Virginia, as far Is the Presidency
is concerned will for the national convention
nomina tons of the whig democratic parties, and
| Fillmore side, and Chs, or Douglas, or Gen.
Butler the other, would answer every purpose as
| far as the two old parties arc concerned. With a
purely indie pendent Southern candidate IN the held,
tho Southern Rights men will have the balance
| of power in their hands, and can dispose OF tho
| State for or against the democrats, as they may
| please. And thus the Southern Rights party will
| have great influence the Baltimore Convention,
| especially with regard to the State of virginia.
And If their counscls are disregarded. they will
simply have the power of defeating the ticket in the
state. That is about all the light we have here,
at present, sting the Presidential question in
! the Old Dominion.
| Alexandra is looking up. Property is looking
/ up. The canal, finished to Cumberland, brings
| down to this port immense supplies of stone coal
for transhipmeut. Eight vessels, ono day last week,
were receiving each "A cargo OF this Cumberland
coal, for the of the STEAMSHIP ps mt Havana, New
| Orleans, and tho lsthmus n large cotton factory,
one of the largest in the South, has recently been
erected here, and the growth OF the end Of the
town where IL is located has been very gratifying to
those interested in the prosperity Of the place
But the great work, which ought to have been
erected fifteen years ago, IL the railroad up through
| the tobacco and the productive wheat country
Of the Piedmont district lying along the base OF the
! Blue Ridge mountains. This road has been actu-
ally completed hFe miles out fronl Alexandra;
and forty or fifty miles will be ia running order
| at the end Of this season. From the Elue Ridge
| another road crosses over into the great aud
tceming valley Of Virgins; hus restoring to Alex
andria Its ancient Aland trade, when the tfanspor-
tation was entirely BY wagons, drawn by horses or
mules. At that day from the valley OF virginia,
from Winchester to Alexandria, seventy miles, the
round trip occupied team Of six horses eisht or
ten days, their average load being fifteen or eigh-
teen barrels Of four This was q slow business; but
under the wagon system Alexandria was the depotof
the valley. The Baltimoreans, bowover, ran sratl-
road, some hundred and thirty miles, more OF lcss,
TO Winchester, and Alexandria instantly collapsed
and went down. The immense export trade Vt the
valley, sometimes in the single art Gle Of Hour ex-
ceeding three thousand barrels day, nov goes, in
the bulk, by railroad to Baltimore; so of conn., pro-
visions, sheep aud iat cattle. But the railroad
across fiom Alexandra, Of seventy miles, will
certainly enable her to compete with the Baltt
mo e road Of one hundred and thirty. Hence the
old town Of Alexandra IS looking up and improving
very fast, after long sleep Of thirty years: The
Railroad Company have "A little blow oui today, We
learn, in honor Of the completion Of their work for
five miles, and of the receipt in town already OF
train OF cars loaded with -four, Ar, from the conn
try mills Of Mr.. Wheat h Co. old virsina,,.,'o,
IA " akinr nm. W.