Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-02-11
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE SPECTATOR.
FRANKLIN House,
PHILADELPHIA. Jan. so. 1852.

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. gu, lo0%.)
.Messrs. Editors In my last rambling epstle'
| was pent up by the snow in the city Of I.ancas-
ter, and when took my departure therefrom and
travelled through The Eastern and most fertile part
of it, il was less difficult for me TO understand how
it is that the good people OF that County, with
small estates have at this time more available sur
plus capital than This city of Philadelphia. am
informed by reliable individual that the surplus
means of that County. ro,c loaned o,h, exceed ten
millions OF dollars. Think Of that you farmers OF
Augusta, who live in region scarce inferior, it al
all so, 10 this 'Ts true you are further removed
from market and cannot the clear profits for
slhe staples you raise neither can you make as
many 0fthem YET there is great room for improve
ment in the mode Of farming, and in the economy
and judiciuns application of manure.
There met with class ofreligionists of whom
had never heard before. and who are found in
Lancaster County in considerable numbers, called
Omists, or Omish. They resemble in many Of
their forms of worship. dress. &C., the Thinkers
and Menonisis. They wear boards, have their
coats cut as the Thinkers, but instead Of buttons
use hooks and eyes. So great is the similarity Of
dress in all 9th particulars, that this alone is the
distinctive mark. They have no churches, and no
public yards, and, as The other sects, are OPP
posed 10 bearing arms, suing each other. and pre-
Ter barterng to any other mode Of dsposing of any
thing they may lave TO sell. They are singular
people know nothing Of their origin.
spent day or two in Chester County, imme-
diatey East OF Lancaster, and as the latter is the
great cattle feeding, So is Chester the great graz
ing County of Pennsylvania. The larger part
of its farmers keep their lands in grassl and,
except occasionally, pair or two of oxen; seldom
feed as is done in Lancaster. They keep the cat
tie in their stables and barnyards through the
winter, and feed their hay, straw and fodder TO
them, and turn out as early in The Spring as the
nature of the pastures will admit. Their nearness
To Philadelphia, enables them to command gener-
ally the best prices They keep up the fertility OF
their lands by making large quantity of manure
and by free application of lime. A farmer who
does not lime his land is looked on as htrJttcss,
and his land mustof necessity degenerate. 1t is
truly most beautiful cpuntry-the farms so well
enclosed, clean and well cultivated, and the dwell
lings and barns neat ard comfortable, the roads
smUuth and in excellent order. have frequently
had cause to contrast their fine condition with our
rough, narrow and often impossible county roads.
In this, as in many other things, We are far behind
the Pennsylvanians. Well, our people may say,
we are not as we'll to do in many respects; yet we
know little of taxation compared with the amount!
pay their taxes, they pay them directly, and know
the precise amount we pay the same ur greater
amount indirectly, and do not take time 10 foot
them up. This tax we pay in the Time we have
to consume in getting ouI products to market-for
time is money-and in the wear and tear OF wag-
on, gear, horses and the exposure of the driver in
frequent trips to Scottsvie and Winchester. The
interest too, on the capital invested in the fine
wagons and harness kept exclusively for the rOad
must be added 10 the amount
All but look at the railroads that Pennsylvania
has, say our farmers-True, and the savings they
make in the expense of marketing their products,
pays and more than pays their taxes for building
} said railroads. Su will experience teach us pres
emily.
What shall say of this city that your readers
are not familiar with? This can say with truth,
it is difficult to become familiar with t-l gro,rs
so fast, you cannot keep pace with it. Only think
that il is hardly one fifth behind New York. Yet
it is. So. Why is it so? For the very. reason
that you find that our cities are small, lin
tied, contracted, pent-up places, with no arms
reaching out into the fertile and exhaustless cOun-
try West of them, that will serve 10 put food into
their mouths Set the richest viands and choicest
food before the hungry man, and set him down 10
It with his arms and hands pinioned fast to his
sides, and you have an analogy between the situa-
ton of Norfolk and Richmond They occupy po'
sitions that are the envy Of all who have eve! WIS.,
tied them; yet what are they? Why it was only
tonight seated with group of intelligent liberal
minded men, Pennsylvanians, Virginia became
the topic of conversation, when one OF them with
the most animated manner painted to his conpan,,
ions, the position Of Richmond, and remarked, -
have travelled in every direction in the Unlied
States, and profess 10 be familiar with the Brit
sh Islands, yet do sOlemny believe that the city
ne Richmond hae ,nn,e advan.n=. A.. ,,, L.
feIed water power she possesses han any olner
place in both countries combined" Now this may
seem extravagant, but 1t is true, literally empnat
icaliy true, and but for the miserable policy the
Legislature annually pursues, in not opening up to
her the wealth of the back country, as Pennsylva-
mia has done here, where now would she have
been?
took brief run up into the Anthracite coal re-
gion to the County of Schnylki;l day or two
since, and some Of the surprise had felt at the
rapid growth of this City subsidized. Why? you
ask. Well just think of a railroad nineytwo miles
long leading from this coal region 10 the City. re-
cevng ten thousand dollars per day on one single
article, as tou What article? I'll tell you q
little incident.
In the fall of 1926 gentleman now occupying
prominent position here, set out with two yes
sells loaded with serentyfce tons each Of An,hra-
cite coal, for the City Of New York. He reached
there in due time and set ont to make disposition
Of his cargo. When asked what it was he had to
sell he described it. Some there were who laugh
ed in his face; others ridiculed, and the bluBn-
ous-coal dealers from Virginia, all the coal at
that date used in New York went from Richmond
poked their fun at him. The owner of the vessel
seeing his difficulty in selling his cargo, began to
be uneasy about his freight and demanded pay for
the shipment The Pennsylvania had not where
with TO pay and was in great strait, and with
all the mental agony that one in large city, with
out friends, without even an acquaintance, ard
worst of all without money, could feel, he put off
to a coal-yard owned by young man he had be-
fore called on, of enterprise and some liberality,
and, with anxiety depicted in every feature, stated
his situation to him. The coal dealer with some
hesitation, consented to pay the shipper the
freight; and the owner Of the cargo, feeling as
he told me, like one just rescued from the jaws Of
prison, made his exit from the city as quickly as
possible, happy to gel off, by surrendng $50 tons
of coal. for the payment Of thu. freight.
This is the article that is now doing more to
build up the City Of Philadelphia, as well as New
York. than any branch of business that engages the
attention of its people. saw much of the County
in The brief time was there, and could fill snail
volume with interesting facts touching this inter-
est. On the morning left Pottsyille, embraced
an opportunity to see something Of the under
ground operations. So with an intelligent Welch
miner, descended one of the ihctnes about $50
feet and then proceeded along the level as il is
Called more than one mile, at depth OF 900 feet,
with nothing but small lamp not safety and
which might have caused his death and mine by
causing an explosion, the mine not having been
| rlob |
the fatigue and gained much knowledge OF the plan
.,x,,,od in tol,;no out mol had heen strnck with