Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-11-10

leading item of manufacture, why should she
submit to never ending depletion, in paying
for articles she can make better, and even
cheaper, of her own materials, and upon her
own soil-this, too, for the benefit of the bitter
revilers of her peculiar institutions.
This development would inevitably work out
great transformation, if carried out to any
thing like its due extent. In place of sending
out millions of cash, as she now does, she
would receive millions, for she would then be
q seller to greater extent than she is now a
buyer. She would retain all that population
now exiled to strange fields Of enterprise.
She would afford that diversity of intellectual
as well as physical employment, so greatly
needed by our young men and enterprising
citizens. She would dot her territory with thriv.
ing and beautiful villages, and build up her
cities. By turning customers into producers,
better prices; thus adding immensely to the
value Of real estate, and to agricultural adj
vancement and prosperity. The balance Of
trade, instead of draining and prostrating,
would pour an ever-aowing stream Of wealth
into the channels Of her business, and always
keep her monetary circulation up to healthy
and vigorous pulsation. And last but to the
patriotic heart we hope not least it would re-
store to Virginia her long lost superiority in
population and prosperity, and in political in
fuence and power.
These anticipations may seem imaginary,
but we trust they are not merely so. What we
hope for Virginia has been more than realized
in the history Of every State or town that has
used the means here advocated. What but this
has given "little England wealth, power, in
fuence, denied to nations Of the greatest terri
torial extent? What but this enabled her for
fifteen years to sustain the Continental wars Of
Europe, at an annual expense of two hundred
and fifty millions Of dollars?
/. Or, coming nearer home, what makes Mas
sachusetts land sell at one hundred dollars per
acre, when the same land here would not bring
ten2 What in proportion to her territorial ex-
tent, has given that State several times the po-
litical power of Virginia, ten times her real and
personal estate, one hundred times her COM
merce one hundred times her development in
cities and towns, but the simple fact that she
has t,co hundred times her development in
manufactures? If the development of the very
meagre resources Of Massachusetts has accom-
plished so much for her, what must result from
the development of the more imperial resources
of Virginia?
Many readily ascribe the greater prosperity
of the northern States to their superior advan-
tages. Fudgel For every superior advantage
of theirs we will show TEN on the part of Vir-
ginia; except where the advantage has resulted
directly from this branch of industry. If it
was occasioned by material advantages only,
how is it that the States having the .tepest
natural advantages have become by far the
soealthicstP And what is true of States is
equally true of towns. For every town that
has been prosperous from commerce only we
will show fifty whose prosperity can be traced
to manufactures alone, and Jftfy more where
the greater part is traceable to the same cause.
Fep appreciate hoo much this is the case. In
regard to Cincinnati, the reader will be sur
prised to learn that her manufactures contri-
butes nearly .Jfre times as much as her COM
merce to the annual prosperity of that city.
Few are aware that the manufacture of New
York city amount to nearly one million per
annum. No State can be prosperous and
powerful without manufactures. No city can
be populous and thriving, whether seaport or
not, without manufactures.
We have fine farms, mammoth cattle, fat
hogs, feet horses, and yet to have to buy
brooms, churns, wheelbarrows, pins, wooden
combs, house furniture and slopshop clothes
from Yankee land, is only to be good farmers,
valuable stewards, hewers of wood, drawers of
water and lusty slaves for Yankee masters.
God speed to the manufacturers and me-
chanics of Virginia.