The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-04-28
virginia rs IL is.

Mr., Henry \. Wise is the Democratic can.
dldate for Governor Of Virginia, and is max.
ing speeches in various parts Of the State
In a recent speech he is reported TO have
said
"Ihc four great cardinal sources of wealth
are agriculture, mining, manufacturing and
commerce. Virginia has fresh and salt wa
ter, river heads and ocean front the bcs,
sod, rich loan and limestone, and incxhaus-
tI6lc mines OF mineral wealth. The bowels
OF her earth are rich in iron, gypsum and
salt, which can set her rivers in flames and
yet nothing has been done with this wealth.
She has an iron chain Of mountains running
through her centre, which the great God has
placed there to milk the clouds and to be the
source Of her silver rivers. Every river has
water power whicl would turn spindcs
enough to clothe the world, and yet you
hardly manufacture cotton enough to clOthe
your own negroes; in mining she has done
nothing; and commerce has long ago spread
her wings and flown from US. We have all
these four sources Of wealth, and yet the
State has always relied upon agriculture and
ngriculc alone, Yc have thrown away three
out of the four great cardinal powers of pro.
duction; and what have you done with the
iourtht What can say Of the agriculture
Of Virginia? 1t has only scared the bosom
otmothcr cartIl.
Its science is all known and practscd by
the old negroes on her plantations. Going
through some Of your counties you oycrtakc
man, and ask him-"Whose house is
that
That is mine"
"Well, whose is that" pointing in anoth.
or direction,
That is mine also.'
"Well, whose is that over yonier:"
"lhat is mine too, stranger"
And do you own that way of there,
alsofn
why, yes, stranger, do; but--scrath.
ing his hcad-dOn't suppose am so ID
poor as to own all the land about here"
"You all own plenty o'land, but it is pov.
crty added to poverty. Poor land added to
land and nothing added to nothing gives
nothing. While the owner is talking poll.
tics at Richmond, or in Congress, or spend
ing the summer at the White Springs, the
land and grower gets poorer and poorer, and
this soon brings land, negroes and all under
the hammer. You have the owners skinning
the negroes, and the negroes shinning the
land, until all grow poor together. Well,
what has been the consequence Of this?-
You have lost a million and half of p0pu-
laton. You have peopled other States, now
a. rich as Virginia herself You have pc
opled Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana,
and lllinois-Stltes beyond the Mississippi
and now California. The sons Of Virginia,
have been compelled TO leave their mother
for other lands. Notwithstanding Virginia
has done all this, too, is my boast still, she
has million and a half Of population left,
and still her gypsum her salt, her harborS,
her rivers, and all her undevoloped wealth.
and needs nothing but men worthy Of her
fathers and mothcrs--worthv to marry her
daughters, to develop these powers, and
make old Virginia herself again
Overlooking the main cause Of the depor-
able condition Of the state, a contempt for
industrial pursuits resulting from the sys.
ten Of slavery. Nr. Wise discovers in rail-
roads tho panarna 70. eli s1.s .,-Is,livs Vt Yir
giua. He says:
"Shc has waited for population and com.
mcrcc. She ought to have said, ! will have
produce and means Of transportation, and
that will bring commerce. Lay down upon
the piers Of commerce the raw material, pile
up there the productions of agriculture, the
gypsum and the salt and iron, and where the
carcass, is the buzzard will be also, and COM
mercc will came where the burthcn is. But
as il is, there has been no produce upon the
piers, and commerce has spread her wings
anl taken flight Hasten, then, bcseech
you, to touch that Queen City OF the West,
which Prentice said twas haunted by the
ghosts Of slaughtered wine"