Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-05-08
Poor Old Virginia."

poor Old VirSinia.n
The opponents of the Democratic par
ty are most emphatically party of croak
ers. They have always complained of
the way in which our government has
been administered, and notwithstanding
the gigantic strides our country has made
in wealth. power, prosperity and in(lu-
ence, if they were to be believed, our go
vernment is the worst conducted Of any
in the universe. At this time, they are
particularly engaged in manufacturing
the opinion that the proud old Common
wealth Of Virginia is.bankrupt. degraded
and disgraced--and that it is all owing 10
Democratic rule. Our people are repre-
sented as groaning" under the weight
Of an oppressive taxation, that is grinding
the last cent from their pockets, and dri.
wing them by hundreds from the State
all in consequence OF the success OF the
Democratic party.
These croaIers appear either to have n
very convenient memory, or to be lamen>
tably ignorant of their own history. They
seem not to be aware Of the facts that the
present Indebtedness Of the State has
been created by appropriations to works
OF internal improvement, and that the
warmest friends of those appropriations
have been members Of their own party.
Internal improvement has always been q
Wing hobby. but now, when the fiddler
has to be paid, they would have people
believe they never danced. The very
men who are now crying out against the
pretended misrule Of the Democracy of
Virginia, sought to plunge the State still
deeper into the vortex Of indebtedness,
and were only prevented by the conserv>
atism of the very party they are now SO
Justify abusing because the natural result
Of their own recklessness has become en-
tailed upon the State. AS long as those
gentleman could borrow as much money
as they wanted, they were perfectly reck-
less OF expenditure, and took no thought
of the fact that pay day must eventually
arrive; and the debt of the State would,
in all probability, have been doubled, if
they had not been restrained by the De-
mocratic party. Payday has noeO come
Money can no longer be borrowed, ex-
cept at an unlawful sacrifice, and they
roll up their eyes with holy horror and
discaim having had anything to do with
the creation of the State debt. and the
necessary levy of taxes to pay it. Oh,
no it was those villainous Democrats
who did all this mischief! They declare
taxes TO be Unnecessary, and propose to
pay our debts, finish our improvements
and educate our children qOth another's
money, which, while it appears fair 10 the
view, will turn to ashes upon their lips.
Truly, the age of great statesmen has not
yet passed
The assertion that Virginia is SO despi.
cabIy poor and growing poorer. is as false
rs the charge of entire responsibility
upon the Democratic party for our State
debt. and the consequent high taxes
The late re~assessment. of the lands OF the
Commonwealth shows that during the
last six years, the real estate alone,
of Virginia, has increased in value one
hundred millions Of dollars, and the
personal property has probably increased
about the same amount. So we have
been increasing in wealth at least $780,
600. 900 year. IfthA is getting poor
err, who would not like to try the opera
ton, individually ,st .... .-.-...
The taxes of Virginia, as compared
with other States, are greatly overrated
There are number of States that pay
higher rates of tax than we do. 1t is
true that many of our citizens are emf
grating West, but this they always did
and always will, and if that fact is any
evidence Of a want of prosperity. our
Northern. reighbors are suffering vastly
more than We are, for while one emigrates
from Virginia, tsOo go from Pennsylvania,
ttrss from Ohio. four from New York,
andin much larger proportion from some
other States, AS these States are repre-
sentedsas being in prosperous condition.
ain. assarfions s,f tha r,oya,tS, az WI,