Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-04-03
virginia CoIoniza,iou.


cerned. but the adjoining States viii be fastened
in the glorious work of emancipation, and we may
expect, ere longthe ultimate final eradication of
slavery from every part of the country. Yankee
/ enterprise and Yankee energy are equal to any
| emergency, when fairly aroused -
From the Chicago Democratic Press.
HE PLAN FOR CoLoNIzING VIRGINIA-It
happens singularly enough that while the
slavery propagandists are straining every
nerve to force slavery into Kanzas, an exten
slye scheme is maturing to plant freedom in
| Virginia, by the most efectual Of all modes,
namely, that of colonizing freemen within
her borders. The idea is not only to reclaim
| the lands that have been rendered barren by
the thriftlessness Of slave labor, but to bring
into use hundreds of thousands of acres of
wild lands in Western Virginia, that only
await the hand of unfettersd industry to
yield as rich agricultural and mineral trea-
sures as lie buried in any other undeveloped
region in the country. So far as we have
understood, philanthropy does not prolessedly
he at the bottom of the scheme, but rather the
prospect of good speculation. Capitalists
at a dstance-some OF them in Wall street
own large tracts of Virginia lands, bought for
trihe, and at present useless and unstable,
but which would rapidly rise inSyalue if par
tally colonized according to the plan propos-
ed. Large tracts that would not now feJch
fifty cents an acre, would soon be be worth
ten, fifteen, twenty, and perhaps fifty dollars,
according to location If the holders of these
lands should give away half of them for
nothing on condition that the other half
should be settled and improved, any ore can
see that they would make good speculation,
and if moved by phianthropic motives, they
would have the satisfaction of having done a
noble work besides. We are in possession OF
al, -,
satisfy us that it rests upon substantial
financial basis, and is in the hands of men Of
the requisite energy and capacity to push it
forward TO a successful result, but which we
are not at liberty to make public at present.
Inc proposition has naturally produced
sensation in Virginia, varying in character
according to locality and the proclivity of
editors. The Richmond Wing is feroeious
The South Side Democrat is equally excited
and declares "that any attempt by Emigrant
Aid Societies, come from whatever quarter it
may, to change the institutions of Virginia,
will be met BY a resistance that will put
Northern philanthropy beiow par in thetwink
ling of an eye We dare the honorable Mr..
Thayer to the encounter. Let him muster
courage equal to his impudence and impeP
tlnence, and we will insure him and his abo.
lition minons the whole length Of Hamans
| halter aud the whole Of the meaning of hos
! pitable graves" This is sufficiently beige
! rent, but the tone of the press OF the State is
on the whole favorable 10 the project. The
| Norfolk ArguS comes into this category, as
also the Wheeling LnteAigencer, which in
reply to the threats and denunciations of the
Richmond Why, declares that "Western
Virginia will open her arms to receive these
men, and will let you sleep on in your slug
gish repose until you awakened by the
hum of industry that will echo from every
hill and valley .'this side the ridge"
We regard this as one of the most impor-
tant movements of the time. 1t will be the
initiatory step toward the social and financial
regeneration of the Old Dominion. The in.
PRODUCTION of twenty or thirty thousand hardy
emigrants would at once begin to tell bene-
fcially upon her fortunes. Their well cult
waited fields, when con rasted with the barren
wastes created by slave labor would be null
tiplled by the force of example The votes of
the Settlers too, would tell powerfully on the
policy of the State, and soon rob the slave
holders of Eastern Virginia of the monopoly
Of government which they have long
joyed and misused. In short, Old Virginia
will then have entered upon such course of
regeneration will ultimately rank her
among the free States Of the Union.
From the New Bedford Mercury.
The last exposition of Virginia ColoniZa-
ton, is contained in letter from Hon. Eli
Thayer. bearing date at Worcester, March u.
The Old Dominion is to be taken down by
m,-but it is not a storm of cannon, like
the siege of the Malakof but the storm of
dollars, company having been formed in N.
York called the Homestead Emigration
| Company with a capital of two millions,
the two chief officers in this campaign against
"ole Virginny," being Erastus Corning and
| Dean Richmond, two prominent New York
democrats who are not acting rsshly or I'M
| advisedly, but intend to make Sc a fair and
| square thing out of it." This colony scheme
| is to be strictly business organization, ac-
| cording to Mr. Thayer,- is to abide by the
| laws, State and National,-- is to "adhere
with wonderful tenacity to the Constitution
and the Union" Large tracts Of land are to
be purchased at slave State prices, about one
fourth of these will be given away to actual
settlers, e-fourth will be sold at cost, and
the remainder at free State prices thus prob
ably doubling the money on each operation.
Some foolish people in Virginia, who know
not what is for their own benefit, make fuss
about this truly Christian enterprise. But
| Others do SAat, On the contrary, many Vir-
| ginians and shareholders too, invite the Colo
nists,-Missouri also sympathizes and has ac-
tualy sent on to procure a good colony of one
hundred able.bodled free laborers to make a
town on a good landing on the Misso uri river.
So Maryland and Kentucky are DESTROYS of
getting Mr.. Ihayer TO look their way and re-
fresh their solitary fields with the hoes and
spades of free united white citizens. People
may cry "nonsense," and call this mere
Yankee speculation, that nothing will be done
and that those who buy land in slave States,
cannot work there, and will only have their
labor for their pains. There are always such
croakeIs and skeptics, who try to destroy ev-
cry enterprise which does not precisely har-
monIze with their notions.
Virginia is going down hill with unexam-
pied rapiuity. She will be bankrupt ere long,
unless she adopts some fruitful expedient to
save her from utter ruin. Her State debt is
enormous, and her means of ever paying it
are enormously unlikely, but here steps in
Mr.. Thayer, and with true Yankee hrmness
and heroism, cries out to the 'Old Dominion,
we will buy up your lands aud settle them,
create a new means Of livelihood, give you a
chance of going ahead rapidly, and bring some
Of the finest lands in the Atlantic States into
market. And Mr.. Thayer does not at all dis
guise the end tn yiew,-the Homestead Emit
grafton Company proposes among other things
to make money. This is one Of its serious
objects Let Mr.. II. A. Wise frown and
fare up, he may govern Virginia for $4,000 a
year, as he may, but he cannot prevent an
army OF Yankee colonists, who own the lands,
to labor on it, build towns with their schools
and churches, seaports, with their custom
houses and clipper ships-in fact, 60 ahead