The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-04-18
Reputation.

uiuiCuiticS, anu IL Is ieaIeu, III SOHle quarters
that Virginia will fail to meet her obligations
At 4 meeting of the Democratic party, IL
Louisa county, in the latter State, COlOne
Voolfolk came out openly forrepudiation.-
His speech is thus reported in the Richmond
Wing.
"Col. Voolfolk avowed himself the infieX
IDLE opponent of all further appropriations
for internal mprovements-spoke feelingly
Of the grievous weight of the taxes and the
distresses of the people, and-would you
think it deliberately declared that he was
in favor of repudiatioa He said that the
prices of produce were going down, ant
would continue to fall lower and lower, ant
the people would be compelled to repadiate
or submit to the alternative of starvation"
These views are not reprobated by tho
Wing. 1t does not endorse the doctrine o.
reputation, yet like the Enquirer, it believes
that Virginia is so deep in debt as to require
exorbitant TAXATION" or outside help. The
public works pay nothing, and it is believed
that they will bring no relief hereafter In
deed, if the reports of these journals are to
credited, the money spent by the State on
these works has been almost fruitlessly
wasted.
Virginia is declining. The old portions OF
it, especially, are worn out, and have not the
population to revive it. The journals of the
State, directly or indirectly, admit the fact,
and when it is denied, deny it in such way
as to establish it. The Richmond Wing
says:
We have never, indeed, contended that
Virsinia's course was actually retrogressive
that she was really going down hill every
day-that she has made, and is yet making
no progress but we have maintained, and
still maintain, she has declined relatively
that is, she has not at all kept pace with her
sister States, and is far inferior in political
power and consideration to what she was
ten, twenty, forty, or sixty years ago. In
other words. to precisely illustrate our mean
ing, so as 10 enable the weakest mind in the
commonwealth to comprehend it, we may
compare Virginia with New York in the
matter Of political power, as shown by their
respective number of representatives in the
national councils under the present appor-
tionmcnt aud under those preceding Ac-
cording t. tie appurionment under the CEN
suS of 1890. New York. if we mistake not,
had thirty-iour members of Congress- and
Virginia twenty three-InalIng a difference
of only members between the two States.
What is the number Of each at the present
time, according to the apportionment Of
1902 Why, New York has now thirty-six
members Of Congress, and Virginia only
thirteen, making differ nee Of twenty-five
members in favor of New York. and show
ing the loss of ten members in Virginia in the
last twenty years, and gain in the same
time, of two for New York We might car
~ out our illustration of the relative decline
Of Iirginia in political power and consequence
by reference to the rapidly progressive con-
dition OF many others of the northern, north
western and western States. But the COM
parison we have instituted between our own
State and New York, in only one particular
point, will suffice to demonstrate what we
mean when we speak of the decline of Viz
GINA. She has declined-she has gone down
hill with melancholy velocity, as compared
with many of her sister States and their pro-
gress in population, wealth, material develop
inert and political power.
debt taxes. taxes -" describes exactly
the existing condition of the commonwealth
and people of Virginia. As a State, blessed
with unrivaled advantages, the Enquirer
may well ask ''What have we done? What
markets have we built up? What great
thoroughfareS have we constructed 2" We
agree entirely with our neighbor, that these
arc questions which now direct themselves
forcibly to our interests, and should awaken
us to a sense of our lethargy and indifference
that have characterized our movements; and
we may add to a sense of the deep impOr-
lance of applying ourselves to the task of
devising the way and the means of building
up our markets and completing our great
thoroughfares. But says the Enquirer, Vir
ginia is asleep, if not asleep, dragging her
length along so mournfully, so sluggishly,
/ that the hearts of her most hopeful sons are
gradually sinking deeper and deeper in the
slough of despair This is all true enough"
This is amusing. 1t will be remembered
with what pomp and display Virginia refused
to receive her share of the land distribution
fund. Now the remedy for her indebted
ness and poverty is to be found in that fund.
Let us have no increase of taxes, or of debt
let us get this fund, and new energy will
/ be impaired to the State" Commenting on
these acts, the New York Evening Post
says:
Thus. according to the Richmond Wing,
the State of Virginia can only be eytrcated
from her present difficulties by the help of
the United States Government The spend
thrift son has got himself deeply in debt, and
insists that the old gentleman shall deliver
over to him his share of what he expects to
inherit. The politicians who think with the
Wig are for anticipating that part of the
revenues of the government at once, and APP
plying it to their present needs.
This is confession of absolute importance.
Suppose the plan should succeed with Con-
gresS. and liberal proportion of the public
lands should he made over to Virginia. a
large part of it would be wasted, of course,
and the remainder applied part towards the
payment of her debt AMI part to finish her
system Of railways. The means Of inter
course and commerce might be provided, but
where would be the commerce? TO keep
the railways in order and pr vide for the
tray ell and transportation of which they wo'h
be made the channel would require large an
nual expenses, which in the present State of
Virginia, without manufactures, without
large towns, without great marts of COM
merce, and with la THU population, more than
one-third Of which never travel, and have
| few wants which commerce and the arts sup
ply, would, to a dead certainty, far overbal-
ance their income.
Virginia has richer fund than the public
lands of the United States-her own lands
in her ich valleys, and beside her plenteous
rivers.
TERRIBLE LEAp.-A female named Su-
san Lent, who had decoyed countryman
) into an oyster saloon in New York, and af-
, ter Supplying him with drueged liquor, rob-
bed him of his watch and money, was ar
rested by an officer. who found her in the
: third story of a house on Worth street
: After her arrest she requested little time
to arrange her dress, which being granted,
l she opened the window and leaned out into
tho raar vard-fallinp n dist.rco ,f ,..,l,,