New-York daily tribune., 1857-04-23
THE VIRGINIA cOLONIzIHG SCHEME
To H.. Editor Of The n. Y. Tribune.

L
hope Of ectng other information from other men who
may know more upcn the subject. Soon after the war
Of 1872 the project OF establishing colonies of New
England men in Western yirginia started. and
large company formed in Eastern Massachusetts,
| for the purpose. Among those who took an active
part my grandfather then a resident of of the
sma towns near Boston. He went twice to the lands
purchased lying in what constitutes Randolph and
Lewis Counties, built a saw-mill upon one of the
streams and spent much time and money for himself
and for the Company. But ii proved to be upon the
wrong side Of the Ohio River. The coloniss on the
Virginia side could make no headwsy They were
cheated in the matter Of recording their deeds they
were thrown into constant litigation by the action of
the Governor, who gave quitcoim patents to whoever
applied oftentines to the tract and over
| again. Taxes increased aud multiplied nothing
| done to aid in opening roads no assistance given
but rather obstacles thrown in the way by the Legsla
ture Of those who desired to make the south side OF the
river flourish az the Ohio side had then begun to
| do The consequence was that after long and vain
struggle when the State had got all she could out of
| the Yankees" they obliged to give up their
| project.
In 1895, ! went thither in company with another
man, in whose family also claim to very large
tract of land some IS miles from the Ohio and near
the Great Kenawha, and a legal gentleman of the
Boston Bar, to see how the matter then stood. We
examined the registers in Richmond, and afterward
those in the Offices of the counties in which claims
lay. We found patents upon of these lands,
signed by Robert Brooke, Governor" actually to
the number of FIVE and six deep. We found also a:
Claksburg and other places in the vicinity, men who
called themselves agents Of the old companies and
who had bills against them for services rendered ~ in
taking care of the property o. amounting to far more
than the entire value of the lands. The result was,
that after spending weeks of time and any quantity of
money-for every examination at the court-houses and
repiStories wassOmchow made to cost us lucre-we
gave the matter up bad job, and to this day
laugh when think Of our greenness in supposns
that the Ancient Dominion, the Mother of Presidents,
would condescend to make any provision for doing
justice to the heirs of those who in good faith, had
bought and paid the cash for her wild lands
OF felt interest in the matter, enough
to cause to keep in degree the run of legsa-
ton and of executive orders in relation to those lands
The State naugurated system of turnpkes, canals
and railroads. which to open the paradise OF her
western secton-for in sundry Thousands of miles of
travel in the United States and in Europe, Western
Virginia seems to me the loveiest land ever saw
and make grand source of wealth. Whether these
internal Veintnts uTt HnlsHtu pntH JV'
public knows pretty well Then the sale of
lands for taxes with all sorts Of contradictory rega-
tions as to the right OF redemption, and great land
sales took place. In the Spring of 1852 WAS again
in that region and stopping at Marietta, Ohio, short
time became acquainted with Il gentleman from near
Portsmouth Va, who had obtained possession of
large tracts of those old lands and he hoped held
good titles to the same laid before him plan eff
AL. Il L. ~
which had occurred to in my foot journeys among
the common people of the Rhine region, in Germany
The fact however, that the result would be colony
of free laborcrs-though he assured Inc, just what
he could wish personally probably be an in
superable objection to carrying out the project.
Some months later, one of the first geologsts OF the
country did me the honor to call upon me in relation
TO similar project IIe had just returned from sur
yey of large tract of the best coal lands OF the state
and one which was ready accessible by water com
munication The question was as to the feasibility OF
colonzing the tract if company could secure wand
tjtle-a warrantee from the State-of which, In that
case was thought there could be no doubt
The plan which proposed was "a soon a. the title
was secured bring on lumbermen from the East and
clear away the timber from the south and southwest
ern sides of the mountains and lay open the spots best
fitted for cultivation Something certainly might De
done in this way with the lumber which Is very much
wanted in places now by railroad and the rivers oil
easy access from the Virginia rivers, to reimburse the
EXPENSE of opening roads and preparing lands ior
another class of aborers. This second class should DC
compo-ed of vine dresser agrcuurists and the nece7
,arv mechanics, brought from the wine-producinS
psrts Of Germany. In the Summer OF 1871, was
assn mon the Rhine. and made inquiries as to the
n,ct;cnLiy of securing emirantS for such colony,
upon the plan of granting them small farms IN lee
mi. ,etai,ipo fine right of mining in the hands OF
| a.. comn,nv and certain share of the produce of
n ,;,tsces for term of years. The result of my
;or;r;cs was favorable II would be useless to follow
ont ,be plan into detail for however practicable 1t
night he in Free States is there any possibility that II
could he made successful in cursed with the rule
| of the SlayeCcraCy?
! Had Virginia democratic really republican
Constitution there might be hope But where State
is divided into three sections, is Virginia and each
section is allowed fixed and determinate number oil
members Of the Legislature no matter what the ru'e
| of population be- it is clear that the ruling Section
which Is the East the seat of the slsve-power' can
checkmate any movement, however sagacious' on Tue
mart Of those who would cooDLe the Western section
with free labor. SO far as | am informed, the Only
rock on which the proposed company was wrecked
was the political, Pro-Slavery and anti-en1ep
character Of the ruling section Of the proud State
which +. soon to sell her freebIack populs,ion-pos'
b,y to pay her honet debt'-thepgh there is little hope
Of this.
History is philosophy teaching by examsle'" Fu
,r,a >. uerations, when they turn over the pages OF
history for examples of uumitigned municipal and c''
n.cality will point to the governments Of the State OF
Cssorr;, the City .f NewYork, and the tender care