Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-05-25
Our state Armory.

Our state Armory.
II will be remembered by many Of our readers
that under tho influence of panic, excited by the
raid OF old John Brown, the Legislature Of Vir-
einia roted, last winter. large and unnecessary
appropriation Cor the establishment Of AN armory
for the manufacture Of arms. There were some
calm, thoughtful men in that body. who did not
believe that there was anything in the posture Of
our public affairs requiring extraordinary warliko
preparations; however willing they might have
been TO arm our militia and put the State upon n
respectable war footing in time Of peace. They
argued, that the arms which lie scattered all over
the Commonwealth should be recovered from the
parties having them in charge, and, by the appl
cation of comparatively small outlay, be altered
and brought up to the present standard. The
arms which would thus have been brought into
requisiton, together with those to which the State
is entitled from tn General Government. whose
sole Constitutional duty it is to arm tie militia of
the United States-would have been sufficient for
all practical purposes or il all these TAI.
led 10 afford an adequate supply then, few nd.
ditional arms, of the most approved pattern, colld
be purchased, at much cheaper rate than they
could be manufactured.
This was the view we took Of the matter when
it was pending; but other counsels prevailed, and
the State was mulcted to the tune of half mil
lion. with the prospect Of an indefinite annual cx.
penditure in this behalf The people of Virginia
are to be heavily taxed to provide the means of
defending themselves from the entertainments of
the people Of the other States; thus relieving tho
Federal Government from n burden aud q duty
which the Constitution has impcratvfy deyolscd
upon it Remonstrancc was unayailing, and the
bill was passed. 1t was, however. to be regarded
as Southern measure. and If there was any sig
nifcance at all in the movement it meant simply
this,-that Virginia intended to make her own
weapons wherewith to defend herself against the
Yankees. This it meant, and nothing more. Tho
bill provided that the machinery and everything
necessary to the establishment. was to be purcha-
sed at the South, If practicable. But whit do We
see now9 With the returning sense of tho PEG.
pie, opposed. as we believe to the establishment
Of this armory altogether, the Governor has just
contracted for one hundred and thirty seven thou
sand dollars worth Of Northern machinery, Why
was this donei If the armory was to be cstab
lished, why might not the machinery have been
constructed IA we'll by our own mechanics? 1t
could have been done well, we know but
whether as cheaply rs in tho larger Northern
Establishments. we are not prepared to say posi-
bly, not. This argues nothing, however, for il
the question Of economy alone is to determine the
measure. then We are prepared to demonstrate
that the arms could be bought Far cheaper North
than VIC will be able to manufacture them. If
our private machine establishments could not
compete successfully with theirs how will our mr.
mory. under State patronage aud party influence,
with its horde Of retainers and official favortcs,
be able to fabricate arms at anything like tho
rates at which we could purchase them in tho
North. or even have them made by private estab-
hshments in our own sectionf 1t canno, be one
And yet, the taxes wrung from the citizens of
Virginia are going to enrich tho very people
against whom all this warlike preparation is be.
ing made! Could anything be more ridiculous I
But the farce ends not here. Governor Lelcher
has also gone North to select his Master Armorer
and chosen a clerk by the name Of 4 !ams from
tho Springfield Armory. This gentleman, We are
Informed by those who know, is not n mechanic
in the true sense of the term, having neither mo.
chanical skill nor administrative experience. We
could select twenty mon from the lIarper's Ferry
Armosy. better suited to the position. 1t is. per
haps due to the Governor to say that he at FIRST
selected the present Master Armorer at Harper,
Ferry. native Virginian, and mechanical nc
nius-who, owing to the indefinite and unsatis
factory character Of the duties pertaining to the
office. declised it, lie did wisely, for il the mex
Legislature shall make any provision fsr the con
tinuance Of the.establishmeni. we shall acknowl
edge ourselves TO be greatly deceived. There i
no use for it. exoept on the limited scale upo,
which it has heretofore been maintained, and i
will ultimately be abandoned as a manu- factory O
arms.