Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-10-22
The Supply Of Salt.

Inc Legislature of Virginia at its recent session,
passed an act to prohibit in certain contingency
the e1portationopf salt from that State, and Gov.
Le:cher has published regulations on the subject in
accordance with the act. Among other regulations
as to the salt manufactured in Smythe and WASH
ington, is the following.
"If. the supply of salt manufactured be not
enough to furnish the people of this Commonwealth
with sufficient quantity OF salt for home consump
ton then as soon as such fact shall appear to the
Governor, he will exercise the authority vested in
him, and disregard any contract made with the
separate States of the Confederate States" until the
State of Virginia is supplied"
p. Many of the people of this State have been OBJ
tanning supplies of salt from the Virginia works;
and, under contract made by Gov. Clark with the
proprietors of the works, the agent of this State
has been engaged for several weeks past in manu-
featuring salt at the rate of about five hundred
bushels per day. Our people have looked forward
to this supply with the deepest interest," as the great
portion of our seacQast is in the possession of the
enemy, and we can make but little there, and as
our people and their stock must suffer unless we
can draw considerable supply from Virginia. We
not advised that Gov. Letcher has actually pro.
hbited the expectation Of salt to this State but the
indications that he may do so, and that he may
even 60 20 far as to break the contract made by
this State with the prsprietors Of the Virginia salt
works.
The Legislature Of Virginia and Gov Letcher are
in in placing the article of salt on level with
corn, wheat flour, leather, and the like. These
articles are produced everywhere, and are general
in their character but salt is special blessing be-
slowed by Providence on particular localities for
the general benefit Of man and beast. 1t is an ar
tice which is indispensable to animal life and
without it animal life would cease, no matter how
large might be the supply of meat and bread. The
supply of salt which Gov Letcher may consider
"suffclent" for the people of Virginia may be
abundant or rleagre. He may retain large guam.
tlty for his own people, or he may retain small
or barely Sufficient" quantity, and spare some
for the other States. He can do as he pleases. I've
give him blood, but he may refuse US salt. With.
out salt our people must suffer, and some of them
may starve. If Virginia is not disposed to share
this vital article in common with her ssters-if she
is not willing to permit our people to enjoy por-
ton Of what Providence has bestowed upon her,
but insists on monopolizng all of it for herself and
even threatens to nullify contracts which States
have made with her citizens, she may as well lso-
late herself in all other respects and reassume her
sovereignty and separate existence 1t is natural
and proper that Gov. Letcher should first provide
for his own State. He would have rendered him.
self amenable to censure if he had done otherwise;
but even this canno: justify his State in multiplying
contracts, or in adopting course which, while it
abundanty supplies his own people with this indis-
pensable article deprves the people of her sister
coterminous States of all participation in benefit
intended BY Providence to be as generally difused
as possible.