Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-11-27
A SCRAP OF HISTORY.
WHAT TIE YANKEES THINK OF THE SOUTH
. z CAPITAL L&A4
Prom the Boston Traveller.

ERN CAPITAL 41LaA
Prom the Boston Traveller. ia va
OF all the Southern towns that have become famous
since the Revolution. perhaps no one ha, greater claims
70 attention than that upon which the eyes OF the world
are nov 6xed-literally fixed, and no metaphor tor
upon the fate OF that town may depend the fu uee Of the
whole world-Richmond, to wit: the capital Of the
state of Virginia, q community that will endure and
also of the Southern Confederscy, which may not have
many weeks Of life in It. Richmond Is not one of the
old places of America, and did not become the capital Of
Virginia until q period that il vet within living memory.
The place was begun in 1888, bu. it was not incorpo-
raed until 1912 and IL ives made the csTi.al OF WI
ginia in l77s, when 1t could have contained but q few
hundred inhabitants. Nor WIS ifa fast growing town,
as It had less than 5000 people at the Close OF the
eighteenth centu y, whtn tie event OF the third Pres .
Dental election mad prepared the way tor the III
coming Of the Virginia dynasty" of Presidents. But
the own had even then a Ger a i solid and reipec.able
position In America, which i; has ever sipca n aintsined,
while in some respects it has incria ed its iri Ience.-
Being the capital Of Virginia. ana Virginia being then
IN every sense the chief State of America, aid full Of
men Of ia,ent-most OF whom had distinguished them
selves 10 the cont,s 8 of the Revolution aud for the
CONSTITUTIONAL was impossible tba. Richmond should
not attract as much American a tenhon as IL DOS to-sa5,
hough from a very different ciuss A great dta' ta3
oeen laid about the pc yer which Virgin then be d m
the country, bu. wss II no. q natural sta: % Of Thugs TIT {
she should be powerful, remembering whst she then wa,
mt what she COQUlQueQ " U uOWu HlIuOdE u tue mll-
die Of the present century, Her Revolutionary services
bad been great, We may tay tra1sceudaatly 6 ca, VIII n
We cast the minds eye over the roll of the first ella Q
men, in var Gus capacities, whom abe sent to TAX, lea :
ing parts in the woik OF n ating the American nation:
Washington, J ,ffsrson, PAIR k Henry, George Mason,
R. q. Lee, George Wythe, Henry Lee, and other; while
aaiison had been one OF the trainers OF the Federal
Consultation, aid perhaps the ablest mau In TIE House
Of Reprssen' aives. hoDro., too, raI distinguished a.
A naional. f gala or, aud E3mund Ia Idolph, though not
= L. IL 49, - -
a liable services which, on various occasions, he bad
rendered TO his country. John Marsha had laid solio'y
the foundation Of one Of the greatest regulations that an
America is ever likely to have.
IL would require much spice TO mention merely the
names OF other prominent V rginilns who were then
sninent or rising TO eninencs, and some Of whom be
came not unworthy successors Of the men Of the reyo
,utionary aye-such men, for example, as John Ran
iolph, VIM. B. Giles, L. w. Tszswel, John W. Eppes,
aad William Writ. Toe supremacy tina: Virginia then
Ield was a legitimate supremacy, the sscendenoy that
great talent ever has held, and watch il ever will hold !;
aud TO compllin Of It's existence was then Is foolish as
Il would be now 10 speak OF IL as the result! OF us Irpa-
ton, or Of political eIclusiveness, or OF the existence Of
slavery. Virginia beng what shs was. il was in rule
that her capital should be the grad centre Of American
political life though the town .ss then not so large as
ara uiny Northern towns OF the third clssB, that have
no weight beyond What they hold from their votes-
No to sn in the free Safes ever held = position like hers,
or vas looked to, and locked up TO, N vs the toun on
the James river, or the J,trss., IS they cal il, With the
true Yslov plush pronunciation. Il vas there thA! dis
union Vas warmly discussed While Washington vas yet
alive. and before the constitution had comp!etedits tenth
war. aud two generations earlier than Richmond was
elevated 70 the dubious honor OF becoming the capital OF
the Southern Oonieceracy. Those outrAges on AneIi-
cla polite n p~iaciples, the alien AMI scdision lsss. cre-
..ed nu ID d scontent, and the movements OF the Sou.h-
ern lead RS, in opposition TO them psrtook OF . seces.
sion character, though not Of aty deeper dye than be.
lonRed TO certain NOrlh, m movements Of Bftef caJa-
whether { Q Southern meu would have been any mors
IbsIL than vsrs the Federalis.s, in l79S, had they pcsss.
sd power, u . question 10 thcsj pcisons Who 1--we TO
speculate OF what might have bsen II certain ihlngs had
never been but iE is the fact that they, whether from
being In opposition or net, did take the libei al side in
he great question tina. then divided the world, While
nest Of the leading men Of the North took the aide Of
lespolism, aud would have ocea glad TO SEQ EIg aad and
hsr allies VIC orious orer France. Tbs ig vas that
tlrss the Northern Democracy and the Southern aris
| tocracJ together, and created a UIion that vAs to END
IN disunion. Originally that combination which became
so offensive in cur time was a ns ural alliance, And but
for the Increase Of o)t.on culture it would probably
have worked Will for the country for many Yeas yet to
come.
To-. society of Richmond has ranked ls high as that
Of any tler American town for seventy years or there
,bout. Il contained IS many cultivated meu aud 20
| men as could be found In many PLACES Of much larger
population Tne press Was pousrful-lke Richmond
Erquirer, NJ. Ritchie's paper, having q national reputl
| ton, he col ductiug IL for more than forty years. No
| other American Journal ever hsd 60 great IN influence
az tina! which belonged to theiEt iirer for the greater
part of its II silence, down to lS45, when hr. Richie
vent TO w ~lshington, to taxa charge OF Folks haud o.
gan, the Union, by ,hieh he lost his reputation, and did
not End a fortune. Tns Wing, which was esIaolishei
much later than the L quirsr, was o! great weight on
the anti. Democraiic eide. There were I'D are, several
| other tapers published at Richmond bik=I's doz IN
| In slI-mo.t Of which have mors than l)Cal regulations:
the Examiner, IL particular, having been notorious for
nany years for the savage ability With which Is has az
| sailed tive NorGh ald free labor, and upheld slavery and
'Sou,hsrn rights"
Religion, societies, educational Institutions of various
| kinds, and places Of anustmen', arc very common III
Richmond, or were SO in the early months OF 1861. The
CITY vas very prosperous, aud had It's full paIt in the
material grown OF the cou1Iy. IT. business vas lar &c,
and il had q world wide r,noWn betausS Ct the respecta'
biity OF its -four trade, and the Vas ness OF is do'ngs IN
tobacco. IL was a toWl OF mils, and FORCES, and ma
chine shops, etc, etc ~ w have learned to our cosi
siocs the war b gan, 20 Richmond has III nishtd tn,
rebel armies vita many Of t1css Thugs that rendtl
armies useful in the fed. Tbs position Of tho place, a
the lower falls OF tn, JimSs, and st the head CT td'
satcr, dd much to promote its comm rcial growth
and is natural advantages we're improved BY the making
Of canals and railways; the X edmond trader, tho0
ts flower Of chiyalry, Of course, sho wing theneelyesk
ne as shrewd IN matters Of bn lness as II they bad beeI
born under the SHADES Of BInksr Hi houumen', ant
had read POI X ct ards advice 20. 4 furlorg from Ply
mouth Rock. Tee population OF Richmond e. the ii.
test the place was made the cayital Of the Southern
Oonfederacy, NUT have been hard upon 40,C0J. l
sould be d ficllt TO say what It Is nov; but after tn,
var shall be over, let the event Of i! be what 1t msy, !
doubt Richmond vii soon become as pIo'psrt US IS 0 c
abe vas, and rise 20 4 greater eminencs tbin ever, he
nIturll adSLniag q uaEIan. such q to-clu-ior, not u
speak Of the e -lhsad character o her popula lon, VII
arc Y lnkees 10 fact, whatever they NAV b. in name.
SpECIAI NOTICE.,