The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-11-14
LET US TALK BUSINESS.
EM1eRANTA AID SOCIETY FOR VIRGINIA

EMIGRA MT AID SOCIETY FOR VIRGINIA..
We are glad to see movement among
our most influential citizens to perfect o
system calculated to secure stream OF
immigration from Europe, to fill up our
State with a healthy, energetic class OF
people.
The necessity of this scheme must be
apparent to every thinking man in Viz
ginia. Our system of labor revolution
lied. and rendered inadequate to meet
the necessities of landholders, leaves us
in a position little calculated to help
ourselves, and much less to help pay the
national debt. We have landholders
who own tens of thousands OF acres,
which at the present time are almost a
worthless representation Of monied
value.
This property can be rendered valua-
BILE only in one way, and that Is to offer
inducements to immigration, and fill up
the State with the producers Of wealth
intelligent and energetic labor. In the
vicinity of Norfolk, there are lands
which can be bought for less than Sa
per acre, with all the improvements OF
houses, outbuildings, fences, &c. In
less advantageous localities in the north,
lands of poorer quality than ours, with
the disadvantages Of long, tedious win
ters. and scarce six months OF summer
are worth from $50 to $lO) per acre
This arises from the fact that their lands
are made productive by energetic home
industry and dense population. They
have secured this means of producing
wealth by concerted action in offering
liberal inducements to the teeming mil
lions ofoverpopulated Europe. The grea
North and West have been filled vi
with intelligent foreigners, who nov
form the basis of our national wealth.
Stripped of our old system OF labor
onr lands overrup and devastated by fou
u wears of civil war, we are left withou
any organized basis of prosperity an
y wealth. Labor and enterprise alone ca
-. lift lie from financial ruin. We undel
:" stand that the organization of this Em
y grant Aid Society is the only practic'
&c means to bring about healthy now
industrial immigration into our stat
Our soil is rich and productive, our ci
,,r mate unsurpassed in health, as well
=. temperature, and our nearness to u
=, second best market in the world, max
Virginia the best locality $50 far as nat
ral Inducements are concerned) tn
can he offered to emigrants in Americ
n Illinois and the great Northwest ha
been builtup by this system OF organic
aid for the poor and hitherto Cypress
: people of Europe, who land upon Q
shores. And when we compare the
ducements offered by Illinois with tho
which we can offer, we can reasonao
reat exnect to see our State assume colioss
nroportions, financially asweli as poll
calIy. When corn Is worth from fifty
sixtv cents in New York, the farmer
Illinois burns it for fuel, because he ca
not realise enough to pay the expense
getting 1t to market, me avera
ages nr;ce of freights from Chicago to n
York. for series of years, has DC
tbirtv-one cents per bushel on corn, a
this is by Lake and Canal, which is
cheapest transportation offered.
these figures must be added the CO
missions in Chicago, reshipment in I
falo, as we'll as the commissions
shrinkage in, New York, which
Aiso carry the expense of getting cor
New York, up to over forty cents
bushel. With our water commun
n" tons reaching into the very hea
Virginia, we can put our product
New York for less than one fourth
expense, which is paid by the farm'
Illinois; or, in other words, when
- y farmer in Illinois realises twenty
!. cents per bushel for his corn, or sew
-. cents in New York, our producers