The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-01-10
GOOD NEW YEAR ADVICE.

GOOD NEW YEAR ADVICE.
The Richmond EnqaiFsr, in its article on
iae New Year, says:
The year which opens to-day finds our
eople stripped not only ofcivit and political
ghts and living under a Government
'unded on representation, without voice
II its action, but also impoverished of all
formulated means an, literally deprived of
1erything like property, ernept layd. The
Improvement of this land not only IN an
yricultural sense. but its conversion from
ormant into active capital must to q very
eat extent take place during this year
ur farmers have too much land and too lit
money; and the only way to get more of
re latter is by selling some of the former.
he only way to improve the land is to con-
sert part of it into money, and with that
loney to build the houses barns, and fences,
urchase stock and implements, and hire
dor. do you advise asks correspon-
emf, the farmer to sell his lands for green
acks, which are depreciating daily and may
! ecome worthless on his hands, losing to him
is little that the war has left him Z" Most
4rtainly we. do.
The fear that greenbacks will become
'alueless results in great measure from the
Experience our people had with Confederate
honey; but, though gold may rise and fall,
lreenbacks are not going to become worth
IS. Our people may as well discard that
car at once, and realize the fact that green
packs are our currency, the measure of the
value of orr lands, and the sole medium of
carrying on our daily business. To get them
by every honest means, and to use them in
every legitimate trade is not only our duty
Is citizens but is the part of wisdom as indi-
,iduals We would not advise our people
20 sell their lands and hide the greenbracks,
but to use them in farming, in the improve
ment of their lands, inpaying off their debts,
and in restoring the prosperity of their
State.
What is that man worth who has thous-
and acres of land worth fifty dollars per acre
in gold, if he cannot get the gold, and will
not take greenbacks He has not the money
necessary to make his land profitable. With
out stock, implements, and labor his lands
have only nominal, but no real value to him.
He can neither eat nor wear his land, and
without money he cannot reap the fruits Of
his land either for his belly or his back
While he nurses his fears of greenbacks be-
coming worthless, he is fast approaching the
time when necessity will compel him to sell
that very land for those very greenbacks.
Therefore we advise our readers to reduce
the quantity of land, and increase its quail
ty and production by the use of the money
for which part of the land will sell. We
are glad to know that very many of the peo-
pie Of Virginia have already taken this view
of their affairs and have placed their lands
in the market But buyers are not us plen-
tiful as sellers, and lands do not go off verg
fast, even for the suspected greenbacks. The
reason Of this is that our people value their
land by figures that represented its worth
when houses and barns and fences all exis-
ted, to increase the value, but which are now
gone, and have to be replaced.
Our people must, therefore, not expect to
get, even in greenbacks, for their wasted and
devastated farms, the amount they were val
ued at when all the Improvements were upon
them. But the lands in Virginia have many
advantages which greatly increase their
value over that of the lands of the North
western States. The climate, the proximity
to market, the facility of transportation, the
character of sctiety, these and many other
circumstances gre lily enhance the value o.
land in Virginia over that of the Northwes-
tern States. Therefore our people cannot be
expected to sell their lands at the prices OF
the cheap lands in the far West. While, then
there should be some reduction Of the price
asked it is not reasonable in those desiring
to buy to expect to get the lands of Virginia
for the pittance at which Government land il
sold in the cold and bleak regions of Ihs
North.
AS long as unproductive landi is permitted
to swallow UP all the capitsl Of Virginia. ncl
Only will its agriculture be diminished, but
It's manufacturing AID mining wealth will
remain uDdeveloped aBd useless. Our peo
pie are too much disposed to fold their arms
and wait for foreign capital to set in motion
the wheels Of manufactures If the State Of
Virginia is TO become manufacturing State
it must be by the energy and capital of hel
own people. Foreign assistance may be
loaned, but it will be at price which will
leave no profit to our people, and no pros
perity to our State. Here again the necessi-
ty of selling land is to be seen. 1t has now
become necessary for our farmers to become
interested in manufactures, and to do thi:
they must sell part of their lands and
invest in manufacturing and mining stocks
The farmer with one thousand acres O.
land, worth say forty dollars per acre, but
| for which, owing to present circumstances
he cannot get more than thirty dollars pei
acre. would be wise to sell at least sever
hundred and fifty acres for thirty dollars
realizing twenty-five thousand five hundred
dollars, which, invested in manufactures Of
mning, would, in few years, be worth NOR
to him than the seven thousand five hundred
dollars he has apparently lost by taking thir
ty instead of waiting for forty dollars al
acre. The capital that puts in operation tn
manufactures and mines of Virginia mus
come from the sale of the land 1t is useless
to look abroad for capital. If our farmer
will act with practical wisdom they will
abandon the broad acres that pay no croft
and confine their labor to small farms ans
invest the e.of their lands in manufacture
and mining.
This is the advice with which we welcom
in this year, and if it snail be followed I,
the extent Of selling two-thirds Of the acre
of land in Virginia, the era Of unexamplet
| prosperity will date from the year of 1886
GREELEY IN A GOOD HUMOR.
The New York Tribune has a Christina
article congratulating the country upon tn
1 II Il n