Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-08-07
Convention.
ouR HOMES

+,.------ .---,-- OUR HOMES.
II: In these times of great money troubles there
are many of our farmers who are compelled
= sch land: 70 all those We would urge the
Ill propriety of not selling out the whole of their
1ofaEms. We believe that it is better to sell
u than to ulOrtgagej for heavy debts are so wor-
:, ,ryipg that there is not one man in hundred
q who, can lead lite of any sort of contentment
-ilWith> them .hsngiOg over him. But there is
no general necessity existing which will re-
:quire sale of entire homesteads Let our
raPeople, who are compelled to raise money, d.
vtylde their farms, aud sell sufficient to meet
I their Pecuniary wants. retaining their homes
whenever possible; and let every man, after
= selling a portion Of his land go to work with
/ the determination of making what he retains
i1worth IS much as the whole formerly Was to
eihim. We have never had doubt that by
'Sjudieious farming, working industriously and
manuring heavily, any one acre of Jefferson
GLAND can-be made to yield twice as much as
heretofore and therefore he made worth twice
Las much in money. Our lands are selling,
tie best of them, at about seventy five dollars
per acre, while land of the same quality in
e-Lancaster county, Pa, sells for more than
twice that price. This difference is caused
solely by the difference in the mode of cult
1,yation, and the kind of labor. We believe it
Is conceded fact among the most intelligent
of our agriculturists that slave labor was the
most expensive that could be employed to
grow grain, It is true that just now, in the
beginning and flush of negro freedom, labor
ID more expensive. more unreliable and more
.cworthlessl in every way than it was in the days
of slavery but this condition of things cannot
last long. A new and far better system of
labor will be inaugurated before long. We
will have in reasonable course of time a re-
munerative system, that will benefit the lands,
and swell out the purses of our farmers. In
the meantime, let US keep as much of our land
: rs Possible-selling only SO much as is abso>
lutely necessary, and work on as we'll as we
may until thebetter times come.
: In selling, too, our farmers should be par
: ticular as to whom they sell. They owe ito
themselves; and to the fair fame of the State
to-iook somewhat into the character of purl
.chasers. These purchasers will chiefly Gene
from the North, and it therefore behooves US
to do all IN our power to get the better class
OF Northern men. In this connection we
cannot refrain from extracting the following
paragraph from long and we'll written arti-
Gle in the american Furmer ON this subject:
Ito all-who are willing to- be with us and of
US; we would hold out hand of welcome.-
We want Northern capital. and energy, and
stir, and such Northern men as will mind
-=their own business, and not interfere with
:-ours. We would invite and induce such to
come and occupy our spare lands. But the
Yankee proper.-the peeping, prying, med
ding Yankee, shifting and cantng and
preaching through his nose, we have no word
flor while he is away, but ProcmL! o, Procul!
and when he comes only cuffs and kicks, or.
if need be, SO much rope as was melted to old
Z Brown: 1t would be the browning triumph
of this crowd, after robbing US of almos all
else, to possess themselves of our Southern
homes. To give them over to these, would
be our lowest depth of humiliation. Whether
I'VE are to escape this: is a question yet in the
future. Let'-us, however, be cheerful aud
hopeful Let us possess our souls in patience.
Let Us believe surely that God still rei.,ns,
notwithstanding his present allowance of
Stevens, and Summer, and Beceher and that
what was said Of old time my shortly be
said again: i have seen the wicked in nreat
power, aud fourishing like green bay tree
passed by and 10! he was not"