Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-12-07
SUICIDAL POLICY

One year ago a great many farmers and
small capitalists Including number OF dis
charged officers and soldiers) from the North
ern and Middle States, were passing through
this city on their way to the neighboring coun-
ties of Virginia for the purpose OF buying small
farms and engaging in agriculture. A few
only made purchases, some bought and sold
again. and others returned home or departed
for he West: and now not one of this enter.
prising and industrious class is looking for a
chance 10 settle in the Old Dominion. where
formerly there were q hundred.
Several causes have operated to produce
this result A few have been frightened off bv
the continued unsettled condition of national
affairs, but the great mslority have found
the principal obstacles to their settlement
% Virginia, coming from the inhabitants OF
that State. of which there are two classes who
especially. discourage Immigration One of
these is the Old Virginia gentleman who, with
his admiration for everything English, will
starye before he consents to sell out ms broad
acres of broom sedge, which, unproductive to
him, would furnish happy and comfortable
homes for dozens ofindustrious families These
Sir Roger de Coyerlys, admirable as their char
acters are IN many respects, cannot be consid
cred wise or prudent, and must ultimately
aoapt themselves TO the circumstances by
which they are surrounded. If they do not SO
much the worse tor them The immense Cant
taiists OF England, with their laws of entail.
can preserve their estates and manage large
farms and make them productive by grind
ing down the laoorers: but how can the
impoverished land owners of Virginia hope
TO follow these models! Their lands will
be divided ultimately, in spite of all they can
DC, and they should endeavor to make them as
profitable as possible, both for the good of
themselves their he ntbar
TO which We refer are the antipodes of the
conservative gentle men we have named but
they naturally exist side by side, and both are
the offspring of the same system. They are the
idle Young men OF the South, who, disdaining
labor, loaf around the bar-rooms of country
tayerns. talking politics and cursing the
Yankees and negroes, and lynching them il
strong enough to do 50, instead of rolling up
their sleeves and going to work. They are the
bane Of their section, but must certainly
adapt themselves to the new circumstances bv
which they are being surrounded, or pass
away. Elsewhere in our paper to-day we
copy from the Alexandria Journal a record
OF the exploits of some Of this chivalric class
IN Virginia. near this District, who have
been engaged assaulting colored people, and
committing other outrages The spirit which
prompted these deeds is similar TO that which
led TO the attacks on camp. me etings in Mary
land few months since. That such conduct
he countenanced by any considerable number
of the people we do not believe, but IL il the
duty of all law-abiding citizens to help sc.
lively in the work of suppressing such dis
orders, and bringing the actors to punishment
ltdepends on Virginians themselves whether
they will have rich and populous State, or
whether the condition of affairs described bv
Governor Wise in 1855, IL TO continue or grow
worse. The Governor said on the occasion we
refer TO: ''lnsteao of having to feed cattle ON
thousand hills. you have had TO chase the
stump-iailed steer through the sedge patches to
procure tough beef steak" And what was
tue then lie doubiy true now.