The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-10-18

Ex-Gsvcrser Wise o. the sisssttou.
The "oid man eloquent" OF Virginia, in an
address at the opening meeting Of thu Horti-
cultural Society Of that State, in Richmond,
last Wednesday evening, presented quite a
gloomy picture Of the situation. At the same
time he indicated, as happy issue out Of the
present dstresses and difficulties which environ
the Virginians, an absolute change in agricul-
ture-a change from the plantation to the farm
ing system" This requires, he added, new
mode OF culture, new laborers, new implements,
new crops. moro various, on smaller scale
more contracted and concentrated, exacting
more skill, more care, and yielding the most
profit on the smallest space. After expat!at:ng
on the favorable geographical position Of vir-
GINA, her soil, climate and mineral resources,
Ex-Governor Wise advised the landholders Of the
State to give every encouragement to their
own white labor, and the young men Of the
State 10 apply themselves to the study Of
agriculture ~ . science. He strongly recon-
mends this as "far moro honorable than TO
skulk into professions by the back door and
become pettfogging lawyers and quack
DOCTORS who practise their arts to rob clients
or kill patients, or to seek places in clerkships
or by drumming, or running, or standing and
waiting at the beck and call OF somebody
else's business. II il much more respectable,
and certainly more independent" These are
wise counsels, worthy the attention of young
Americans in every State as we'll as in Virginia.
But we cannot accord such unqualified praise
to the implied motive by which young Viz
ginians are urged .to adopt agriculture as q
business" Ex-Governor Wise says that Vir-
ginians, If they would not be driven out from
their own inheritance, should themselves do
this work OF farming for themselves. They
must not call on Hercules, nor freedmen,
nor German, nor Swede, nor immigrants
this, too, is wise counsel but it Is, nevertheless
80 worded IS to suggest suspicion that the
Ex-Governor would discourage immigration.
Yet one Of tho first Of the manifold advantages
Of immigration from the North and from Europe
would be that it could not fail to stimulate
young virginians to heed and follow the advice
of Ex-Governor Wise, and industriously apply
themselves to agricultural pursuits. This he
seems to recommend them to do chiefly Ia
save the real estate of their fathers and keep
sacred the affairs Of their own birthplaces and
homes" Honorable and praiseworthy as this
motive may be, it is urged in such manner Al
to bring to mind the bitter and jealous spirit
which still prompts too many Southern men
and women to wish to build Chinese wall o.
exclusion against the entire outside world. II
were pity that this inhospitable spirit should
receive the slightest encouragement from SC
influential man as Ex-Governor Wise. From
his unquestioned devotion to bis native State
we should expect him to favor immigration Al
one of the surest and speediest means of re-
storing the State Of Virginia to the prosperity
of its palmiest days. But we fear that, with
all the solid good sense that underlies tho
most fanciful crotchets and the strangest preju-
dices in the mind OF Ex-Governor Wise, he has
by no means lost the erratic character by which
he has been distinguished throughout his long
and active public life. The fatal obstinacy
that prevented him from listening even to the
advice Of Fernando Wood and sparing the life
of John Brown, OF Ossawattomie ito the heroic
elements in whose nature, by the by, he rem
dered the fullest justice), does not guarantee
us any more than his military plumbers during
the war; in ascribing infalliblity to Henry A
Wise; and he will certainly be guilty of grave
error il he opposes immigration.