Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1868-11-06

the whole country that year? Fltty-one millions
The South in 1866 exported, according to the
same authority, 1912, 0OOO specie value, or
more than five to one. In 1850 the population
of the whole U. 5. was, in round numbers, %,
100000, and the domestic exports amounted
that year to $780, 100000. Now the South
with not half the population of 23,O0O,O00,
have been exporting 1912, 000,0 900, being two
for one.
But Notwithstanding these facts, opinions
have got abroad most injurious to the South,
and which it is necessary to correct.
MIR. Adams, few days ago, in his speech at
Charleston, tells you what Mass. thinks of the
Southern people; that the Evolutionary idea of
the Southern man there is. dirk in one pocket,
and pistol in the other a cigar in one side
of his mouth and quid of to- acco in the 9th
er: incident and domineering intolerant Of any
dlffernce Of opinion.
A Northern gentleman who had established
himself in South Carolina, in discovering what
are the people, writes to his friends thus;
Il had been led to believe that it was dan
gerous for Northern man to travel here and
that robberies and outrages were common. 1t
would naturally be supposed that the officers
OF the freedman $ Bureau Were peculiarly OBJ
noxious to Southerners Yet find that May
or Stone, the Assistant Commissioner for the
District, trayerses the Country, not only with
out guard, but without even pistol to defend
himself from attack And Mayor Walker, the
Commandant Of the post, states that, in his O.
plnlon, life and property are as secure here as
in any Of the Northern States. Now the town
of Aiken is partly in Edgecombe and partly in
Barnwell District, than which none were more
hundreds of Northern persons of all shades and
grades Of public opinion, havevisited this town,
and have yet to hear of the first one who has
been molesed or insuled.
The physical characteristics of this section
are very different from our preconceiyed no
tons. The phrase ''down South raises pic
ture Ia many minds of dense swamps, UNI
brageous woods, tropical plants, yenomous rep
tiles, sluggish streams, yellow fever, and MAS
ma. How much this idea is due to pictures
usually found in school books will not stop to
inquire.
The North entertaining these opinions of u.s.
did not fail to impress the European mind with
them. Accordingly Vernon Harcourt, one of the
the rising men of England, who was the author
Of the celebrated papers, written during the
war over the signature of Flistoricus, upon the
rights of belligerents and the duties of neutrals
said the other day before the Social Science
Congress at Manchester, at which all the Eu-
ropean world was present,-said he, Gentle
men who had travelled in the Southern States
have often seen persons sit down to a peace
full dinner with revolver in each coat tail
pocket. 1t was, of course only for the purpose
of self defense. but then it very frequently hap
pened that before dinner was over two or three
we're shot" doubt whether there is a gentle~
man here, in this vast assemblage, with a PTS
tol in his coat tail pocket.
But we are to expect another SANDER. We
are to expect to hear it said on the other side
Of the water that this large amount of surplus
products, annually sent abroad from the South,
is owing to the superior labor of the freedmen.
But gentlemen who assert this, forget that in
turning loose from the field four millions of
blacks, they put into it six millions of whites.
Let us ask, how came it that these inpres-
sions that the South was lacking in energy and
wanting enterprise got broad? | will tell you
Gentlemen from New England came here who
could understand and appreciate the value of
our water power, but who knew nothing about
the agricultural resources of our State; and
they, therefore, very naturally said to them
selves, what would not this water power, which
is here running to waste what would it not be
worth in New England? 1t is true that we
have water power which is running to waste,
than all the coal and iron of Pennsylvania, and
because we did not utilize it to its full extent,
it was taken as a proof that we were indoent
and idle. Again, gentleman from the mining
districts of England would visit US now and
then, and he would see and appreciate the vast
mineral resources that lie undisurbed in their
veins and hidden in the mountains, and would
tell the fabulous sums that these would be
worth in England And because they were not
utilized, he would say that we lacked en-
ergy. But we knew that agriculture was
more profitable than them all, and we devoted
our energies and enterprise to agriculture, the
most remuneratlng industry.
This water power that is running to waste
and these minerals that are lying idle are our
"taihngs" It is sometimes very profitable, as
you all know, to work ''taihngs" We now
want labor from abroad labor that is skilled
in manufacture and in mining, to help US to also
turn these sources of wealth to account
But as for ourselves, our land is so eeming
with the benignant bounties of nature, that we
have not the force nor the time to attend to
these other great sources of wealth.
Did you ever reflect that Virginia is in the
latitude of the promised land - that the same
skies upon which David and Solomon and our
Savior gazed, are garnished for US as they were
for them. The Pleiades, Orion and Arcturus
rise and set and shine upon us as they did upon
Job. Everything that is grown there, from the
ug anu Tue Vlile, tIlt CoIu anu VII, grow Htic DIS
WE'LL and other things besides
Did you know that Virginia and North Car
DINA have given the greatest gifts from the veg
etable kingdom that have been given to man
since history began? that the Indian corn, the
potato. and tobacco, besides other things, were
gifts from this part of the world?
Does that show any lack of enterprise or of
energy to turn such bounties as these to account
and to teach the world their value?
Talk of enterprise and daring who was it
but the sons of Va. and N. c. who first cross
ed the Alleghanies and drove away the Indian
and the wild beast? And in doing that, they
dangers hardships, and suffcrings
to which those of the Pilgrim Fathers bear no
that your enterprising Yankee followed
Let no man hereafter reproach you with
want of what he calls little Yankee enterprise
We don't want it. What we do want is Yam
zee thews and sinews, the hard listed emigrant |
he man of means, little of the industry and |
good husbandry for which the Dutch and the |
Danes, and the Germans are so famous-in-
spired and inspirited by little Southern enter
prise and energy.
That's what we want Give us that and we
will show you upon the hills and valleys of our
lear old Virginia. such an abode Of human hap
oiness and prosperity as the world never saw.
But how are we to get these emigrants? The
Virginia Military Institute has undertaken to
make known the great natural resources of the
State But after it shall have published its &C.
count of them, how shall we get it to the ears
If those abroad who wish to know the truth
bout us? We have no means of circulating it
here Southern papers and Southern period
als are read only by the few, and they are very
ew in Europe.
But we want the million to learn of these
rood things, and I can think of no better means
# doing it than that the farmers Of Yirninia