The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-12-17

TRY SAYS.
General Hiram Walbrdge OF New
York made speech before the Nation
q. Board of Trade, which recently as
sembled In Richmond. We make the
following extracts:
I he people of the South, notwith-
standing the losses sustained by the
rayages Of war, will have to pay YEAR
~ tax of about sll 20 per head. and the
people of the North a tax Of sl0 10 per
head. This estimate is exclusive Of
county leves and other corporation
taxes. Attention is called to the fact
that these SUNS Of s1l 20 and 10 20 per
head include men. women and children
-i1 fact, white, black. paupers, insane
and idiots. The taxpayers ofan entire
population are about tenth; multi
ply, therefore, the above figures by ten.
and then remember the other taxes
which are necessarily imposed, and
some adequate idea of the burden OF the
people may be had.
These tremendous Obligations have
been, without promotion, thrown upon
a changing and restive people. | ask,
with the deepest earnestness, will this
debt be paid? Can this debt be paid !?
~ OluucSLlUuaUiN, yes.
Il i
Europe is unsettled and revolution
ary from redundancy OF population;
America langulshes for its wants. This,
when the hitherto broad Atlantic is
bridged by telegraphic wires and steam
ships, is abnormal, and should be speed
lily remedied. Capital and human mus
Gle should be utilized, and should MI
fyIso f.Af RI,
manded and where most profitable.
The hardy Norwegian, the honest
Swede. the thrifty German, and the en-
terprising Dane now struggle with an
inhospi.able climate and sterile soil,
while the broad and rich fields OF A.
merica lie open before him,
But it is not alone to Europe that we
may look. Our cotton fields, our sugar
lands and our swamps, designed by ma
ture for the production OF rice, invite
the rdundant population OF A sia. The
longing eyes of that people are now
turned tow ard our Pacific coast. The
imagination staggers when estimating
the colossal power of this nation should
these contluent streams of wealth meet
within our borders. 1t would tall to
our lot to realize the mythological rich
es from union OF the Orient with the
Occdent.
With the now buriel wealth of our
extended territory thus developed, the
debt of the nation, the States and the
corporations would become baga-
telle.
To secure the influx of this capital
and labor in time to arrest the tenden-
cy to reputation, the National Govern
ment must develop the country by aid
ing to build tue leading lines of canals
and railways which the geography of
the continent indicate, and by improv-
ing the rivers and harbors with hich
nature has .uraished it. Before, how
ever, invoking the Government to dis
charge such high duties we should ac-
cept the national unifcdtion lohich the recent
rerolution has established. The day of alb
stracticDs and of that political philoso-
ply basod upon u universal negation
has passed. Special pleading argu-
fnents, based upon so-called eonstitu-
tlonal scruples, are old inventions to
try and throw obstacles in the way of
the National Government.
4
| will reoapitulate. To render it pos
sible for the National Government TO
pay its debt foreign capital and labor
must be induced to come to us. To at
tract promptly this capital and labor.
facilities for the ready TRANSPORTATION of
the fruits of labor must he furnished =
Private enterprise cannot, in auy rea-
sonable time, furnish these facilities.
and, as consequence, the united ef-
forts of the whole nation should be
evoked.
The amount of the national debt has
already been stated. The cause which
created the debt destroyed property to
an amount fully equal to the indie bted-
ness. These considerations will be
urged by designing men as excuses for
reputation, A such time backward
step is ruin.
Such is the condition of the National
Government. 1t could now appropri
ate $1,000 900, sum more than suffi-
cient to complete the works which |
have outlined, aud the additional tax
would scarcely be felt. In fact, the in
flux OF capital and labor would begin
with the commence
ment of the works, and long before any
direct profit could be realized from
their completion. the General Govern
ment would be more than reimbursed
Dy the additional breadth that would
be given to tha basis OF taxation, The
doctrine Of strict construction and no.
ltcalnegation has hitherto been fJs-
tered by the want of homogenity in
the sections. A recent revolution has
been cons1mmated by which a great
people have been made one. Should |
we become. prosperous and rich, the |
heart-ourning and the hates engender- |
ed by the recent struggle, Will, in the |
nature of things, soon vanish. The |
voice OF homogeneous people will |
grow louder year by year, while the
voice OF sectional feeling and sentiment
vii, like the echo. grow faint aud yet
more faint, until it dies noiselessly on
no very distant shore. In such poll
cy real peace may be found.
! trust. Mr.. President aad gentlemen,
that no State will be so unwise as TO de- |
ny the amplest rights of way whitherso-
ever the wants of trade may demand.
Leaving the dead past, tile General
Government should enlarge its concep-
ions IN fha Qf,hpga of itc lt,ffac rpI,o