Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-06-07
LET Us BE UP WITH THE TIMES

LET Us BE UP WITH THE TIMES.
We have repeatedly advocated in
these columns, since the war, a total
change Of State policy for our people,
by the adoption on their part of such
plans and arrangements as are pursued
in the more prosperous States of the
Union-such, for instance as the ad val
orem taxation system, the taxing of I'M
cultivated lands held for speculative
purposes, the improvement of our coun-
ty roads, more liberal and extended
system of internal improvements, &c.
These are the means pursued in the
more prosperous States, and as the peo-
pie from those States are fast emigrating
t. our State, manifest destiny" has
hold of us, not only in this respect, but
also in respect TO the changed condition
of our labor system, from the slave to
the free lahorer.
We have advocated these things, SIM
ply because we saw them coming upon
us, and we wished to draw the public
mind TO the consideration of them and
prepare the people in advance for their
reception. But in advocating these
schemes, many of which appear so wild
to our people, VINO have never been &C
customed to anything Of the sort at the
South, we have always had in view the
idea of putting their inauguration and
management in the hands of reliable
and practical men, in whom our own
people could have confidence; so that
their Inauguration, or the change from
one system to another, could be intro
dueed with the least possible damage to
the people. These changes are just as
inevitable to us as that the sun will con-
tinue to rise and set. The laws that
brig them about are too powerful to
be resisted. They will break down all
barriers and enter against all protests
aud distractions. 1t is therefore the
duty and the part of wisdom for the
people to submit to them and turn them
to the best account.
Now, we don't believe these changes
are going to take place without bringing
in their train many blessings to- tie
people, both to rich and pooz. They
will make the rich richer, and put the
industrious poor in mere prosperous
circumstances. These have been their
effects elsewhere, and are sara to be
their effects in this, State. 1t will not
detracG from the, wealth of the wealthy
if their wealth is taxed, so that the taxes
taken from 1t are honestly used to ad-
minister to the. facilities of producing
more wealth among the people; on the
such a process elsewhere has
always been found to add to their wealth
Nor Will it detract from the wealth of
the man who holds thousand acres of
land which be has never valued at over
five thousand dollars, to tax that land
50 as 70 furnish facilities for bringing it
int demand, whereby he may be able
> % sell it Tor twenty or thirty thousand
dollars, in enhancing its value by build
ing railroads, educating the people and
so improving the State as to make it a
desirable place for the millions of people
on the earth who are seeking homes to
emigrate to, with their wealth, energy
and enterprise.
We have advocated these things, and
some who are SO welded to old notions,
that anything in the way of change,
which they have not found recorded in
their studies OF ancient lore or been
been taught by their college professors,
have been prompted to pronounce as
agrarian doctrines. Everything like
change is agrarian to old fogysm.
Ii we wish good, practical, beneficial
results, we must adopt practical means
to secure them. The war has changed
the status of our people and our man
agement must be changed to correspond.
For instance, it will be cheaper for us
to police our negro population through
educating them than through letting
them remain in ignorance. They have
got to be- policed this we cannot es-
cape, and everybody knows the public
exchequer has to pay the expense of
policing the people. The negroes are a
portion of the people now, and SO long
as they remain in our midst it is to our
interest to make the expense of police
ing them as little as possible.
All of these changes which the peo-
pie are disposed to look upon as ruinous
to ourselves, cannot but be beneficial if
we treat them properly. This we can
do by speedily getting our State back
into the Union and putting prudent,