Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-02-15

fully and honestly executed. It's provision
shall have a fair and impartial trial, an
when, if ever, experience shall demonstrate tn
inutility or impracticabiIity of any of them, W
will proceed to make such notifications a
our necessities may demand The manifesto
tlons OF punc faith by others affords no jus
tification for departure from the paths O
right by US. The ancient and proverbial rcpu
tatlon OF the people of this Commonwealth fo
less Of the selfish and fanatical vituperation O
our enemies at home or abroad
We have but to do our duty faithfully, hon
estly, and manfully, and we shall inauguratt
along with civil government an era of prosper
/ ity, of internal development, and individual and
| corporate enterprise, which in brillancy vii
| eclipse the past glories of the Commonwealth
| We live in grander age than any which has
preceded us. 1t is essentially an age of gigan
| tic material development. A continent has
| been bound together with sinews Of iron, and
united to others by nerves of electricity. Lofty
mountains, which formed alike the boundaries
and barriers of ancient nationalities, have been
| pierced by the aggressive spirit of commerce,
and the waters of that turbulent sea that rude
| ly tossed the frail bark of Kneas have been
led submissively across the arid plains of Saba
ra and mingled with the waves that overwhelm-
ed Pharoah and his wicked host What age
| ever witnessed such stupendous accomplish
| ments as the Pacific railroad, the ocean cable,
| the Mount Gents tunne and the Suez canal I
And yet we live in and are actors upon the stage
OF this wonderful era. And shall we supinely
fold our arms and, gazing only upon a dead
past, glorious though it may have been, refuse
to live and move in and be of grander pres
ent? III,
We cannot stand stIif We would. We must
either advance or recede. Change! change! is
the inexorable law OF nature-InOre fundamen-
tai than paper constitutions. You and | must
| recogaze this great truth, and act upon it as
becomes rational and responsible men We
must front face and march, ever mindful
to keep step to the mnsic of the age in which
it is our good fortune to live
Located as our State is, midway Of the tenn
perate zone, exempt from the rigorous cold Of
the North and the torrid heat of the South,
with every variety of fruitful soil, from the
rich alluvial bottoms along our rivers and sea-
coast to the higher table and timber lands In
the West, our hills and mountains filled with
exhaustless deposits OF iron and other ores.
with the finest harhor on the Atlantic coast, at
fording ample and safe anchorage for the COM
bined navies OF the world, with an almost lin
itess water-pOwer IN our numerous rivers ex
tending from tide-water far up to their sources
in the Blue Ridge and the Alleghanies-why
should not these great natural advantages be
utilized and Virginia advanced to her proper
position in the front rank of States in wealth
and enterprise and material Developments
With soil as fertile and climate more salu-
brious, with greater native wealth in her min
erals, her water power, aud her commercial ad-
vautages, than any ct her sister States, why
should not Virginia at once set out upon ca
reer of prosperity and greatness unequalled and
unsurpassed Nothing but blind stupidity and
criminal neglect OF opportunities can prevent
1t. Our people expect 1t, the country antici-
pates it, and you and will be held largely res
ponsible if such an era fails of prompt inaugu-
ration. We have canal which, when com-
pIeted, will prove as valuable an adjunct to
commerce as the far-famed Suez canal 1t can
aud ought, ahd l am confident will be compile
ted, if you and the people will but heartily CO.
operate with me in plan which shall here
after take occasion to submit for your consider
alton A South Pacific railroad has been pro-
jected, with its eastern terminus at Norfolk
[ doubt not it will be built.
When these two great works shall have been
completed together with the other railroads
and lines Of internal communication contem-
plated and IN process of construction, and dI-
rect steamship line between Norfolk and Eu-
rope shall have been established, every portion
Of our State will be in direct and easy commu-
| nicatlon with all the great commercial marts Of
the country aud the world. All this is not only
possible, but altogether probable, and that, too,
within the first half of the present decade
Rest assured that all the influence which | can
exert, personal and official, shall be welded in
furtherance Of any and every plan which has
for its object the development, advancement,
growth, and improvement of our State or any
portion of it. But railroads and canals, and
other commercial facilities, are not the only
requisites to the successful Inauguration of that
| career of development which we all so ardently
desire. We need also, capital and population.
| These lie at the foundation OF all improvement
| and prosperity Without the introduction of
these agencies it is idle to hope for the ac-
complishment of the grand results we have in
| view In one sense population is wealth. This
| will prove cardinal truth with us. Every
able-bodied immigrant adds to the wealth of a
| State, it is estimated, from 81 900 to 50 000-
With judicious, united, and harmonious effort
| our population, now numbering say one and a
| quarter millions, can be annually increased by
| Immigration FROM thirty to fifty thousand. =
| How many years would elapse with such an an
nual accession to our population and wealth be-
fore we should witness the full realization Of
our fondest antcipations?
| In my opinion, Immigration should be fos-
| tered and encouraged 10y all the influences we
can exert. and by all the means at our COM
mand. Nature with lavish hand has be-
slowed upon US all the advantages of climate,
| soil, and mineral wealth, which could be de-
sired. But these alone will not suffice. There
must be other inducements, which our people
themselves can alone present. Thousands ol
vigorous, intelligent young and middle aged
men, with more or less of capital, are annually
migrating from the eastern and central States
of the Union to the West. They are honest,
| industrious, energetic citizens-the bone and
sinew of the land 1.-The very class of people we
need in Virginia to purchase our surplus lands,
to build up our waste places, and to unite with
us in developing our vast agricultural and min
eral resources Englishmen are already look
ing for homes in cur State for the surplus pop
ulation of the empire. Much interest, also, in
our behalf has of late been awakened among
the other populations 'of northern Europe
| 70 turn the tide of immigration from all these
sources to our State only requires the proper
| combined and harmonious action of our people
aud their chosen representatives. Now is the
opportune moment for such action once lost
it may never return in your day or mine. Te
the enigrant who settles in our midst with the
| honest intention of becoming good citizen we
must extend cordial and hearty welcome, re-
! gardless of what STATE or nation may happen
to have been his birthplace. He must be
made to feel at home, and the equal among his
fellows There must be extended to him those
social amenities of life which constitute its
chief enjoyment, such as his station entities him
to receive and enjoy, and thrown around hin
and his must be the protecting 9gis of the law
securing and guaranteeing him in his Life
! Liberty. and the pursuit of Happiness. Lee