The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-11-29
Formulation and Industry.

II wll Dc klAC
their compact masses striving Tor suD ss,a
euce, he is a visionary. Titwe poss
we should deprecate it as q SAD anu psnsSs
~even,-.as one destructive OF the
and Independence OF society.
ws would pray to the Supreme Dlspo
r,,onts that this country might De p"r
m,tted 20 90 regularly and orderly tniouss
~" %ns,nral nrocess of popular increase, ana
the gradual use OF the hnh''e
yantaees bestowed upon II.
The intermediate state between the WI.
derness and the land densely populate" WIN
mosoes striving with incessant Industry 10
,ac,ra the means of living, Is the happIest
phase of social life. Compare the OLD soeie-
ties Of Europe with that OF this country
now. Labor is better fed and better palo
here than iu any other part OF the giooe'
and the higher walks of life are more Access
sible to the laboring classes than IN any
other country. Twenty laborers here rise
to positions Of distinction in society TO
where one attains such fortune in Europe.
Compare the laborer here with nlm OF
France, with his wooden shoes, ano MS
brown bread, lettuce and salt, and pottie %
sour wine, to sustain him at labor IN the
field. How greatly better of is the iaDolei
here? Fill the land with people, prihs
them down to the forty-acre fields, wnicn
Commodore MAURY vainly thinks poss1o'e
now, and what sort of lille would we nave,
Human happiness and the numeFic'A
strength of a nation are two things. III may
be important that a Government snoulo
have a great many people to maintain It's
armies and fight its battles, right or wrong;
but for human happiness this numerical
power may be in excess. 1t may be q ooase
of a nation that within q given area 1t can
raise a great army /; but the individual nap
piness and consequence Of society wltnin
that area may be fatally impaired by the
excess of population upon which this oosst
is founded.
We repeat, we desire to see this State, at
least, gradually and properly settled up
with a good population.
In come minds there fingers the idea thai
labor bears always the same relation to the
class which employs it that the slave MAIN
tanned towards the master. 1t is the worst
OF delusions-unjust to the employer, to
the employed, and to the State. Slavery
was well in its way and time. 1t is dead.
Our duty and our safety now consist In
eleysting labor and placing it in the hands
of the best type of man for, in spite OF all
the arrogant talk of old dreamers who look
upon labor as degraded, it is the cradle OF
society. From it all professions are replen-
ished. From it the State constantly de-
rives that refrigeration without which it
would 20 into imbecility and decay.
The revolution which is to bring about
this desideratum does not depend upon the
forced introduction of European popula-
lions picked up Unfortunately. We must
rely entirely upon the attractions. physical
and social, of our State. We labor under
one serious obstacle in this. The negro is
a bar to white immigration. The white
colony IN the midst of q black sea will not
stick. It will be driven out. Many in
stances have already occurred to prove this.
Therefore the wave of white immigration
must come from the Potomac broad. breasted
and strong. Then 1t will be fortified in
every advance, and stand permanently
wherever it gets foothold.
But, without respect to this serious OBJ
stacle to a scattered immigration, it is idle
to suppose that any very large incursion OF
mere laborers can be maintained in the pre-
sent condition Of this State. The people
have land, but no money: nor have they An
excess of food. Suppose the farmer thus
situated attempts to employ a number of
these strangers. He cannot pay them; he
may not be able to feed them; he certainly
cannot give them what they have been used
to eating, and may be utterly unable to
teach them his way Of cultiyating the soil
What follows but discomfort, faction,
scheming to get away, and a final flight O
the laborers, leaving the farmer the victim
Of loss and perplexity?
The better kind Of immigration-that o
men with means-industrious, intelligen
farmers-is not to be rolled in by immigra
ton societies, bundled and packed, ant
marked for any destination the ~societie
may choose. Nor can such an immigration
take root suddenly in any very large mum
bers. 1t must move like an army. 1t mus
send forward its scouts and pickets to SCI
how the land Is and how living is. Thes'
report after due experience of a year O
two, and then comes the advanced guard t,
take position and prepare the way for thei
followers.
The processis we'll regulated in the natur,
of things. 1t cannot be greatly hurried
If forcing is attempted, the advance guart
will be driven back by the natural obstacle
in the way, and their .unfavorable repor
does great damage and seriously retards
wealthy immigration.
We hope the population Of the State vii
proceed in the proper manner, and that i
will be a long time yet before the estates
except around the great cities, are cut VI
into "forty-acre fields" as advised by Com
modore MAUBY.
We tell the people, and we tell the pc
ltical economists, that we have to get rio
Of one evil before we can make the commu
nifty of Virginia worthy of her, and il
the highest degree powerful and produc
tive. Until then al schemes for immigra
ton must encounter serious difficulties
and, further, that we can hardly expect an,
immigration of great extent to come in ain!
other form than that of q SOLID volume
sweeping down from the Potomac, fortify
ing itself at every step. It is showing itsel
in the Valley and in the Piedmont region
1t will spread and grow, and take firm
position as it goes. Wemust be patient, anG