Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-12-06
|COM,MCNICATED.

KencctlULS OCcaSlVllcu Dy the very 0dtural
complaints of party directly interested for
the absence of sound policy manifested recent
II by our City Fathers in taxing vessels visit
ing our port with three dollars fee to put into
the pocket Of newly elected harbor master.
Il do not mean this hy any means, as an al
tack on that worthy gentleman. | am only
this initiates against us and our trade and the
harbor master to boot. The vessels will not
come; We will not get the trade, nor the harbor
master his fees, Tor the simple reason that
Georgetown. our rival, and which has Wrested
our trade from us by the circumstance Of the
war. offers greater facilities, Notwithstanding
our better harbor, and makes no such demands.
So this comes under the head OF penny wise
and pound foolish system, and should not be
observed by wise people in this 10Th century.
We have three coal agencies here, mainly, |
opine by the good will OF the officers employed
thus. living here, and having moved them here
since the war there are others who cannot in
fluce their companies to return since the war,
being SO well fixed in Genrgetnwnl have this
new obstacle thrust in their teeth, and they
may tire IF fighting difficulties with their COM
panie> for the benefit OF Alexandria and indi
vidual convenience, and yield to the bandlsh-
lucnt- of our rival, pull up stakes and move
from among us Georgetown lays no such tax
for the benefit of anybody. Already the cap
tains have cried out. give me back Georgetown,
away with such an eXactlOn, We DO not want to
! take coal from Alcxondria IN such terms. we
can be loaded at Georgetown and keen orr
three dollars in our pockets. Now it Is not
The value Of three dollars, but they think 1t Is
lniust, and only Ill lillwarrautablc assessment.
This will prevent our Alexandria agents from
u,
if GEORGETOWN comes IN competition. which
may make very much against them aud hamper
their trade 50 that ii may he tn their interest to
20 back to Georgetown; then Alexandria will
have no coal trade, because Georgetown, being
fully alive to it's value, looks 10 population and
disbursements for her profits rather than
petty tax. We had better pay our harbor
master salary than to drive our coal trade
away by thi! Dcans.
y hiie on this subject We would suggest that
the interests of Alexandria admonish her =,
..xteud every facility, and invite ali enterprises
Of any sort calculated to make her Il busy.
thrifty, YES, beehive Of a place, which vii! nrCn
avenues Of employment for hundreds Of her
youths, educating them into skitul artizarS,
thereby making them healhtu, happy. self
reliant men aud women. What man among
us vino would not like his son "A useful, valuable
and sober sef-su-taining intelligent artIzan?
Work is necessary for the development Of any
thing good or great, and the sooner We coIur
to know and understand this one fact tn" bet.
! Ter for this and the rising generation. Honest
labor rctinn- the sensibiities; very few men can
stand ideness; ali men are better without it,
We often hear it said that Alexandra is over
shadowel Ivy Baltimore. do not believe IN
RIBS theory; look at the thriving city ri VIII
miugton. twenty miles nearer to Phiad"ipha
than Alexandria to Baltimore, with s.: jwi."w
being laid out weekly for manufactures OF differ
ent sorts, her harhur scarcely more extensive
than Piscutaway's SUPPOSE Alexandria bad
one half of that sum spent weekly, what dit-
tcrent sort of place would she be i'll twelve
months even! Again, | would say, we should
wake up to the value Of working population,
and throw the doors wide open and greet with
welcome every interest that would furnish
employment. and encourage orr people TO honest
labor. \ CITIZEN.