The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-03-07
PROTECTION FOR THE SOUTH.

1t is evident that the public sentiment of
the South is fast undergoing change on
the subject Of protection to American in
dustry. 1t is evidenced in many ways,
but more strikingly perhaps in the changed
opinions Of many of the leading men of the
South, who have heretofore done the chief
part of the public thinking. These men
have the sagacity to see that with the i'm
mense mineral resources of the South, its
vast water-powers running to waste, its
superior advantages for large class of
American manufactures, having the raw
material Immediately at its doors, with an
extensive home market at its command, the
South can hardly fail Of becoming in time
the most important manufacturing section
of the country. The resolutions passed
the other day by our General Assembly,
asking Congress to protect one of the al
ready rapidly growing interests of the State
by an import duty on sumac, is evidence
of the growing change to which we refer.
But above and beyond all other interests
in Virginia, is the demand by our people
for continuance Of the policy Of the gov
eminent in protecting the iron and coal
interests Of the country against the destruc-
tive free-trade policy of England as con-
nected with these interests. In the ad-
dress of Gen. j. d. Imboden, delivered be-
fore the members Of the General Assembly
and the more prominent citizens of our city,
on the iron and coal resources of our State,
that gentleman struck the keynote Of our
people on this subject of protection to
Southern industries. He gives the reason
for the change that is going on in the public
mind, and thinks it should be even more
rapid than it promises to be. AS an evi.
dence of the manner in which the thinking
men of the South are looking upon this
important question, we make the following
extract from General Imboden's late adj
dress:
81 have foreborn any allusion to the tar
iff policy of the Federal government to en-
courage this great industry Of our country
by adequate protection. The magnitude
of the national debt, requiring for its pay.
ment so large revenue, think settles the
question of high tariff for many years to
GENE, and it is fortunate for us, in our pre-.
sent circumstances, that it is so. Whilst
we were purely agricultural people, il
was natural that many amongst US should
have opposed the policy of protection which
they regarded as designed to benefit the
North at the expense Of the South; but
now that we so much need the establish.
ment of manufactures in our own midst
( it seems to me we should be united
as one man in support of policy that vii
encourage the Investment of capital il
every form in our State. Another encour
, aging view, did time permit, is the cheap
ness of labor in Virginia in most of the op.
erations of coal mining and iron manufac.
turing, as compared with that of the North
There is no future industrial interest III
this State in which our negro population
are more interested than in that which
have been discussing. In all its branches
it will open up an immense field of employ
ment for them, in which they can much
better sustain themselves in competition
with white labor than they are likely to dc
in agriculture