The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-05-12

| DOotOu VII Ollo SulCdEO, O'
| Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis
, &c., on the other.
Now, then, you are ready to ask. hoy
are the ways and means for encouragin
. the gradual construction of these works +
be devised, without increasing your taxes
Consider the answer to these question:
and you will see that they are already a
hand.
OF what earthly use are all those expen
sive armed fleets that are maintained on tn,
coasts of friendly powers in times o
peace? They cost annually large sums il
gold their support is drain upon thu
finances of the government--for the money
is all spent in foreign countries, and unlike
any other money that is sent abroad, il
brings back nothing in return.
WILL MAKE OUR SEAPORT TOWNS
againt fleets and protect our shores from
invasion, though the world combined in
armadas should come against US. And SC
the monies called for in the annual fortified.
ton bill may, with great advantage to the
public service, and with benefit to the Leo
pie, be Invested from these almost useless
works, and applied towards the construc-
ton of these grand trunk lines, the best
works for the common defence that the
country could build.
Then as to the army. The room for re-
trenchment here seems greater even than
with the navy. The increase of railways
and the extention of them to the Pacific
have, with the telegraph. made this arm
more mobile, effective and efficient than ever
twas. Formerly you remember il required
months to send few regiments to the Pa
cific. They had to go round Cape Horn
or across the Isthmus but now, without
leaving the country, they can go or come
in week. Moreover, the Indians are not
so numerous, nor the outposts so difficult
of access, nor the expenses of transporta-
ton and subsistence anything like as great
as they were before the war. Moreover
also, that was abundantly proved that
THE OLD ARGUMENT FOR A STANDING
| ARMY
in peace to serve as nucleus Che skele-
ton, the bone and snew) of large one in
war, had no sound reason in fact for its
support. The volunteers and militia on
both sides fought that war out. They
were everywhere your regulars ''no-
where;" and now the yeomanry of the
country are in large part veterans in war.
For these reasons it would seem that a
standing army larger than than that before
the war, is not wanted nor indeed, one
larger than is sufficient to meet the daily
exigencies of the public service.
But let us see how the expenditures on
| account of the army for the six years i'm
mediately preceding, compare with the six
years Immediately succeeding the war the
latter period ending with June III, the
former with June go.
For the six years before the war,
they were SIG O76 430 SO
For the six years after the war,
they were SGT, POS, 37S, 81
Difference 1851, l2s 947,9S
The question touching the Navy will
bear repetition here. What would the
country have had to show in comparison
with what it now has, had this difference of
$500, 100000 odd been applied towards the
construction of these
GRAND LINES BY RAIL AND WATER
that would meet the exigencies of military
necessity in war, satisfy the demands of
commerce, regulating it between the states,
promoting the prosperity of the country,
and making the people united, contented
and happy?
Thus have shown how the government,
by avalling itself of the power-knowledge
which the new revelations of science
have given it, and by adjusting its army
and navy to the new condition Of things,
might, during the six years of peace, end
ing June II, have saved from those two
arms alone. the magnificent sum of $642,
DOC, 900, and applied it to the construction
of these grand commercial Regulators, )"
which are works that would enlarge the
domains of commerce by sea, and bring
within reach of its marts the crops through
out immense regions that are now, under
the present railway system, entirely exclud-
ed therefrom. Moreover, such works
would go far towards making this country
THE GRANARY OF WESTERN EUROPE,
inter-tropical America and the West In
dies. Achievements, in my humble judg-
ment, far more great and glorious for this
people, than any to be wrought for them,
either on land or sea, by your sons of
Mars.
THE DICTATES OF AvARICE.
lis becoming intolerable, and there is
no other escape from it but in judicious
exercise by Congress of its power to regu-
late commerce over railways, and in the
establishment of these regulators with
tariffs in which distance shall enter as an
argument for the establishment of rates.
Thus let the tariffs over these ''Regula-
tors" be such, that the charges for tranpor-
tation shall always be less for shorter than
for longer distances.
The people along the lake borders, as
well as in the Atlantic States, have similar
cause for complaint; these way freghts
are so oppressive that it is no uncommon
thing, | am told, for the farmers in GER
tain parts who want to ship their produce
East, first to ship it West for hundred
miles or two, in order to get the benefit of
tn ough rates.
My occupations at the Institute, which
made it my duty to study the condition and
resources of Virginia, led me to study the
condition of the whole South. The result
is that none of the Southern States. always
excepting Texes, which has immigration,
are accumulating and that as rule, those
who own the largest plantations and farms
are going to leeward most rapidly.
know there are clever men among us
who hold that we do not want foreign i'm
migration, and maintain that we have al
ready as much labor as we know what to
do with. True, labor is as abundant with
us believe, as capital, but we are short
of. both. Else why is it that more than
three .fourths of all the
LAND IN THE SOUTH is LYING IDLE !?
why is it that you see so few new fences,