The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-05-02
FRIDAY EvEvFNING, MAY 2, 1873.
The IRON Interest i'm Virginia

As early as 1917, on the arrival in Vir-
GINA of Captain Argall as governor, an eff
fort was made by him to get linen skilled
in iron works." linen skilled in Mines"
and in the making of edge-tools," into
the colony. Not long afterwards, q writer
on the material resources of the colony,
expatiated upon the iron of Virginia as
follows: "Neither does Virginia yield to
any other province whatever in the excel
lency and beauty of this ore and l cam
not promise to myself, any other than ex-
traordinary success and gain, if this noble
aud useful staple be but vigorously
followed" And yet In 1905, almost
hundred year afterwards, Beverley, in his
history of Virginia, complains of the de-
pendence of the colony upon other nations
to supply thNir wants in iron and in almost
all other manufactured articles. He says
in speaking Of the colony in this respect !:
Nay, they are such abominable ill-hus.
bands, that though their country be over
run with wood, yet they have all their
wooden-ware from England; their cabi-
nets, chairs, tables, stools, chests, boxes,
cart-wheels, and all other things, even so
much as their bowls and birchen brooms--
to the eternal reproval of their laziness."
Now, we would not be as hard as this
on the good people of the Old Dominion
in that early day. Between the years 1917
and 1905, certain causes interviewed to
change the policy of our people in respect
to their material industries. A system of
labor had been introduced into the colony,
and generally adopted. which rendered man
ufacturing and commercial enterprise less
desirable for the wealthy planter than the
cultivation of the chief staples exported by
the colony. 1t was not SO much
the fault Of Virginians as Of this
system of labor fastened upon them by
the greed of the smother country" aid
ed by the aristocratic and titled govern
ors who came out here to share in the gen.
eral profit. Had Virginia not been cursed
by African slavery thus early in ter his
tory, she would have been among the
foremost states of the Union to-day, in all
the material industries which now promise
SO glorious a future for her in the swiftly
coming decades.
In her great iron interest she is rapidly
advancing, and the time is not distant
when she will lead, with few other states,
in the production of this great product Of
national wealth and power. There are now
scarcely less than forty blast furnaces in
operation in the state, besides large num-
Der of iron properties which have been
purchased with view to erecting other
furnaces. In fact, the number of furnaces
in contemplation is probably larger than
that in actual operation. Besides these,
there are about thirty forges,
rolling-mills, and foundries in the
state, there being twelve or thirteen in this
city, including the Tredegar and Old Do
minion works ; and it is safe to say that
our iron interest is more active and growing
at the present time than any other mater-
ial industry in the state.
This is certainly encouraging, and the most
encouraging part of it all is, that many
Virginians, aided by northern capital, are
pulling off their coats, rolling up their
sleeves, and pitching into our iron noun.
tains, to develop this source of material
wealth and power to the state.