National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-10-30
virgiuIa and Progress.

70 he Eii,or ~ n, Natiosai Republican;
SIR: De good enough to permit Liberal
Republican to say few words In your col
umns upon the situation In Virginia.
II were citizen Of that State, let me
say, introductorily, should vote for Kcmpcr
or Hughes according as thought the one or
tho other or his associates would do the most
to make known and to develop the great nat
ural resources Of the State. This at the
pending election Is matter Of paramount
Importance, general politics, cxccp, so far as
they boar upon thls matter. being Of sccon-
dairy interest. The affairs Of the nation arc
managed at Washington; these OF Virginia
at Richmond. The latter, and not the for
mer, are properly connected with the coming
election.
II Is a remarkable fact, but demonsiratabiy
true, that, In respect Of the development OF
natural resources, Virginia Is newer State
to-day than Iowa. Not only so, but tire fact
Of Virginia's great natural rssources-of her
mines Of untold wealth, needing only the
digging to enrich the State-is known but to
comparatively few persons Tho causes oil
the singular neglect Of Virginia, rs respects
her material interests, arc two-fo!l.
First. The State has been great 10 great
men. Herein the history Of the Old Domin-
ion Is q source OF proper qualification to
every American. Nor can 1t be denied that
Virginia statesmen have conferred great
benefits upon tho country. In the olden time
| they did much TO mould our Institutions; to
form correct public opinion In respect to
many points of constitutional construction.
| II Is but natural that tho general public
| Virginia than of Its mere material resources.
Men speak for themselves; mountains and
valleys, md mines, and rivers and forests
must have Interpreters.
/ Secondly. The long existence OF slavery In
Virginia retarded Its progress und prevented
the Developments Of It's great resources
Slavery never was more wrongful TO the
blacks than It was injurious to the whites,
I need not here argue how 1t rcprcs.ed enter
prise, discouraged invention, banked pro
gress. In 1890 Illinois had population OF
IS, I6o, Virginia then having l,o5o llB. Ia
1870 Illinois had u population OF 2,hDS9l,
the combined population OF virginia Ind
| West Virginia at that time being 1,6OI, III, oil
| nearly million less than that OF Illinois
| The great cause OF this disparity Ia undoubt
/ edly to be found In the fact that Illinois wa
| a free State. As II was with population so u
was with wealth. Almost infinitely poorel
than Virginia In 1890, Illinois was vastl,
richer in 1870. In 1850 the wealth Of Viz
,ina was s430, 70l, Osa, that of Illinois seo2,
85O, 26i. Twenty ycars afterwards Illinol
was worth O., l9l, $50, so, the wealth OF Wiz
sinia and West Virginia together being onl,
s6O0, 23o, ga.
Other like Illustrations might be given, bu
there Is no necessity. In many portions
Virginia, It Is true, tho soil had become ex
halsted by long and unsltillful cultivation, u
The damage oil her agricultural resources
Nevertheless, u vast expnnsc OF fertile sol
remained murlned by the shlftlessness o
slavery. The valley Of Virginia, tho vale,
Of the Shenandoah, other valleys OF the State
scarcely less rich and only less grandly beau
tiful, were practically unharmed by the grca
scourge Of the State and OF the republic. II
coal, Iron, the precious metals, forests o
valuable timber, fisheries, nayigable rivers
streams for water power Virginia Is not onl
| richer than Illinois, but richer than any Stat
| If the Union, saving only California, as re
| ,pects the precious metals. Such Is the fact
recognized by all men who have examine
The subject. And yet Virginia, as q matte
If fact, Is far behind Iowa, which Is only
quarter of q century old, and with far lea
Natural resources than the Old Dominion
hardly to be mentioned on the same da
with Illinois and some other States which di
not begin their history Of nll until after VII
slnia had become renowned In the world.
Now, though slavery is dead, Its innurnc
substantially Bourbonistlc. They neithe
earn nor forget anything. They may be &C
complished, chivalric, honest and all tina
sort of thing, but they are a curse to an
, Conmonwe They are as fearful OF net
IDEAS, or even new accomplished facts, as
hurt duck Is Of gunpowder These men Dc
long to the conservative" party OF virginia
| II they were not aided by many men OF pro
gressiye ideas, Mr.. Kemper would be struc
by lightning sooner than elected Governor.
There arc, In my Judgment two great evil
| now existing In this country-nrst, the Dem
1 Jcratic party; aud, secondly, tho Republica
party. The difference between the two II
that the Democratic party Is absolutely II
tolerable, and the Republican party Is no
| Under Democratic rule We should steal an
retrograde; under Republican rule we stea
, out nevertheless keep moving on TO the froI
| of nations In other words, there arc Ind
yIduai scamps In the Republican party VIII
disgrace 1t aud the country, but Its ideas or
3 progressive, and Its possession oil power
. not an unmixed evil. In any possible view
Republicanism is q lesser evil than Dcmot
racy OF modern style.
The great body Of progressive men OF VII
b ginia, whether In high or low station, al
4 With Col. Hughes In this contest And thu
c he Is representative progressive man, Will
a his opponent is the reverse, their ow
:, speeches clearly demonstrate; All laborin
u men of virginia, therefore, all who want
= see the honored old State begin new hi
c tory, whereby the incalculablo natural T,
a sources OF the Commonwealth shall be mad
known to the world, and developed rs the
ought to be, cannot help knowing where
@ cast their influence and their votes. II
e question to be decided Is not ono OF nations
= politics, but OF State development. tpo
:, the paramount Issue, Hughes Is IN the rigl
. | and In tho better company, and kemper
the wrong.
sonably expect new and better and bright
= state OF things In Virginia; state OF thint
which might soon make the Old Dominion
great In agriculture, wealth, manufacture
Q Commerce, as Illinois, or even greater. 10
I incidentally greater aud better this would
/ than simply 10 preserve and perpetuate u
rights of the descendants Of the "nrst fam
lies" to loaf all week on store boxes, whittllt
sticks and waiting for somebody to ask lhe
b to take drink, We need not stop to in9nir
4 But il is hard TO cast off old habits, and TEL
a that these and the atroclOus tyranny OF par
I rule will keep Virginia in the old slough Il
A some years longer ,.ut.
seldom sign my name to an article, leh'ln
n Il TO be Judged according to It's merits or d.
merits, as may be; bat knowing that ma,
n herein expressed como sentiments and opiI
ions from which you heartily dissent l TAI
the responsibility, and am, respectfully, &c
L. ID, IS0HRsoIL,