The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1873-02-20
A LIVE STATE.

tor ten years all capital invested IN COLO"
and wooden mills, iron furnaces and iron man
ufactures This is to be the settled policy OF
that progressive State Under this general
law comaanits are being rapidly organized
for manufacturing purposes. The policy is
to offer every inducement in developing man
ufacturcs and the coal and iron interests OF
the State. This is certainly far moro In har-
mony with the spirit Of the age than the dog
in-the-manser policy of Virginia. While nat
urally Virginia is The wcalthiest territory
embraced within any State limits in the Un-
ion, she is really one of the poorest in point
of fact. resulting from miserable, constipa-
ted system of legislation. There is no in
ducement held out to capital to invest. The
whole financial policy Of the State is chaos.
What money is in the Treasury, wruns from
tho people to pay interest on the public debt
is being absolutely squandered in pro6tlsss
o ID pontlcss wranslins in the Legislature
There are no settled laws upon which reflect
ing men are willing to rest their operations.
Taking the past as criterion, no one can
safely determine what. the future is to DO so
far as legislation is concerned. The tenden-
CT of all the legislation We have had for the
past four years, il to drive out and keep out
enterprise and~capitals The credit of the
State, and individual credit have been serious
ly impaired, and BY reason thereof the mate
rial growth of the Commonwealth checked, if
not paralyzed. J,
They may talk about Virginia bong the
''mother Of States and Statesmen" and -four
lsh such clap-trap insthe ears of a deluded
people; when in fact we have not had a
practical statesman in Virginia for Fifty years.
Where is the evidence Of any statesmanship?
We cannot see it. With natural wealth
enough to make her an empire, if developed,
her public men have devoted themselves to
the elaboration of abstract theories Of gov
eminent, which belonged to the formation
period, and havs no practical bearing upon
the development of the wealth of the State,
and by this kind of statesm anship, have sue
ceeded ip dragging the old State down from
the first to the eleventh commonwealth in the
Uuion, and fastened upon her public debt
that is crushing out the life of the people
While Virginia, with her genial climate, her
magnificent and unequalled water-power, and
incxhaustible minerals, has been gradually
recednc under the school-boy visions of her
statesmen the sterile States Of the North,
and wild praires ofthe west, have been march
ing forward in the path Of material aud polit-
cal power, under the practical guidance Of
men who keep abreast of the spirit Of the
ago.
We have no patience with this kind Of
craftsmanship" Itisa blight and a midew
to the State What VIC want now, in order
to retrieve the past, and grasp the rich fruits
of the future, is practical common sense
men who are fully imbued with the spirit Of
the age, and who will SO fashion our legisla.
tion that capital will be encouraged into our
limits, and enterprise give the lifc-inspirins
touch to the dead wealth that lies in heap.
all around US.
We want Free Railroad Law, we'll ma
tured and guarded, SO that capital can have
the privilege of developing.the State, and a
the same time secure good return to IT
owners. The geographical position Of Viz
gina will make her the great intermediate
territory for the iron links that will unite TIT
extremes of the Union. You cannot draw :
line On the map between any important pro
ducing and commercial sections Of the coun.
try, unless you traverse Virginia Territory
Open the gates then, and let the work Of ma
terial Development 60 forward, instead o
hedging it around with legislative proyisos
whereases, resolutions, and such blather, at +;
heavy cost directly to the people.
We want capital invested in manufacture
exempt for period of years from taxation
If the State Constitution iuhibits this, enac
system of draw backs, which will make i
equivalent to exemption.
i We want an efficient and thorough system
Of Free Schools, so that labor coming int
our State, to push forward the internal i'm
proyements, will see this enticing and con
trolling inducement-tha the poor man.
child is sure Of an education, as we'll as tn
rich mans.
We want no antideluyian restrictions as t,
money. We are living in progressive, cos
mopolitan age. Everything is moving, ant
if money cannot have as fair a chance unde
our laws as under the laws Of other States, i
! will leave us. That is a law Of trade. lie
our law-makers take note of this, and &C
4 like men who appreciatestthe surrounding
aud the paramount necessity Of conforming
their action to an enlightened regard for TIT
spirit Of the times they live in.
/ With Virginia's future involved in manu-
featuring enterprises, Of course the thread
bare and obsolete idea of free-trade, as pecu
liarly adapted to the Southern States, viii
have to be thrown aside. We: want protec
ton to home manufactures, as much SO az die
ever Pennsylvania or New England. Geor
gia will want the same. In fact, we wan
n II L