The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-09-18
THE SPEECH OF HON. Josa,r,
SEGAR BEFORE THE
REPUBLICAN, STATE
CONVENTION AT
LYNCHBURG
IMPORTANCE OF THE COMPLETION
OF THE JAMES RIVER AND
KANAWHA CANAL.

| have been honored, Mr.. President
with an invitation to address this Conven
ton before its adjournment, with the ex
preston Of desire that would make The
James River and Kanawha Canal the sub
ect Of my address, and | am now before
you to fulfill the task assigned me.
believe il is an acknowledged maxim ir
the political economy of the whole world
that no people can attain an eminent degree
of general prosperity and wealth and nation
al greatness, without the co existence and
combination Of the three grand elements,
agriculture, commerce and manufactures
and hence it is that purely agricultural
country is seldom n very prosperous and
rich one.
Spain and Portugal, for example, though
possessing fertile soil, and a delightful
climate, yet, being almost exclusively til
lers of the soil, have no diversity OF in
dustry, no home market, no commerce,
and no manufactures, and are accordingly
among the most insignificant states of Ea-
rope. France, on the contrary, their near
nelghbor, has happily blended all three OF
the great elements, and adds TO the bounti-
full production of her soil diversified manu-
features and thriving commerce; and she
is one of the first powers on the continent.
And it is to this minglng of her industries
and multiplication OF their branches. that
she owes her rapid and extraordinary re-
covery from the effects of the German
war, and her ability to meet its very hea-
Wy eXactions. A purely agricultural coun-
try could never have done this. p. ~ ..
England, combining with her agricultul
al ,l,t.no Iail =.
and manufactures, is among the most pros
porous, wealthiest, and most powerful ma
tons of the earth.
New York--to come for examples to our
own great country-is great state-a
magnificent state--though Virginia ought
to be her equal. She is great producing
state; but take from her her Erie canal and
the commerce it creates, and where will
her greatness be?
Pennsylvania, too, is a great state, a
rich, prosperous, and powerful state,
though i'll respect to fertility of soil and ex-
tent Of mineral resources by no means SUI
perior to Virginia; and yet she is very far
ahead of her southern sister, only because
1t has been her constant policy to keep the
plough, the loom and the anvil in harmoni-
Gus concert and close proximity together. cir
But the most remarkable ilust1 alton of
the blessed effects of the division of pursuit
and the union of the three great industries
is to be found in New England. Take
Massachusetts for example. Cold, bleak,
rocky, billy, and sterile, rejoicing in ice
and granite as important items of export !;
she has managed SO admirably to blend
agricultural, manufacturing, and CONNER
cial development, that for thrift, comfort,
and wealth, she is not excelled if equaled
in proportion to her size by any territory
on the globe. The largest possible amount
of physical comfort is diifused among all
classes Of her people her manufactures,
embracing every conceivable variety,
amount to hundreds Of millions Of dollars
annually, and besides supplying her own
home commers, with her own
fabrics, she sends off an immense surplus to
the various markets of the world, for
which she brings back for home capital
millions of ready-made and assorted car
goes of exchangeable commodities q to
supply domestic demand, or perhaps to be
re-exported to outside points of consump-
ton. How could she be thus thriving and
rich, but for her sagacitg in infinitely diver
styling pursuit and multiplying the depart
ments of trade--in other words, in adding
to agriculture manufactures, and to both
commerce?
Now, Mr.. President. Virginia has a
thousand times the elements of proSperi-
ty and wealth over her granite-exporting
and ice-eXporLing sister Of New England !,
and no similar area on The face of the globe
is more blessed of Heaven than she is.
The land she Is Of IRON, and coal, and
copper, of gypsum, and salt; of noble har
bors and capaciouS rOadstcadS Of bound
less water power, and ineXhaustble abund-
ance of the raw material for nearly every
manufactured fabric that man consumes.
Her soil is rich, and adapted to the prOduc-
lion of most of the staples needed by man.
And yet sir, her people are poor, and as
state, she is comparatively insignificant.
Sir, am grieyed to be forced to speak
these unwelcome truths about the land of
my birth that still love, but the whole
truth must be told. And worship at her
affairs now here to-day when proclaim it
from these hustings that Virginia, with all
her gifts, is poor, and poor independent Of
the effects of the late war !
Of commerce she has none, except what
scraps are picked up by some struggling
steamship Of a foreign line, that calls an
hour or two at her wharves, on her way to
some city beyond her limits.
Of manufactures, the gushing spring Of
wealth, she has none save the proceeds of
score or two of tobacco factories, few
flour mills, now and then cotton and wool.
len mandatory, and an occasional furnace
and foundry; bat nothing approximating
manufactures as an industry.
AS state of the Federal Union, hel
representation has dwindled from % to O.
taking in West Virginia, to IL.
Now, why Is this? 1t is mainly because
she has not cultivated that wise principle
of the division and multiplication of pur
suit which is the highest philosophy of {
sound political economy, and which where
ever it has spoken, ha; been found the ex
ponent of thrift, wealth, independence, ant
material elevation and distinction. In othel
words, because she is almost purely an ag
ricultural state.
Is this state of things to continue? No
unless ourselves we so choose. Most for
tunately there is a single measure which, i
successful, and which we can make sue
cessful, If we are men, will not only lif
up her people from the prOstration of thu
civil war, but give her a commerce tina
will cause even New York to tremble fol
her laurels, and that will make her infalli
bly, manufacturing power. And tina
measure, (Which seems almost a provi
dence from God,) is our great water line
the James River and Kanawha canal