The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-01-22
IMMIGRATION.

If the Legislature is not utterly blind to
the true interests Of Virginia, it will take
early and very resolute action upon this
subject. Nothing can be more clear to OBJ
serving men than the steady outward flow
of large portion of our best population,
to wit: our young men and our laborers.
This depreciates the price of land, and
those who would be glad to sell their sur
plus in order to improve the reserved por-
ton of their estates find no buyers. Our
people are running array because they hare
nothing to do. There is no capital to employ
labor, to start industries, or to improve the
land. immigration, with its mighty rush
of capital, skilled labor, and various facul-
ty, has made the West the most powerful
and prosperous community under the sun.
Virginia has every outward resource to
offer, but she is encountered by the wrecks
of an old system, which impedes the inflow
ing of the fresh and fertlizing stream of
population and capital. VIII Governor
Kemper and the Legislature look facts in the
face? Will they take vigorously hold Of
this question in the light Of modern exam
Piles, and dismiss the silly and idiotic pol
icy which is now the bane of our state
If they will listen to reason and common
sense and the teachings of enlightened self
interest, the way is open to new era of
prosperity.
Thus far the feeble and inadequate
efforts of the state have been almost ex-
clusively devoted to securing settlers from
Europe. We do not depreciate the value
of that class; we would use every means
possible to encourage the crowded popu-
lation Of the old world to come here But
we know they will not come in large NUM-
bers till our prosperity is assured. We
are not now i'll condition to employ
skilled labor at prices that will induce it to
come. We have already as much labor as
we can employ aoeN. Our first great effort
should be to get men aoah sufficient means
to buy and Improve our farms, soater
po,oers and mines, and 10 employ labor.
This can be done. We speak what we
hnoao, when we say that the North, and
even the Northwest, is our most promis-
ing field from which to obtain population.
These are the hardy and skillful men that
we need, generally possessed Of capital,
and if we can get the real facts before
them we can draw them to our state to
make homes in our genial climate. They
will find new fields of enterprise amid our
wonderful resources. The powerful COM
binations in New York and Boston, and
even in Europe, which own the great east
and west lines and the Immigrant rail-
road of the West, have thus far had the
exclusive ear Of the Northern people.
Self interest has led them to belle
the South and bend every energy to
keep the monopoly of the immigra-
ton IN their own hands. They have thus
guided it even into the inhospitable regions
of Lake Superior, where it is now appeal
ing for charity to enable it to survive an
Arctic winter. In this work they have had
the aid of the great bankers, the press,
and even congressional legislation. They
have humbugged and deluded the emf
grant classes for many years, to their great
loss and injury. The time is suspicious
to undeceiye them and to offer
them far better opportunities than they can
now realize in the distant wilds of the
West. We have no time to lose. The
golden opportunity has come and action
should be prompt and thorough. Let
every economy be practiced in all other
matters, but let the state open liberal
hand in the work of filling up its vast wastes
with capable population.
We are opposed to all complicated MAJ
chinery in the matter. II the Legislature
will place fifty thousand dollars subject to
the check of the Governor, and author
ize him to use as much of it as he needs,
and appoint his own agents, the results
would be satisfactory, we are confident.
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LEARNED publicists, among them John
Stewart Mill, have decided that any public
action to clothe and feed able-bodied men
and women is unwse and detrimental to