The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1874-11-05
TIE FUTURE OF srAuNToN.

.-O>' Ava
The practical direction they give to tn III ener-
| gies, ha resulted in the growth aad pro ;perity
of the City beyond that of any Other town in
the South. Our merchants, mechanics and
business men generally, have utilized their
earnings and surplus means, by investing them
i'll new uldtngs, and every year there have
been forty fifty houses, either for residences
Or business, constructed. thus giving employ
mcnt to labor and ditfusing capital throughout
! the community. Investments of this kind
| have constituted an obstruction to the cstab-
| lislmellt OF manufactures or the co: tribution
to stock companies for that purpose, to de
gree, that. from superficial observation, might,
the construed into alindiference to them. We
| are not prepared to say that the wiSest policy
ha, not been adopted in the direction hereto
fore given to indivi lu,l effort ana enterprise-
Every no / &c erected is the sue evidence that
| mechanical skill is being encouraged, money
| divided out to the different branches OF trade
| a I'd an invitation extended for new settlers to
CON in. In dom, this the City has been
constantly increasing i'll substantial wealth and
population, until the business OF Sta'lnton has
become so diversified and expanded as to col-
stitute it one of the best markets for the pro-
ducts OF the farm that is afforded in the State.
| By this means the agriculturalist is encouraged.
and by the bcstowmcnt OF reciprocal benefits
on Town and County, Augusta has kept pace
with the progressive strides of Staunton.
While the restless activity of our people has
contributed so largely to help each other, and
to give phase of prosperity to things general
ly we are satisfied that there is yet capital UNI
invested for the public cool, Which should be
brought into rcquistion. We must have a(ldi-
tional manufactures i'll order to reach that de-
gree of Importance in commercial and bust
ness point, that our natural advantages entitle
us. We are at the intersection of two great
through lines OF railroads penetrating to the
four cardinal sections of the co ,ntry. They
reach into the finest min ,r;.l and timhcrcd re-
gions of the continent, and bring lis in direct
and immediate communication with the coal
and iron fields Oh either linz, making Staunton
point Of competition in freights to the mar
kcts OF the country.
1t requires no labored reasoning to demon
strate that Stlntoa is the M ,st accessible point
in this entire rang OF. country, for the estab-
fish nent of Blast Furnaces and Rolling Mills.
At one time it was reg lrded as economy to
transport the iroa ore to the coal fl :lls to be
reduced to pig, in,sln'lch as it required about
three tons OF coal to snclt ore enough to make
a toll of pig. Upon th.qlestion OF transporta-
ton, this policy became economy. But it is
now demonstrated that Il ton of coke will re-
duce as much ore to iron rs three tons of coal,
and therefore on the point OF transportation it
world he cheaper to bring the coke and ore to
point where the competition in tran sportation
to the markets of the country. would give adj
vlntagcs that could not be realized, where it
lid not exist. As a question of economy i'll
the isolatod features OF ore and coke, it would
be advisable to establish furnaces at the point
4 Of competition. In addition to this, the advan-
cages of city of the size OF Stahnton, with
lis constant improvements in buildings, its
Church and School advantages, and all. the at
fractions of refined aHl cultivated society would
contribute to the stability OF labor and the at
traction to capitalists. What is wanted is a
beginning. Ii few of orr wealthy citizens
will take hold of the enterprise and subscribe
$4,000 or 100000 towards the erection of
Blast Furnace, there will be no difficulty in
bringing to their assistance foreign capital and
enterprise to complete the amount necessary
for the Inauguration of the work upon q
large scale. An extensive iron manufacture:
remarked, the other day, we understand, that
if the $50, 900 subscribed for the establishment
of Cotton Factory were tran >ferred to an Iron
manufactory, he would take the balance OF the
| prn fort Iln
struction OF a Blast Furnace. &C., such as
would meet the demands of the occasion and
contribute to the beginning of a system Of manu-
features that would assure the rapid increase
Of the wealth anil population Of tile City.
We have heretofore argued that the growth
of Staunton was necessarily crcllmscrbed by
natural causes, without manufactures. We
cannot conceive what is to sustain much lar
ger population without them. While every
branch of enterprise is comparatively healthy
and prosperous. there must b.. necessarily "A
limit to the aggregation of population, unless
there arc other Observation-Disclosures employed to
justify it. There is nothing that so readily
suggests itself as Iron Furnaces, for the reason
that the raw material is convenent and album
dant, and only awaiting the applc,tion.of cap
ital for its utilization. In the Inauguration of
! such industries. all otle,r Investments are in
/ terestcd. The City real estate owners will fluid
in them solid assurance of stability in rental
and sale pricess the mechanical and mercan-
tile branches will realize substantial stimnlants
and the farmers of this and adjoining counties,
| have created home market for all their pro-
ducts. But these and other benefits suggest
themselves as Legitimate results to manutae:u-
ring enterprising of any description, apd we
only recur to them forsthe purpose OF remind
ing our people ii they desire to witness the
continued growth and prosperity of Staunton
and Augusta county, they mast secure their es-
| tablishmeut.
THE VOTE on THE AMENDMENTs.-Iti is to
| be regretted that men will allow themselves to
Use the elective franchise, without under
| standing the purport of the exercise of it, and
vote. regardless of consequences, merely to
| crafty partzan prejudice. It. will he seen
from the returns of this county that the amend
! mcnts to the Constitution were carried by IL
| decided majority; and not one in hundred
| who contributed to that result knew what they
were voting fer. 1t is Il bad commentary upon