Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-04-16
The AIfnhftatnr.
STAUNTON. VA.
FRIDAY MORNING, April 1e. 1874



We are afraid our meetings for manu-
features are in fair way to drift into a
hopeless state Of CAB. "A great MANY. we
forget how many, asseroblings have been
had, and the whole result is three reports.
which the intelligent. gentlemen who pre-
pared them could easily have gotten up
without the aid of chairman and seere-
tary and the hundred or so people who,
toange around waiting, some of them anx-
iously for something to come out Of the
mountain which they are told is in labor.
Some how the paraphernalia, 80 to speak. Of
public meeting, has mysterious charm
to the spectators, and even to the partici-
pants. The announcement that Mr.. So
and-so, the chairman of that committee.
wants additional time" to prepare his
report, and that Mr.. What's-his-name, the
chairman Of the other committee, is ''in
correspondence" with some parties who
are chock full of information and onIy
need the puncturing request OF the chair
man to food the meeting. viii b knowledge,
have an impressive effect, and arouse the
liveliest anticipations that something will
come out OF such an august assen,blage.
1t is impossible, you see, in the Judgment
Of us common people, that Judge this and
Colonel that and Major the other should
leave their fresides and repair to the altar
Of the Town Hall to invoke the Gods, and
nothing should come Of it. That cautious
deity, Capital. might turn deaf ear to
the prayers of less illustrious petitioners.
but ne would think twice before he would
turn away from them. But it is a sad fact
that he does neglect them, and that he
turns away from all the Generals and
Colonies and Judges with their arms full
of resolutions and reports. and listens to
the man with his coat off who is Juggling
at the wheel Of the wagon. As mode OF
advertising our resources, the idea of hold
ing public meeting was good, and the
journals here. always alive to the interests
of the town, promptly seconded it by their
reports; but the long series that have fol
lowed it seem more likely to deprive oul
people of their self-reliance than to accom-
pfish anything else. The interest origi-
nally felt by the public in these meetings
was because it was supposed they were to
be practical gatherings to devise way t.
ID something. So far the reports mad.
have referred to branchts of industry
which cost SO much money that our peopl.
can't afford to touch them. We read from
!. Harrisonburg paper that ''Fitzsimmons
IL Co. have recently erected stave and
head factory, 5Ox24 feet, at Cowan's Sta.
ton. on the Valley Branch Of the B. & o.
R. r., ten miles below Harrisonbnrg.
They are now fitting up and arranging
their machinery, which is of the most APP.
proved kind, and cest $1,000, and will be
ready next week to commence operations.
We learn that they have contracted Will
parties in Richmond to furnish monthly
10000 slaves and heads, and also llav.
made large contracts with parties il
Washington. They propose to employ
about thirty han DIS, and have built lara.
house in which they will board them
Now that looks more like business than al
the Staunton meetings put together, AM
vet we doubt whether Fitzsimmons GO.
ever held meeting or passed a resolution.
The question plainly stated is just this: Ii
any man in Staunton by himself, or any
score of men as a company have the mo-
nev--you must have that first-they can
start some small and simple manufacture
themselves, and then let it grow. This is
the only way out of our pr.s' MT difficulty
and if we can't do that, We had as well
60
lEeian meetings, if we don't intend to do
something ourselves. Send for Fitzsm-
mons & Co..