The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-11-08
The President at Richmond.

Capitol square, Richmond, Va, by the PEG.
pie Of the State, and also the brief aud APP
proprate speech of Secetary Thompson:
The President responded as follows:
Governor Kemper, Ladies and Gentlemen-l
am admonished by the leaden sky and thicken
| ing mist that my remarks in reply to the wei
come we have Just listened to must be very brief
| would gladly give expression to the satisfaction
and qualification it gives me to have this truly
| Virginia welcome. lCheers,l understand very
| well the general purposes of the Society whose
annual meeting brought together this large as
sembla ge. The growing interest of Virrinia--the
leading interest-has been promoted bv the
| works of this Society, and in trying to do some
thing to further this great interest we shalt at.
| Tempt q suitable return for the hospitality and
| Kindness with which we have been so cordially
received lam glad to contribute something tc
| the work the Agricultural Society of Virginia is
| endeaVorlng TO do The State of Virginia has
| wisely undertaken to make known to the world
| her advantages-to make them known to INTEL !.
gent and enterprlsing and good people who de-
| sire to better their condition by a chanoa at
home. The Virginia Board of Immigration has
| been very fortunate in securing an officer who Pc
ports to that Board interesting and satisfactory
| description of the attraction which Virginia DOS
sesses to the emigrant. A few days ago one of the
senator's from Virginia furnished me with Hotch-
| KISS description OF Virginia. Now, my friends
in undertaking to contribute little to the work
your Society is doing shall not be guilty. of deal
ing with facts and statistics. 1t would be indeed
| carrying Goals to New Castle" to tell Virginians
| what Virginia is. Thanks to these gentlemen OF
tne Press, who are reporting these proceedings I
| may be able to reach large numbers of people in
| other states that cannot conveniently be repre-
| scented here and witness what we behold do
not intend to ter into an elaborate description
OF any OF the advantages of Virginia. | merely
wish 70 invite and to put inteligs mt people in
oIaef STATES on the track of investigation about
| Virginia., merely wiso to read sort of cata-
logue OF the various attractions and claims of viz
| gln1a upon the consideration of those who any,
| where in the United States desire to improve
their condition by seeking new and better homes
Virginia possesses about as many acres of land
| Pennsylvania, and it is one eight larger than
Ohio; but it's population is only one third OF
Pennsylvania, and does not reach one half of
Ohio There is, then, in the first place. in Virgin
| ia two great spaces of unoocupied land Under
| your former system it was the ambition of your
men to have large estates. Your State, therefore
must be divided into a greater number of small
farms. Thus it will be fifty years hence The
Thus general prosperity will be promoted. If
am expanding a little, the sky, yon notice, is
in another direction, [Cheersl AS there is abun
dant territory for enlgrants to possess, what
then. is the character of that territory Some
wore out. 1 hear our agricultural friends doubt
ing whether there was skill to restore that land
Your plan was that it was eaisier to clear new
land than to restore the old. That has been le
in Virginia. Now comes the time when the d, il
has to be brought up again. With capital, skill.
and appropriate application, what is not fertile
can be made so. Along your rivers there is abun-
dance OF good land yet. In the Valley, in the
Sounth Side, and in the mountain regioa, the en-
land the emigrant wishes. The land in VIRGINIA
is possibly about twenty-five dollars an acre
land ranges from $25 to 500 per acre.
In addition to cheap land, the next thing is a
market easily reached. How does Virginia stand
in this respect In this State the most perisha-
BILE vegetables can reach market before they
are worthless. And next build up your growing
cities. You have enough cheap land But. saws
some one, they are dreadfully taxed in Virginia.
They are now divided over there about the debt,
as they say "a, Are you heavily taxed? not
not mean to drop words to tell you on which side
| may be- lLaughterl will say this: You are
will say this also That take your State debt and
add it to all the other popular debts of cities and
counties OF the State, and / think, upon the
whole, that Virginia is not heavily in debt And
here again, might point to a State in the North
the fair State OF New York-or smaller ones,
who have cities to pile their taxes upon. Cities
pay the taxes Farmers do not live in the Cities
and the wise emigrant knows that. If the taxes
are upon the cities, who pays for the goods The
farmer must bear his share II the cities are
heavily i'll debt the farmer feels it. say that tax
alton IN Virginia is light say then. virginiais
the State the worthy emigrant is inquiring for
The climate OF Virginia is excellent. The large
muscular men-men see before me-demand its
mire. 1t is good climate. II | am otmlstaken
muscular men OF every race Will find in Virginia
Gritty OF its winters nor ex haustive heat in sum-
mer are unfavorable to work. Perhaps no.
where do we find the original type-the ruddy
face, muscles well covered, nerves we'll protected
that type OF the Englishman, better preserved
than in Virginia. 1t is, then, good climate
therefore Intelligent: good people will emigrate
here. And besides these advantages. might al |
lude to that which will give home market to the
farmer. The growth OF manufactures make pom |
ulous cities, and these consume the products of
agriculCuriStS These material advantages are
supplemented by Others which to the intelligent
emigrant are very strong and attractive
Take the educational advantages 1 think that
few States have done so much Virginia to i'm |
both races. 1t is very good and it is increasing.
1t is not yet what Governor Kemper and you
sentiment of popular education is greatly grow. |
ing. This gathers from the sources to which 1 |
have referred. have been in the habit of saying
that among the attractions to the best class OF |
emigrants in other States there are none greater
to them than the advantages to be found in Vir- |
ginia Virginia does indeed deserve that sort OF |
praise. Why shall not the emigrant come here |
so near to market? The great lines completed |
connects the interior with the harbors Does
some one say there is prejudice against new-com-
ers? Descending myself from one of the earliest |
settlers OF Ohio know how the old settlers felt to-
ward the new men. At the same time / do not |
desire to repel the coming of good citizens from |
every quarter. Is there danger of that in Vir-
Virginia, upon that question, stands where she
should be-. believe good citizen, desiring to
home in Virginia-io be the home of himself and
ibis children after hi-will find here all the priv
ship that belongs to good citizenship OF the best
American society. And whenever in
Main or Minnesota there are families with favor
tie son or daughter threatened with lung diSeas- |
es here your hospitality is ready to receive them.
close with the wish: May it be among the de- [
crees of Providence to bless Virginia as we'll as t
our whole beloved country-bless her with riches,
honors, length of days-and may her ways be
ways OF pleaSantneSs and all her paths be mathis
OF peace. [Great cheering.]
SECRETARY THoMPsoN's REMARKS,
Secretary Thompson said;
FELLOW ITIzENs-Ith has been about q quarter
OF century sincel was in the capitol of my
the Old Dominion has been depopuated I do
not believe it now. [Great laughterl am sure
the past. Since 1 left Virginia and became
a citizen of another part OF this Union terrible
times have INTERVIEWED We have been through
We are here to-day under the flag of our fathers |
to congratulate each otherin restored and re-
policy OF the Government. What IS that policy
1t is nothing more THIN fnfuslng into the minds
of the people atrust to each other. We who live
in the North are ready to trust you We have
right to require of you to trust US. That is all
there is about it. There Is nothing so hard about
it. 1t simply involves reunion en- both sides.
The responsibility rests upon US. We boast that
we have the best institutions in the world. No
Tor you and are not for to-day, but for all time
for our children after we are gone. Then we have
'or our children. believe the Union is stronger
Today than it ever was-stronger than it was be-
ore the late war between the sections, for the
'eason because we are beginning to understand
here is no difference between sections. We are
= Possession OF abundant ter ritory we have an
We not therefore, in the future as In the past,
mite our energies il building up this Govern
,ntire world! am a native of Virginia / am
10 less Virginian to-day than T was seventy
7ears ago. l love the old State into your hands
s confided her honor and destiny. With that l
nave nothing to do, but you shall not rob me of I
ny interest in her great name it is mine as well
IS yours. When the citizens OF Virgin 10 congrat-
llate each other upon restored Union, what is
here for us to do but to make one long and
strong pull one pull together, for the glory and
lonor q our entire country n This work do
lot believe the ejtigepEof Virginia will be behind
he cltlzens OF other States.
w ork Of the Post Office Special Agents.
Col. David B. Parker, Superintendent of
Special Agents of the Pest Office Depart
nent, has just submitted his annual report
o the Postmaster General, from Which it
appears that during the year 543 persons
we're arrested for offences against the posta,
avs, being lo4 greater shau in the preced-
ng year, though during the past year the
number of special agents had been reduced.
The persons arrested had committed every
'ariety of offense known 10 The postal laws,
md l72 OF them were transferred to State
courts to be tried for burglaries of post
Offices highway robheries of the mails while