The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-01-18
Common Sense VS.. Prejudice.

or and ruin, when plain common sense must need
assert itself: when hard facts must come To the
front, and all frothy buster be relegated to that
universal limbo of things worthless. Let there
be pause. Whereto are we drifting the very
question is portentous. and it demands an an
swer. 1t is the SphynX that propounds its riddle.
and II you answer it the monster dies failing, it.
destroys you. 1t is no longer a question OF party.
for it concerns the entire people. 1t puts the
question to you who toll at the forge, to you who
till the fields, to you who barter and trade to all
il appeals. Whereto are we drifting? You may
blind your eyes, you may stop your ears, You may
drift on and on with that treacherous current on
which you have foated for the last seven odd
years 1t is pleasant to drift but is also perious.
1t is thus with who freezes to death. There is
first pain, you have passed that stage; then fol-
lows anguor. contentment. lethargy; you are in
that state. II you do not arouse yourself. then
follows after this, death. The people OF Virginia
are III danger OF all this, moral and political
death, far worse than that other death wherein
men evade the ills OF lie. There is but one es:
the common sense that men of affairs use in the
every day work of life. The common sense that
says tomorrow shall be hungry and must have
food, and to-day must labor and earn it. 1t is
strange spectacle. this OF a community OF some
thing like million and half Of modern civilized
human beings gone stark mad. Philosophical OBJ
servers may say this: Virginia Is but the deca-
dence of communities the dry rot OF civilization
vitality she is in her youth, the epoch of slavery
was but night mare; dry rot there is no doubt,
for the old osarchy is passing to grave that is
the propreties Of life demand the sepulture OF
dead mems bones and fossiliZed notions. But
and vitality. But this hydrophoba of prejudice
that has seized upon the community; what shall
we do with it? What does Virginia need to make
her prosperous and powerful? What more than
simply the development OF her industries, the
opening Of her mines, the exchanging of her for
ests for money. the retaining Of her land. the
king her iron into tools. ploughs. shovels, hoes,
machinery, manufactures for making cloths and
for utilizing many products of the farm and tho
forests, and for carrying on the Thousand and one
industries OF a prosperous community: and with
all to have surplus with which to barter for the
money of the outside world. and for which she
has need to build her own rail roads, canals
bridges, public edifces and all internal improve
ments; and with all these industries and improve
ments and at the foundation OF all broad and in
tellgent public school system for the masses, for
the public school is sure index OF the intelli-
gence and prosperity of free communities. 1t is
the only dixie with which you may defend your
liberties against the inroads Of anarchy and dis
order. Look at New England, the home of the
public schools where will you find greater sta
Dilty. more general prosperity and genuine State
only true and sure path for free state of wealth
and prosperity. You would have Virginia pros
than the fantastic glories Of a dead past ? Well
you may have something better, and Virginia
may have mighty future instead of puny pres
ent. 1t requires no cabalistic "open sesame
the way lies in the exercise Of plain common
sense. To-day you live in moral and political
opthalinia. Your preiudices strangle you How
incredibie You want your mines opened, your
fields titled your forests turned into money. fac
tories, railroads, canals built, and you have not
cause the results are immediate and tangible.
You must also have education and integencc;ali
improvements, al.progreSs, all permanency of
things must be superimposed upon this founda-
ton. Your poor whites must be taught to read
and rescued from their ignorance. Your negro
population must have schools and be stimulated
to thrift and independence and made useful citi-
zens. 1t must not be treated class, it must be
assimilated and become part OF the State. A ne
gro is like any other human being, he thinks and
has aspirations 1t seems strange that in this 18th
century it is necessary to say that he has a soul
So long as you deny him the dignity OF manhood,
so long you treat him as class, you crawl
ing backwards. As between individuals. the very
constitution of society necessitates distinctions.
1t is proper but to free State, class distinctions
are fatal. 1t was the black Toussaint L Overture
and that held at bay 10000 veterans of the great
Napoleon, and whose glory and success in war and
the name of Bonaparte. We speak of this merely
to show you that it is possible for negro to be
your superior: Is such equality too much for
your modern Virginian to digest, The sooner
you choke down that prejudice the better and
the sooner you commence the work OF not only
making it a possibility, but probability by ed
ucating him, the more advantageous it will be
for you and for the State. There is this also to
considered, the negro population is your labor;
capital and labor are the two great forces OF a
State. You degrade labor and you endanger the
common veal Elevate labor make it intelligent.
and the State becomes prosperous. You despise
labor, you think it degradation. What folly
Do you know that an ignorant and debased labor
outside of Virginia, or rather Vrginia's Democra-
cy
To restore your industries, to Initiate new ones,
and to occupy your lands. you require immigra-
ton. 1t is the great artery through which to sup
ply life and vigor to the State it is the arteri
al life blood and you cannot live without it. Men
must come here with capital in money and brains,
some to possess your lands, Others with larger
And from Whence is this infa9 Of new Evil life TO to-
come? 1t is from, the North, and by far the
most desirable part from that element which in
the South you stigmatize as Yankees; this ele-
ment has genius, it is net only thrifty and indie
pendent, it is adventurous tn IRE is nothing OF
the fossil about it; it is indomitable. 1t has a
common language with you, with possibly this
one exception, the word impossible" is unknown
in its vocabulary. 1t is also cosmopolitan in the
of not being sectional, and 1t most earnest
ly desires the prosperity OF the South 1t is diff
cult for them to nnde rstand what it is to see
great community led to its ruin by blind unreas.
onng prejudice, for they are accustomed to fall
ing in with circumstances and controlling them
to their own use and benefit; and the quantity of
impecility it takes to enable man to Sit supineIy
while his house falls about his ears is past their
comprehension.
invite it, you must welcome it, and more you
must leave it in no doubt as to its cordial treat
readily disclaim i'll feeling prejudice; but your
actions belle you. In Virginia and in most por-
tons iof the south the prejudice against the
useless to say otherwise. facts and experience at
test it. The northern man who lives in Virginia
and elects to vote with the Republican party, to
speak it mildly is looked at askance. One might
suppose that it required rather unusual degree
of courage to be a Republican. We speak not Of
what is commonly known as the carpetbagger who
possibly deserves the approbium associated with
the name. We heartily sympathize with the
communities in the South cursed with these no.
lftical parasites peculiar neither to North nor
South, out common to all humanity. But Virgin
her, and controls her fortunes. We are aware
that in Virginia man is not shot to pieces for he
ing Republican, as he is in Georgia, Mississip-
pi and Louisiana. virginians are law-abiding and
in no community OF the North may live in
greater seeurityof life but this is not all that is
required, Virginia, you say is at stand still for
want of money to develop her industries and
open her mines. This money must come from
without We have not within ourselves the abil-
ity to make the State prosperous. You admit
these facts: well then, you must have capital and
Immigration. Both are peculiarly sensitive to
any adverse feeling. You need not shoot capital
down to drive it away; you have more civilized
and refined way of doing it.. For instance, a cap
house or what not. 1t is not patriotism, politics
or philanthropy that prompts him to bring his
elsewhere. There comes an election. he votes. we
will say for Mr.. Hayes The next day he is told
that such thing cannot be tolerated in q free
community OF Democrats, for has not this De-
mocracy made the country. even to its apex
and then alas set the poor thing on its summit
to topple over? Presto! Down comes the bust
ness sign and up goes bill this office to let
Well, oh all-wise Democracy! have you not again
saved the country? You have not immigration
and foreign capital, simply because the outside
world believe that your prejudces so strong
that people who differ with you politically viii
alton, and although our horizon OF experience is
somewhat narrowed, we say it with regret, that
there Is 100 mucn IOunQal1On 1Or the Dellef, AS
for ourselves desire to see Virginia more pow
erful and progressive, and il are not willing
to fall in with all the prevailing of the day
it must be laid to the charge Of sort Of mulish
opposition to unfortunate circumstances, rather
than to a lack OF patriotism to the State
There are men in Virginia, however, and they
are not few, who look at matters practically,
who see the evils about them. and would find
acme way out of the mire; but for some reason
they are silent and publicly at least, lend their
countenance to the unhappy supremacy OF this
Democracy which year after year increases and
perpetuates the ills OF the State. Singular per-
Version of things. In the North, Democracy ia
allied with all things low and vile. while in Vir-
ginia it includes many ct her best citizens but
there is no reason logic in their position. Do
they fear social ostracism, loss OF business OF nfu
ence and position? What if you should try the
experiment OF defying, yes, and denouncing this
cowardly menace OF your Democratic allies? Is
it not possible that the terrible monster would az
ter all prove to be but the ass in the lions skin
was perhaps wrongfully said of the Spartans that
thev we're Lions at home, but in Ephesus, mere
Laconians" but doubt if the comparison |
would be unjust. tho rather elevated, for those
people in Virginia who threaten with dire dis |
pleasure any breaking away from the prejudices |
that control the politics of the State. Yes, you
have succeeded in making OF Virginia sort OF |
market place Of Althorf, wherein Gesler has |
stuck up his Austrian cap for men to bow to- and |
we so much resemble that poor, suspicious ma |
rauder OF the corn-held, that we do not see that
it is only Democratic Scare-crow. and not YER
TABLE worthy thing, with right to be. After all |
that may be said it is only an argument for the |
supremacy OF the Republican party in the State; |