Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-09-13

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Three squares. 5 50 10 00I 81 w 90 WI 20 "
| -Four squarGs.... I Wl 20UCI 4O 0U " w ~ " "
| Five SQUARES. -. $50 25 OO 5O 00 IS O0|ll0 o.
Quarter columni III 0l oO w OU ~ wi ioO " "
One third coin Is u 9OUOl 6U UO lOO Uui ~ U
Half column. % col 80 00 100 0C $50 0OI225 Ol
One column..... 35 09I IS Ot $50 Col 2Ol OCl 5oo U
Special contracts will be made with yearly al
| vertisors.
Marriage and Doath Notices fifty cents. Obitu
aries will be charged at advertisement: rates.
| Words or Wisdom.
Rev. DR.. Curry, in the last number Of the
Southern Planter and Farmer, says:
In the South we need an industri al re'
and suffered much from, political re-
construction. That was hssty, inconsidoralo
qusckery, mixed with revengo. Political re:
construction Wss easy, il natural causes mad not
been ntorfered with and tho disturbed sections
had been permitted TO readjust themselves nc
construction must work itself out. with proper
sdjuvants slowly and in due course sf the laws
of nature and OF political economy. 1t Is dit.
fcult for late slaVo-oWnors to recognize tho no.
groes as freedmen, legally competent to make
their own contracts and legally and morally un :
dom and elevation. Root pig or die'' is d
homely saying, with a word of good sense aud
practical wisdom in it, Negroes, whom hired
by us, sre treated under the traditions and cus.
toms OF slavery. Wo slow frequent holidays
mako no deductions for sickness. submit to neg,
lects and breakages, and continue 1uil
wages. Iho negroes neoi to 90 SUD
jected to tho discipline OF troedom and
to accustom themselves TO torethought and
caro- and accumulation of property. The rea'
ton, not of master and slave, but of employed.
softenod by tho humanity OF religion. is to be
a5 n 10
In olden timo, Southern people were I'M
provident, and so foolishy liberal rs 10 run into
prodi igality. We wero lavish in our charities,
in our hospitality, in our grhtutles, IN our t4ner-
ais in our entertainments. Tables groaned un-
der tho protuse supplies for household and
guests. At ore meal was often wasted enough
for weeks consumption. In dress. e9uipsgo,
food, gratuties, our people need TO cultivate
frugallty and economy, and TO adapt e1pendl'
lures to means and to what IS becoming MIG
gardliness is not recommended, but rAlher the
avoidance of what is useless waste ECONOMY
should pervade household, business. travel ana
every place and thing whore extravaganza does
not psy. In travelling al hotels at watering places
q Southerner is known by the use OF his money.
have seen millionaire lido in q street car.
while Southerner, who complained OF 'hard
timos," took carriage.
This industrial reconstruction requires
change in some of our habits, reform IN sOmo
of our opiMions and actions. We have too
many non-producers. Young and old come
from tho country to towns and cities TO got clerk
ships or some similar omployments. From
honest toll too many turn away to live by por-
centages, by trading, by commissions. by wits
We have an army Of go.btwoens that should
retro from these means Of living TO productive
work Labor is tho basis OF wealth. All capt.
tai, outside Of natural agents, must como from
activity and skill in Iaborng. Persons not on
gagged in production add little or ncLhing to tho
wealth OF country. Production Is not, how
ever, to be restricted within too narrow Limits
God has variously endowed human bclng'.
Each has or may have illness Tor dong some
thing which is an endowment to be used IN tho
worlds wealth and Improvement. That IS
poor science OF national wealth which admits u
sewing machine or reaper and excludes
TRANSPORTATION, an Apollo Belvidere Hamlet
Still in tho ordinary And material sense OF wealth.
We must not rely upon clerks, bank presidents.
editors, lawyers, doctors. preachers, but upon
the farmer, tho mechanic, tho miner the manu-
facturer. To thcm Wo must look Tor national
prosperity, and in their fields must labor be pr''
marily and mainly directed
Ono of the most serious drawbacks IN inc
South to the planters and farmers is tho wsLt OF
good country roads. Everything that increases
the quantity Of commodities. obtained in ex.
change for any result OF Industry, encourages
production and increases Wcslth. Cost or Trans
portation is 8 heavy burden on produciiTs IN
dustry and on consumption. Tho first thing |"
be- psid by land is the cost Of carrying tho pro
duce OF that land TO market II tho cost be 81
great as TO eat up tho procoeds tho land will DO
Comparatively yalueless, and usually the value
Of the land increases rs tho cost OF transporla-
ton is lessenod. There is not q farmer in Vlf'
gnia ten miles from o railroad. or canal. or
river, who does not psy for moro. annually, for
trans porting farm and garden products to mar.
kot than he pays in tho shape OF county anh
State taxes,
Tho bad roads" in Virginia aro a most sori'
L., ito and all
yised and persevering effort 70: their improve
ment will do moro to bring back good times
than tho issue Of two billions Of grccnbacks.
By ordinary road working, by convict labor. by
compelling vagrants and jail birds tn support
themselves by breaking stones, digging dItche,
and building brdges-all done systematically
and perseveringly under competent engineers
wa should soon have our impossible roads con.
verted into benth,ent and durable highways
The Granges could not better servo their count,
~ and cause than by agitatlng this subject unti
the want is supplied.
Tho last suggestion l mako ia, that while our
people should be frugal, industrious aud sell
Reliant there should, in private and pubic
trans actions, bo scrupulous adherence to the
strictest rules of honesty and good faith. For
eign capitai will certainly not como into our
State if there be no security for Investments, no
| fidelity to engagements. 10 rcpudintp our State
debt invites tho repudia Of city and cIunty
| and national indebtedness, and then the eitin-
guishment Of private debts. How long com
munism will wait TO put IN its CLAIMS hecds 30
seer to predict Kcpudintion OF dobts Is thh
poorest recipo ever given for financial dspTts,
| sion The little temporary saving thus ehecttu
will be mosgre compensation Tor the VssI ous'
ness which, with perfect confidence ana trie1
| faith, must como from tho investments OF cap'-
| tsl and the fruits of labor IN doVeiopihS o"f
boundlcss resources Of soil and mlno5 ana man
| ufacturing capabilities ,., ,lra =
II may bo sid that in there shou$hs' sSo1o
| hss hoon to state tho extent OF trCubIas ard ~
dwarf attention from legislative schemes, except
in The repeal Of restrictions upon trade and the
securing of increased official responsibility soa
| much in the future to awaken zeal ana energy
and cheerful perseverance,. In ourselves, our
own right arms, in honest and patient labor, ld
| mining and manufacturing, in good roads, in
| Individual and county and State and National
economy, in q sound currency, in fidelity to en-
| gagements, in unimpaired private and puo'c
| fsith. we have tho means Of making our land
I prooDnrona a nd banuV