Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-01-15
Home Industries.

| The Virginia pcoIl, are much given to
certain kind OF sentiment. 1t is quite uDdenla
| bic that there is among them much OF the samo
self conccit which led Greece and Rome to call
| all the rest OF the wolli barbarians. Every
| thing Virei1ian is held to be above everything
| elso 10 the slme class wheresoever it may be
| found. There are no people like cur people;
no country like ouc country; no climate like
| our climate; no history like OUT history; no
su,h great men as those which the Mother OF
States an statesmen has produced. We have
no disposition whatsoever to quarrel with this
feeling Il is, Indeed, a very proper sentiment,
| aud il it produc ,s the right sort OF patriotism
it il we'll Blu! we do complain that it ls only
a sentiment, 90 more, productive Of % policy
among ourselves that We can see and leadng
to no practical results. Oar theories are beau
tiful. They could not possibly be surpassed In
eX,cllcnca;> but it Is very sad that they are
not actodu upon. We pratc ofimnigratiou tor TO-
stauce. We look over ouc fair land and say II We
c)ud have this settled by thrifty end hard
working population We would sJon rank amoog
tho most furnishing Of the States. A society
TO further this object is at once formed. Its
agents 90 abroad and make flaming representa-.
tions lis advertisements arc scattered broad
como what treatment do they receive? They
meet with certain consideration We grant,
bsrriog the one thing that We vii! put oil upon
them bad lands a. exorbtsut figures. But IL
any should achieve 5ucoess-lt 10 tho country
he surpass,s all his neighbors 10 thrift and In.
dus.ry--it his farm appears cleaner aud pro.
| ducas larger crops than thclrs-he must bo
very exceptional person indeed 1t he is not
| viewed with certain JEALOUSY which will be
very ant to make itscIf manifest 10 social rela.
| tons. If in the ci:y lie should achieve wealth,
| become popular and p1omnant IN society, DUST
cess, Or politics, there will not be wanting some
| VirginiaGs, to the m.ncr bro, who Will CON
| siier themselves personally aggrleVed oY his
| success Another thlGg We prate about
aud Of this wo mean mere particularly
to speGk-:s the patronage or homc Industries.
| But this is onIy prat!uy. Notwithstanding the
fact that our manufacturers can make steam
engine every way equal to anY made IN tho
| North-ni guarantee il 10 be so-aud can tur-
nsh it at the same price, thus saving to tho
purchaser the transportation yet The chaDoc5
are that OUT people will bug the northern CO.
CINE. We know Of q flgraDt iostsGcc 10 the
past few days. This Instance will do tor oil
kinds OF manufacture std merchandise. Wo
| talk ecauon.ly about paIroDzlng home indus
| tries all the while VIC arc actually patronizlng
northern Industries. Of course We bavo no
earthly hope Of revo!u..0aiZ.og the condition OF
/ things, but it seems strange to Us that men DO
not recogbiZ: the wisdom o! bulldog up cur
| homo trade. Suppose Il costs little more to
purchase IN aItcFc hero than lG the North, II
| yet Studs liuc that II Is better policy aoc
! sounder wisdom Il buy Ii Of our oWn people,
even Though you lose Z few dollars upon 1t tor
what YOU spend comes back to you. our money
Instead o! gcins far away to benefit other people
renaios at hOmc. You have 50 ter furnished
occupation to some poor persons. They have
reaped wages thereir1m which they spond, aod
az YOUR uoucy travels around 10 thisEmall circle
il viii! ccrtaialy pass through your hands again.
IL this were tie general practice the crcus'ou
Of mouey 10 this compuolty would DC easily
doubled; cur manufactures would be stimulated;
our lauorpg people would BIZ prosperous and
coDterted; our merchants would thrive; and all
our Industries would revive. Ii this Virginia
prtiulco against foreign people should also DO
a prejudice ia favor OF our oan products. 1t Is
u1deniabe that we would cartaioly prosper.
We would theu adopt settled policy whereby,
Instead o! draining our purses into Nortnern
cyfftrs, We would keep our money IN cNca,
!ation at hunc. The merchant would
tuy from the manufacturer ard the manu-
facturer from the merchant, and both
| would Oe suja!1sQ. LII Is uAIIo" poii0y III
deed to purchase abroad because things may
h. GOTTEN little cheaper 1t is cheapness
dearly purobased Ii is purchased by tbrottl'
iug our oTo Industries aad thereby destroying
| the market for your Cheap tbiugs. 1t is
purchased By throwing the poor out OF en-
ploymcnt aud throwing them upon your charity.
1t is purchased by failures, suspensions, nnd
closing up OF your maou!ao,olics; by every one
cf which you lose more than you gained by
your cheap" purchases. We plead for
broader and far moro f.r-5eeing policy. we
plead for Eome patronage. We bid .you re-
member that with the patronage will como
the ''cheapnes,' which you desire, and that
tho dollars which you spend at home will como
back to you as .he dove to the ak; but.thoss
vou snend abroad are like The raven which
! Travelled cn f1rover. Iftherc is ansthiog what.
ever 10 this boascd "Virpiaiouism' let it
o,;C, a. tSolf in some rracticsl and substantial