Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-04-23
THE TRUE GOLD MINES or MONT
GONERY TOTyNYrY

GOMERl COUNTY.
We took occasion in our issue of last
week to express in brief way our views as
to the expediency and practicability of util.
izlng the water power at the Great Falls
We consider this question of vast interest
affecting directly or indirectly the pros
perity of our entire people. This enterprise
once started would soon be considered the
permanent gold mines Of the county Scat
tering wealth, imparting vigor to all the in
dustries and stimulating our people to re-
newed and more productive energy.
Impressed with the importance as well as
the magnitude of the views we have set
forth, it will be our duty as a public jour
nalist, as it will be our pleasure, to advocate
an enterprise freighted with such untold
stores of wealth. Furnishing as it would
labor for the idle stream of humanity, call
ing into requisition modern ingenuity and
giving additional impetus to the great current
of remunerative progress.
AS early as 1884, nearly one hundred years
ago, Gen. Washington addressed long and
interesting letter to the Governor of Vir-
ginia, in which he detailed the great advan-
tages which the Potomac offered. The as
sent and cooperation of Maryland being
Indispensable to the improvement of the
Potomac, he was equally earnest in his en-
deavors to impress conviction of its supe-
rior advantages on influential individuals in
this State.
Gen. Washington not only entertained
but strongly advocated the feasibility of
locking and daming the Potomac as far as
practicable, as has been done. with the Sus-
quehana and Monongahela rivers In this
case large fiat bottomed boats would be able
to ply with greater facility and transport
much larger cargoes. Had this plan have
been carried out it would have obviated the
necessity of building the canal, have saved
an expense of millions of dollars, insured a
much speedier and more uninterrupted trans
portatlon.
We are glad to see that our former article
upon this question attracted the attention of
Baltimore Gazette; we only regret, that pro-
gressive in spirit and deeply interested
in all which affects the prosperity of the
State as the Gazdtte has shown itself, that it
did not call the attention of their capitalists
to the advantages we had named 1t may
have awaxed a spirit of inquiry and finally
resulted in the employment of idle capital.
The Gazette attributes the neglect to foster
such enterprises on the part of our people
to the fact that the productions of our soil
have induced their attention almost exclu-
sively to agriculture. We appreciate the
truth and force of this remark. Agricul-
ture is great auxiliary and incentive to
manufactures. Capital is nothing but the
result of pre-exerted labor. And now
that Maryland has grown to be one of the
leading agricultural States, whem almost
every acre of arabic land is teemng with
rich products, the dividend arising from the
same will inevitably seek safe and profitable
investment. If invested in enterprises like
we have named it will not only create
market at home, but as we have said, offer
greater inducement to our agricultural popu-
lation. Hence the Gazette is led TO say that
the indications arc not wanting Of gen
eral awakening on the part of the people to
the profits to be derived from manufactures.
We hope attention will be directed TO the
point which we have named 1t can but be
productive of the result which we have pre-
dcted. We have not hesitated 10 style this
enterprise the True Gold Mines of Mont
gomery. Gold mines, in their literal sense,
are confined to narrow base of operations
and are generally speculative corporations,
but in the sense which we have used the
term all classes feel its effects and reap its
advantages.