The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-08-16
The indicators Troubles.

Our neighbor in three weeks has reached
he third stage. In so short time II has
persuaded itself that there is neither iron
ore, coal, limestone nor labor in Virginia,
Or for that matter in the United States.
and it demands that the product OF these
shall be let in free.
That we may do it no injustice we quote
its own words:
The actual fact is that there never was sheet
of american tin made. We have seen what
was called by that name, and IL is no more like
lin than mule is like horse, and it could not
be sold as tin plate in any country under the
sun 1t was never competitor OF lmpoI TED TIN
and just struggled along and died out gust
cant be made in this country and that is the end OF
it; aoe haren got the material to make 1t.
That is the regulation Cry of the free
trader, 1--WE can't make it," Why can't
we? From 95 to 81 per cent. OF Tin plate
is nothing but iron ore. coal, limestone and
labor. Nobody but the blindest free trader
will contend that we have not these ma
terials in abundance. With one exception
they are as cheap here as they are in
England. In everything but labor we
could compete and give odds, hut the fact
that so per cent. of the cost OF the product /
of labor completely shuts us out. The
only "material' we haven't got is the
Cheap labor, and that is what we don't
want and are try ing to prevent.
Whilst the true friends of Virginia and
Virginla's people are striving to attract
the attention of enterprise and capital to
the vast and varied resources which our
State possesses, are proclaiming her
natural riches, and asking that she be
given chance in the industrial race; are
seeking to have her claims recognized and
her people placed in the enjoyment OF
ntture's rich endowment; whilst these
efforts are being made on the one hand,
the free traders are doing all in their
power to turn the tide of prosperity away
from our very borders: to keep us in a
condition of poverty: to let the minerals
re main uu;oucn, d III our mountains and
to uerpetuate our industrial dependence.
And for What? For politica, fleet. They
are willing that we should remain poor, ii
we will unIv vote the Democrat c ticket.
Tn deny that there is anything i'll the
so tbi WORTH COHttnulils loi FARVPo oiiO
Ices They fear the invasion "f enter
prise and capital. because the dew i"pment
tn 1t would follow. would i'll IFS turn be
followed by Independence in thought and
action. by edncal ion, by the assertion of
individual manhood. and conseq lent death
to the Democratic party.
A case in point will serve as all illustra-
ton: Whilst the Pindicdtor and its friends
are DENYING the existence uf tin in this
country. are STRIVING to s.ile any effort to
probe into the very bowels OF the earth
and Law bare the stores of wealth that have
slumhered there for centuries; whist ID
the face of the opinions of scientists and
practical men, they are seeking to prevent
any attempt at development in Virginia,
company has been organized in Phila-
d-lphia with cash capital of 81 ,o0n, 900 to
develop the tin deposits of the Black
H Ills of Dakota. These deposits were dis
covered long after those of our own state.
In the beginning the Indications were far
less favorable, but the people of that Sec
ton went to work wi will and enthnsl-
asm to see what was there. They accepted
the opinion Of those who ought to know;
they followed up their faith 10y their works
and sent The croakers and gtumblrrS to
the rear What Was the resulIg Capital
became interested: investiga' ions were
prosecuted and rich and valuable mine
| of tin was disclosed Following this, COM
p,uies with ample cash to back them were
organized and within less than a year
thousands of men will be employed to de-
! veop that which our neighbor contends
d ,es not exist in this country. If the
same enterprise bad hfen shown by Vir-
ginians as was shown by the people OF the
Black Hills country. our honest belief is
t1at Virginia and not Dakota would have
zen the first beneficiary of this immigla-
ton of capital.
Again: within the past two months over
t lree million dollars have been subscribed
some of il Virginia capital. too, for invest
m mt in iron and coal properties in Ala.
bama. Much of this money is to be put
into plants f. r the manufacture of basic
s eel. out of which all the tin plate is
made. Here III Virginia are vast noun
tai IS of phosphoric ore, facing mountains
of coal. and separated only by limestone.
No section of the globe offers grander
| facilities for the manufacture of iron and
steel. and yet we are to be ignored and the
money of our own people is sent to another
section. Why? Because Alabama people
how tad hA IL nf
development, are putting forth their every
effort to INDUCE the investment of capital,
| whilst our people, with the Flndicut0r and
its symrathIz-Ie in the lead. are crying
out that we hiye 10 raw materials, and
even if we have, it is cheaper to buy from
Alabama, from England, from anywhere
on the face of the earth, rather than util-
iZe the gracious gifts with which PrOvi-
dence has so bountifully supplied us. The
curse Of Virginia from the old days of
slavery to the present has been the very
| spirit WHICH the Vnadicdtor has recently
so persistently displayed. 1t has been the
most active and formidable enemy the
| State has had. 1t has neutraliZed the
efforts of those who have honestly striven
| to acquaint the world with our natural
advantages; it has been eagerly SEIZED
upon and used by those who represented
| C 1mpeting sections. and who gladly availed
of any and every means to deprrciaie
claims superior to their own. 1t is against
t lis spirit that the people of Virginia
must protest if they would advance one
inch along the highway of progress, and if
we mistake not that protest will he given
with ringing. emphasis in November nextg
This cry of 1--WE can't" has been per
sistently employed whenever we under
took to take a step forward. When the
proposition was made to place duty of
$23 on steel rails. the "can't' howl was
raised. 1t was claimed that we could not
produce steel rails in this country, and
that duty of 1913 would mean that much
addi ional to the then cost of the rails,
$166 per ton. But in spite of this howl
the tariff ''iax" was laid. What was the
result? Instead of the price being in