Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-12-29

her mines. We have not reached a
point where we con compete with the
North in manufactures, and have to
depend at present upon the sale OF
our raw material for wealth, and the
North OF necessity is our market. The
passage OF this bill would destroy the
market for our two principle sources
OF wealth, ana we think in all fairness
and business that if their finished
product is to be protected by an al
most prohibitive duty, our unfinished
products ought to be allowed the very
small protection it now gives them.
What the mining of coal and iron
have done for this state, the thou
sands OF men that have been given
employment, the millions Of dollars
that have here been spent, the new
cities and towns, the new railroads
and their enormous increase in traffic
show. And how doesit effect labor?
60 to furnace and see how few are
engaged in manufacturing pigiron,
and to the mines Of coal and lime
stone and iron ore and see the hun
dreds engaged in getting it out.
Those questions will have to be ans
wered. The hnndreds-we might say
thousands-engaged in mining arc to
be discharged, and the few will be
retained to run the furnace with for
eign ore, while the Virginia owner of
the mining lands is to be told that his
coal and iron and limestone is worth
nothing. because ore can be bought
cheaper across the seas. and the Virgini
farmer, who has found home market
for his products, is to be told that his
market is to be taken away because q
beneficent government has concluded
that it is unnecessary to protect raw
materials which are produced at home
while everything that is brought from
elsewhere is taxed with a duty. He
will very likely wonder why the
machine don't work both ways.
This great industrial awakening
has produced another result of equal
Importance with the precuniary ben
eft. 1t has enabled the young men
of Virginia to earn an honest living,
with opportunities to secure wealth
and honor without leaving the old
state to do 80. Scattered all over this
broad country are young Virginians
full Of energy, talen. and manhood,
driven from their native state because
they could find nothing to do. The
mountains Of Virginia are now filled
with these men and boys-Roanoke is
made up of them, and everywhere
they are doing well. The Norfolk and
Western railroad employs about two
hundred and fifty in civil engineering
alone. That it Is possible FOR these
young men and boys to support them
selves without expatriating them
selves, is due to the mining industries
Of this section, and il there were no
other reasons tor allowing the tariff to
remain as it is this should be enough.
II the system OF protection is to pre-
vail or not must be determined by the
people of all these United States. But
let it be one or the other, and not a
half and half unjust and inequitable
system for the benefit of one section
and injury OF another. A system
which will make states already rich
richer, and states poor poorer. A tar
iff is in the end but sacrifice, and it
should be general, as also should the
benefits be. A general and proper
revision OF the tariff would be Of ben
eft to all, but a partial revision would
be sure to benefit some and injure
others; in this case we would be the
sufferers. While we were theorizing
before the war the North was making
all it could; while we were shouting
state rights the North was asking and
obtaining Federal aid. and perhaps
history will again repeat itself. We
will become so enthusiastic over tariff
reform that we may reform ourselves
into the poor house. 1t is to be hoped
that the Virginia representatives in
congress will do all they can to defeat
this most insidious assault upon the
growth, wealth and welfare OF our
state. VIRGINIA DEMOCRAT.