Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-12-29
WHAT WE NEED
A TARIFF TO BE EQUITABLE
SHOULD BE GENERAL,
IUlY OF OUR REPR -O5ATA7I YES.
How tho South Has Neglected Her
Opportunities A General aud
Proper Revision of the Tariff
Would Benefit All.

flowed from the South to the North,
and in return we received nearly every
manufactured article that ministered
either to the necessities, comforts OF
luxuries of life. Agriculture and pol
titles were the staple industries of this
section. The lowlands poured forth
their plenty, but the hills and noun
tains merely numbered the earth, only
in the glory Of the golden autumn,
giving to dull eyes some premonition
of the riches that lay hidden within
The North explored and brought to
light its underground wealth, built
manufactures, and with the aid Of a
high protective tariff, grew wealthy
and powerful. But at last change
mas come about and we have come to
realize that instead of being incum-
ORANGES, our mountains held within
them great storehouses OF wealth,
and which are to furnish our future
power and greatness. Ores OF all
kinds, coal, timber and stone lie close
together with streams that would
furnish the motive power for the ma
chinery OF u continent. and Il climate
that makes existence itself a luxury
With the extremes Of temperature
unknown: neither the summers heat
or the winters cold, retard the hand
Of labor, while the soil furnishes with
lavish profusion every product that
the taste of man can desire. No
wonder, then, that the North, which
at first ridiculed, has at last come
to look upon this as rival.
The cotton spinners OF Massachu-
sets and Connecticut have been made
70 realize that the monopoly which
chry heretofore had is passing away,
and that hereafter the largest profits
in their business will be made in Il
section which, Il Very few years ago,
they as little dreamed OF antagonizing
them as Of central Africa doing 30.
What has been done in cotton will be
done in metal, in wood, in stone and
in coal There the mauufactOry 10 far
from the raw material and the fuel,
with an unproductive soil and harsh
climate which Tetards and makes
more expensive work during nun
Der of months of each year, while
marble, almost crowded in the same
hill, shaded by a virgin forest, and
wa,ered ever By flowing streams.
Therefore, New England is clamoring
before the doors OF congress for free
wool, free lumber and free coal,
while east Pennsylvania asks for free
iron ore. In the wisdom of these latter
days the old theory of protection has
been found wrong in one respect
raw material should come in free.
This is the star that has risen to guide
these wise men of the North out OF
the slough of despond to the birth
place of new era of prosperity, and
as very potent means OF doing away
with what is called the New South.
1t will never do, according TO these
new evangelists, to compel the New
England manufacturer TO come way
down to Virginia to get the coal to
run his engines, when he could get 1t
much cheaper from Nova Scotia or
some other English colony, if the
duty was removed. Besides, some
reckless fellow, regardless of life
and all the proprieties, might start a
manufactory in Virginia and under
sell him. Nor does the fact that iron
can be made at several dollars less
Der ton in Virginia than in Penn
tylvania, strike the Pennsylvania as
a blessing altogether without alloy,
and he believes it would be much
more in accord with the eternal
fitness of things if he could
import cheap foreign ores free OF
duty, and be thus better able to com
pete. From our standpoint the pres
emit and rapidly approaching condi-
ton of things appears somewhat more
serene and lovely. and if we show sure
that congress would let well enough
alone, our cup Of happiness would be
full. We are inclined to think, if We
are to have say in the matter, that
we have been playing COW long
enough and ought to do some of the
milking. Being of naturally light
and sangnine temperament, the Vlr
gilman does not lie wake at night or
account OF the misery he feels because
nearly all the RAILROADS and factories o.
New England are run by Southern
coal, or because we can sell pig-iror
cheaper than the Pennsylvania ii
his own markets-both of which We
believe to he facts, nor do we exactly
agree to this addendum to the systeu
of political economy prevailing II
these United States. What is raw
material? They cay raw ores and coal
because New England and Pennsyl-
vania want ores and coal. Next it will
be pig-iron; for in few years we vii
have enough furnaces to make that
question with them, and so on ad in
tinituJp. The whole theory OF protec
ton is based upon the assumption thai
it helps the laboring man and en-
riches the country II this is true
WHY should coal and iron ore be made
free. that the miners of Nova SEQ
TIA and other foreign countries
get what is now paid to our citizens
Is it better to destroy Pocahontas
Bramwell and all the other Goa
towns on the Baltimore and ONO
Norfolk and Western and chesapeake
and Ohio railroads and sap the lie
out of Roanoke, Norfolk and the
growing towns on all the mountain
railroads, to benefit our Northern
brothers who have had their turn and
have been growing rich out OF the
tariff from a time whereof the mem
DRY of man runneth not to the con
traryg Or have our sympathies been
go awakened for the ''pauper4 labor
Of Europe that We feel constrained &c
aid them at the expense of the whole
South. We for our part do not want
to see the millions that are being
poured into Virginia on acco unit Of
coal and iron ore stopped too sudden
Iy, we think, in fact, the old state
should be allowed to taper OF gradu-
fen 'sS lSdi brethren had better
show their philanthropy by employ
ing the negroes at home to mine ores
and let those in Africa alone fol
a while, and if they do not make
quite as much money they will have
tho satisfaction of knowing that they