Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-03-07
FRIDAY MORNING. MARCH 7, 1890.

There never has been such perfect rush OF
men with brains and capital seeking invest
ment within the borders of the State as now
Let Staunton come to the front. Let our
people unite in the common cause Tor the
common good, and all will be well with us.
Great strides have been made at other points
not so well located as Staunton, and Staunton
men and money have helped, in very large
measure, to carry on the work. Let us turn
our attention to home enterprises, home INDUS
tries and home developments Fr-
gtnian:
We wish to second this appeal Of our
contemporary, and while doing so, few
words of comment on the past may not be
useless in correcting our errors. 1t is I'M
deniable that the capital, the enterprise,
and the live men of our city have in great
measure ignored, and persistently ignored
it's advantages and gone off to aid enter
prises which, however good in themselves,
could not possibly be more directly, more
speedily and more permanently proltaoie
than building up our own town. When
we consider Stanton s railroad facilities
stretching out to every quarter of the Union,
its facilities for churches, schools, and com
Portable living, we can only explain the
phenomena on the theory that the great
wave of activity now sweeping over this
section had not then struck our city-a
theory sustained by the homely adage that
Jack never feels so like stirring as When he
sees Jill up and about.
There are two modes of enterprise now
open to our people for home Improvement
and home development, and in which capt
tai may be profitably invested. One is to
enlarge the capital of the two factories,
furniture and shoe, that are now operating
here We are aware that in these times
of land speculation this proposition will be
voted slow and tame, but it is neverthe
1,ss true that if Staunton is to grow anC
iii i've she must have workshops and more
workingmen. In addition to this there
should be more factories started. This we
know will be regarded rs rather dull
advice to give to a man who has 800 t(
invest and wants it to become 5000 in a few
weeks. But property owner here will
find that with an increase of the manufac-
lures of our city his property will have
increased in value, in case Of renting Oh
selling it, quite in proportion to the won
derful increase in value of some Of The
town lots they hear of. That is the way tt
make city grow.
A growing city wants homes for its peo-
pie and these cannot be provided too early.
The suburban property around Staunton
affords admirable sites for building, and this
building can easily be managed by stock
company. But by stock company we do no!
mean simply a toWn-lOt company which
merely puts lots on the market. For that
matter they are on the market already
When a company buys piece Of property
for say S25, 1000, stocks it at 800, 900, and
sells lots off of it to that amount, it has
done this for a town and nothing more
it has made $4,000 for the specu
lators. But a better way for the perma
nent improvement of q city is the plan
which has been SO successfully adopted
around Richmond, which may be illustrated
this way: A piece of land adjoining the
ci y is bought for $25,0G0 and stocked al
100000 The stock is sold and there re
mains to the company $4,000. The com
pany then advertises that the lots are fol
sale and that any man can buy one who vii
bind himself to put on it within year 6
house worth 81 800, and the company viii
lend him the money to build the house and
take mortgage Oh it for security. This
plan improves the city by handsome and
valuable houses and furnishes homes
and gives employment to builders. The
simple fact OF buying up property by the
acre and selling it by the front foot and
then dropping it right there, gives profit to
the spectators who bought it, but neither
improves the city nor helps the people OF it,
for the lot-holders who buy have not, as a
general rule, the means to erect buildings
The result is that what was stubble field,
is a stubble field still, with every man trying
t. unload his lots on some one else at a
profit, and not sound of the trowel OF
hammer OF saw heard Oh the new SITE
We believe that if our people will pursue
this plan of furnishing work for the work
men and homes Tor them, too, they will have
pursued the best route to building up
Staunton, and they will be On the safe side
if a reaction comes.
Our city, with a payroll on Saturday
nights that would be largely spent at our
stores, and with comfortable dwellings for
her population, will have little to fear when
the wind sets the other way.