Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-02-21
FRIDAY MORNING. FEB. q, 1890
A GOOD WORK FOR THE STATE.

II
The official letter of Col. Thos. White
head, Commissioner Of Agriculture, in the
Richmond Dispatch Of Saturday, states
these two conditions:
The office of Commissioner OF Agrlcul-
ture under Col. Randolph Harrison for the
two years of 1886 and 1887 expended
S13, SOL .92, with mot one dollar returned to
the treasury and without cost for inamigra-
ton, labor statistics and inspection of fer
tHazer factories. -
The Office Of Commissioner of Agricul-
ture under the State Board of Agriculture
with Col. Thos. Whitehead as Commits
sioner. for the years 1888 and 1889, includ-
ing the salary and expenses of the Commits
sioner OF immigration ISL ,532), expended
ST., S72 IS and paid into the State Treasury
S12,3SO.OO.
These figures Col. Whitehead says are
taken from the Auditors book. They are
certainly gratifying to the taxpayers Of
the State, and very complimentary to the
management Of the practical farmers who
compose the State Board of Agriculture
and of Col. W. who, as Commissioner, is
their agent.
All this scuffle over the Commissioner S
office has been a very curious one to those
who are not on the inside of tiff there is
any inside to it. From the outside it looks
like simply an effort to get out really able
and profitable servant Of the State and put
somebody in his place.
In the personal scramble we feel little
concern-we presume the competent officer
will be retained without much trouble.
But we fear that one result of the scramble
may be some chipping and cutting OF the
enterprise shown by the State in trying to
attract immigration to her soil. 1t is the
first time Virginia has spoken out to the
world by her own pen and messenger. Viz
ginia as it is, by Col. Whitehead, is the
most valuable work about Virginia ever
printed, if you come down to hepure dollars
and-cents value of attracting people to the
State. The Commissioner of immigration
the messenger of the State-has sowed
good seed in every quarter Of the Union,
which will bring forth a hundred fold. We
should hate to see Virginia haul down her
flag now and say to the world 1--WE are out
of the race, go somewhere else if you like. y
The expense is absolutely nothing, compar-
ed with what will be reaped from it. And
that benefit must come to the landholders.
The farmer Of this State must have some
consideration shown him Oh he will demand
to know the reason why. Here he sees men
in the legislature voting appropriations for
monuments; $50, 900 year to galvanize a
skeleton collegiate tradition, an academic
ghost; voting comfortable little fortunes to
codify the laws; spending good-sized salary
on printing the charters of corporations-all
without a murmur. But when the eXpen-
diture list of a bureau under the control Of
practical farmers and for the benefit of far
mers and land owners comes up it it's hailed
with shrieks for economy and groans over
extravaganza If the farmers have no claim
on the State expenditures, who has
We trust that the farmer element in the
General Assembly will take this matter in
hand and prevent any lowering Of the State
flag On the subject of immigration. Vir-
ginia S efforts in that direction, meagre as
has been the amount spent On them so far,
will bear fruit. This enterprise does not
show it's results in day, nor is it work
accomplished in brief season. Some of
the Northwestern States keep immigration
agents in Europe all the gear round, with
large salaries, and the amount they spend
for immigration in year exceeds by ten
times what their Governors are paid. Vir-
but she is on the right track and we trust
the farmer element in the legislature will
keep her there.