The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-19

NEw YORK, Aug. 1s.-The New York
World, Democratic, prints the following
interesting economic letter from Col. II.
o. Parsons, OF Virginia, to-day:
10 ne Elttor Of ne World:
In the broader sense the importance
Of protection was taught the people Of
the South by the lesson Of the war Of
secession, and II the economic question
had not been displaced by issues
strictly partisan and affecting home
government and social order, We would
have divided as readily rs the people
Of the North. The weakness Of pas
toral or agricultural people had been
painfully demonstrated, and it was
freely said that Il Calhoun had not
taught free trade before he taught Sc
cession, the result would have been
different. For myself, l believe If the
South had contained four cities such as
Worcester was then, or as Richmond,
Atlanta or Birmingham are to-day, she
would have established the Confeder-
acy.
The lack Of the banking capital that
grows about manufacturing cities and oil
facilities for supplying armies. alone
nude it impossible to maintain the con.
test, and six millions OF people, united
and brave upon interior lines behind
rivers and mountains end defensible
ports, surrendered because men died
from exposure waiting for English tents,
blankets and shoes, and because armies
fell back when English guns and trains
failed to come in time. There is per-
haps no chapter in our history, II II
wore well written, that would be so in
structive as one that might be styled
"The Inventions Of Great Emergency"
and tell the manufacturing activity OF
the South.
During the war period wagon works,
glass works, foundries, machine shops
wooden mills, Ndistilleries, salt works,
tanneries, harness factories, chemical
works spfang from the earth. Although
these temporary structures pass
cd away with the emergency, in the
State Of Virginia more works were es::
tablished, measured by the capacity OF
output, in the years 1868 and 1864 than
in the century preceding, and from some
measure OF success the middle classes
came to hope that We might some time
become manufacturing people, while
they were at the same time learning the
new and terrible maxim OF war, chat
dominion comes to tho hand that
FORCES its own weapons" and by
the bitterest experience OF the century
they were carried far towards the
conclusion that a tariff for pro-
lection and for power is better than
a tariff for revenue only. In the pro
gress OF events our people came to an
other parting OF ways. The conviction
came to large section of the South
that its way to restoration OF power lay
through its mineral development They
again consulted the Democratic oracle
and were again destroyed. Never wore
such blind leaders OF the blind as the
representatives OF the cotton fields and
cattle plains who became again. leaders
OF the whole South. The promised land
was new Pennsylvania. A vast cen
trail commonwealth, which, by the right
OF its undeveloped and Incompatible
wealth should, In the competition Of
the future, win the iron crown and es'
tablish upon enduring foundations q
new dominion to command tribute OF Z
continent and restore the pride and
happiness Of the South.
Tie Protectionists held that our new
enterprises required the fostering care
that las been given to the "infant In
dustrles" OF the North that the dixie
that had saved them from the dwelling
forces of European competition would
serve us we'll; and that it was at least
unsafe to venture upon an experiment
in so vital case.
The Democratic orator asserted that
we had the world Mt disadvantage;
that we held the four essentials, fol
cheap iron production-cheap ore, CHEAP
coal, cheap labor and cheap transporta
ton, aud that reduction of the tariff
would level the smokestacks OF Penn
svlvania, but that every fire there pul
out would be relighted in Virginia, and
the South would find her recovery and
revenge in the ruin OF tho North. The
argument was specious, complimentary
and effective. Although the nation de-
clared for protection, nearly all OF our
mining districts sent representatives
pledged against Protection. Tho cleo
ton Of Harrison was followed by Q
gre ut boom. From the triumph o.
tariff reiormers two years later, dates
unparalleled disaster. Our Democratic
calculators had omitted two essential
items in successful production and
omitted one important fact II
transportation. The items were
skilled workmen and carrying capital.
Tho fact was that all our principal dis
tributing points from Baltimore to Gal.
weston were neareri in cost to Liverpool
than to any OF our furnaces or mills
We have seen two kinds of development
going on side by side, The one we may
call the Pennsylvania system; the other
tho Southern system. The latter has
been largely re.enforced by English cap
it'll. The towns that have been started
and the works that have been planted
by Southern or English capital have
generally failed. In fact, in our STATE
Of Virginia, do not recall q single sue
cess, not large furnace, mill or mint
from Tredegar to Victoria, except The
Old Dominion Nail works, that has moi
gone through bankruptcy or is not to
day in the hands OF receiver; while
our to IN. ventures have brought wide
and irreparable disaster.
On the other hand the vast develop
ment which is not exclusively Pennsyl
vania, but nlne-teenths directed from
Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, which rep
resents plants costing perhaps $4,000,
600, has been almost uniformly success
full. The three great furnaces in my