Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-03-27
SEEKING TO ST'OP THE TIDE 70
VIRGINIA.

SEEK NtT ~ OIOE IHE TIDE ~
T'IRGINIA.
The marvellous SUCCESS of the development
OF the magnificent resources of Virginia is
making some of our sleepy neighbors sore.
In Pennsylvania the towns that feel the
competition in iron have called on the rail
roads to discriminate in their tariff, so as
to give Pennsylvania iron All advantage
over that from Virginia. In the State of
practical but much easier mode of compe
MISREPRESENTATION and abuse. The
citizens of the thriving town of Ironton,
Ohio, many of whom have been attracted
to the Virginia Ell Dorado, are being re-
called by their local paper with strong dish
of both. The Daily Irontomiam of March
Dist, of which we have received II copy, is
a regular campaign issue against Virginia
attractions and its editorial column bristles
with such paragraphs as this
1--WE have no less than divine authority for
the statement that mo man can serve two
masters" incidentally then we may enquire
whether members of the Board of Trade
the claims OF Ironton or those of the mush-
room towns of Virginia? No man is fit to be
member,Snuch less an officer, of the Board
of Trade, who cannot give whole-sou led and
complete support to his own CITY, For proof
of this, read the record of the Ironton Board
of Trade
In it's local columns the campaign is
equally vigorous. Its reporter interviews
it's postmaster, S. d. Steece, who tells him,
of the Virginia developing region, that 81
just went up through that region for curl
osity and got enough of it, He says he is
mot only surprised but Disputed that
men should think of investing money
there" and that sit is not mineral or a
timber country, and as for it's agricultural
resources the soil is worn out years ago,
nothing but bleak, barren hills Postmas
tel Steece who is decribed by the Irontom
ian as a ''clear, cOOl-headed business man, -
winds up his interview with that ancient
and worn-out chestnut Of the Office holder
the ''rebel' business. He says:
Another feature of that country is the
common class Of people still cherish the lost
cause and speak of the policy of the sur
render was standing on corner at Staun-
ton yesterday, when half tipsy indivual
noticed my blue clothes and said, Say, what
battalion did you belong to-? Not any, |
wasn't in the war, l was too young Yer
lyn' to me, stranger. yer gray hair shows diff
erent Well, whether yer was er not, l was,
and 1 was in Stonewall's brigade, and Jim
Smith over thar kin tell yer that fit hard to
lick the - Yankees too, and he staggered
off, evidently feeling that he had fired prop
er salute at the blue clothing. That is the
prevailing sentiment down there, and / sup
pose its natural. But at any rate no Virginia
towns for me as long as Ironton has as
many points of superiority as she now pos
sesseS."
The IrontOnian adds it's climax bv let
ting the cat of the interview out of the bag
| by remarking that Manufacturers and
| business men will do we'll to consider care
fully before changing their location
If this street incident of the disguised
postmaster isn't fake manufac-
tured for campaign purposes, then he
has had All experience which nobody else
has had here for twenty years, and yet a
good percentage of the Staunton men wear
''blue clothing" If it Was an actual oc-
currence, then it is about as reasonable to
judge the people here by it, as it would be tc
judge the people of Ironton 10y some Wills
key-filled Grand Army man who makes
himself offensive to civil stranger from
Virginia. But it. the postmaster managed t(
go through the country in this section an(
discover that there is 10 iron, TO timber
and no rich lands, he must have been in Il
worse plight than his friend Of the
Stonewall Brigade. However it is a waste
of space to seriously notice such manufac
tured Stuff as this interview and we infer
that the business men of Ironton take it fol-
what its plain animus shows 1t is worth
What we really want to do is to endorse
the newspaper S advice to it's manufacturers
and business men to carefully consider
before changing their location Don't
take the statements, real OF fictitious, OF
anybody about the development activity i'll
this part of Virginia. Come dowst here
for yourselves and see 1T. IT you have q
manufacturing plant and want TO move it
to locality nearer the raw material and
teeming with enterprise, come here aId
look over the field. If you have an indus
Try worth anything to the place it comes tc
you can get reasonable financial help to
bring it to Virginia. There is plenty OF
money among the town development enter.
prises IN this section, and they are pretty
liberal with it. If you have capital to in
vest i'll development enterprises, you Cal
come here and make money on it as every
body else has done here for the past two
yeaIs-it is no fleeting boom of last week /
growth. In any event come and see fol
yourself as a business man should in every
thing. The streets of Stanton are walked
daily by men from Ohio, Indiana, Iowa
Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan-fl
most every Eastern and Western State il
the Union, and they receive just the SAM
!, courteous treatment they would get il
IrontOn. Don't he turned away from a hi,
slice of prosperity by ghost stories told b.
returned poStmasters.
There seems to he considerable streal
sc sf.l,4 f1 Of