The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-09-24
A Great Future.


1t was not to be expected Immediately
after the heavy expectation of gold to
Europe from this country, last winter
and spring, that monetary conditions
would soon assume normalrelations The
stubborn fact that we had been depleted |
of $40, 900, 900 to 500, 100000 in gold had
to be faced, and the best made out of it.
That the effect was not more harmful |
than it proved to be was the surprise.
Nor was it to be expected that business
would not in degree, feel the influence
of such a terrible drain. The wonder is
that it has commenced to revive Sc soon,
and that the indications point to an en-
tire speedy recovery. 1t demonstrates
the healty financial condition of the
country and the enormous sources we
emergency. The present tendency to
better times; the assurance given that
confidence is returning, even If slowly,
shows that the basis of the country's
growth and business enterprise is broad,
solid and enduring. While money is
are vast volumes of it appropriated to
moving the crops of the West and South
and when this has fulfilled its mission,
we may expect a more general applIca-
fion of the surplus to general develop
ment and enterprise. The South, and
especially Virginia, is even newer than
the West, SO far as industrial develop
ment is concerned, yet the drift has been
so long Westward, that it is difficult to
turn the tide to our more inviting fields
and more varied opportunities for remu-
nerative investments. While attention
is being called in this direction, it may
be sometime before it can be located
here and that confidence that we all feel
in our future be impaired to others. We
labor under the disadvantage of not
being able to give tangible proof of the
sincerity of our representations as to our
resources by putting our own means in
to projects for their utilization, for the
good and sufficient reason that we have
aot them to put in. Were it SO that the
citizens of Virginia who know our nat
ural wealth, could command the neces-
sary money for it's development, there
would be no appeal to outsiders to come
to our assistance. We would go right
ahead, turning dead wealth into active
values and putting money in our own
purses, instead of appealing to others to
profit by the natural conditions which
exist. Could the capitalists of Wall
street, where surplus means lie idle, and
investors be impressed with the truth Of
what really exists in Virginia and especi-
SLY in this section, and the opportunity
rat is presented of certain and large re-
saeration for every dollar invested, there
would be a stampede this way as impet-
stous and eager as ever followed the trail
IF the miners in the halcyon days of the
tactic slope. We have dead values here
Infinitely more certain, in the returns for
money applied to their development,
than ever attended the gold fields of Cali,
{ .rnia. Properties can be had in Vir
s.i.iia which will return ten-fold the in
Nestment in less than that many years,
and this will be demonstrated by our own
people, but on a less extensive scale than
We should like to see prevail. 1t is be-
coming known, by demonstration, that
Virginia is a great iron field. Develop
nients now going on, prove that the half
has not been told, and while they are re-
s,tricted in their scope because of want
of capital, they are sufficient to prove
the general proposition that no where in
ha Int I,a tod ir,c oh
properties that will assure such returns
as have been and will be realized in the
mineral districts of the State, limited as
the applied agencies for that purpose
are.
1t is difficult to be patient when we
contact of capital. Yet patience has to
be observed, for there is no way to force
capital and enterprise to avail of the ad-
vantages which exist. or to move in the
direction we would have it. 1t will come,
however, after awhile, and when it does
commence to move, it will come with a
show of disappointment, in some sec
tions, because it will have come too late.
Virginia, at any rate, has great fu-
ture before her. She has an empire of
wealth to be developed, and the time is
coming when it will command the essen
tial means to make the developments
Whether sooner or later we will not ven
ture to predict, but it will come. for ma
ture never SO richly endowed territory
that the appliances of art and invention
were not successfully invited to supple
ment the natural gifts, and give the
world the benefit of them