The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-09-26
,,1lE Etnh IsS UE>.
r.u,m Pntteson Discusses Recent I""o'
HAS in The lnnss'

100 itI Inc nrrsent ween IN tie kic"moEd
I1mps relative TO TINS SUBJECT or So
only exceedingly able ana tlIhelJ, % -
are lKc.y 10 10 u great amount "a -
mo arguments maze IN these ed!tVi'@'
can never be answered, and lheE litSS4C
most important and salient idc'S III So
clear and straiSnlfOrward manner 'no'
the conclusion reached ~ absolutely II
r,ststthIe pr6posc. In my feeble man
uer. to Supplement them BY - ie" SuS'
gcsttOuS
For fully fifteen years Virginia has
been retrOgradng in the progress Oh nc
PessimistIc and melancholy as TINS may
appear, it Is nevertheless true. AccvId-
Ing to the tHILed states census or Is'V,
which / have before me, the iDi1O"lh
counties had III 1880 a smaller population
than they had In 1881, ten years Prev Us
AlbemdrIc, Amelia, Amherst, AppJuat-
tOX, buckingham, Caroline, charles tlty,
Charlotte, tWpepeT, Cumberland, blhMld-
die. Elizabeth cry. Essex, rauqIler, Flu-
wanna, Franklin. Gloucester, GOUchldhd,
Greene. Grcenesyile. Hanover, KING and
queen, Loadoun, Louisa, LuHcnburg, Mad!-
sou, nelson, New hent, Northumberland.
Nottoway Orange, IoWhatan, Prince
George, Kdppdhdun0ck, EIchmond, spout
sylydula, " estmOreland
FOT thirty seven counties IN Virginia
the census tells this piBdble tale. Ten
years l. long peIlol IN the history OF
state, ana proves that poverty has
caused al iuinrhsc emigration from over
Virginia The entire state Of Nlrt!nld
from 1897 10 1880 Increased in population
only nine and forty eight huhdFtdtha
of | per cent while during the period
from 1870 TO IsNy the increase was - -. 100
per cent. or more thdH double the last
ratio. our Capital CITY Richmond,
which did better thdu any other, except
Roanoke and Norfolk, only increased from
| g. 500 10 Sl$SN. LynChbIIB barely held Its
| natural increase 1t having had i5.'oJ IN
| lSsV, and only 1899 ia 1870, petersburg
was still worse having had 2l.tb III tSV,
and only ESQ in 1880. Alexandria pre-
! sents a still more pitiable spectacle. hay
| INK had 1853 in 1850 aid only 1889 In
| 1890 Norfolk forms pleasant contrast,
! increasing as il did from I,%G 10 54Hd.
The whole picture IS calculated 10 e,c1tc
| unless In some manner great change
| is made When ii is borne in mind that
| this census was actually made over I'VE
! years ago. and that the same causes OF
| decline have been In vigorous a. uou dur
| iug that time. the problem IS made "I
| tha more serious.
Within a little over twelve months We
| have al seen the great CITY OF lirhmpud'
| the pride Of the state, forced 10 issue
! it's bona fide fye-dcllar bonds 10 pay It's
daily current expenses ana every bank
/ OF any importance IN the city unable
| TO cash hunGIed-dolar check. except
! through the medium OF clearing mouse
| certificates. which were nothing on edrth
| bat 81 forced and illegal addition 70 the
currency made necessary by the strin-
| sency OF the situation During the time
OF the State banks no such condition
| ever existed - Virginia. il IS nor pleasant
! 10 write these facts bat II Is necessary,
| because they convey "a meaning and a
! lesson which Is Of The utmost import
! aree. And yet the cities are In far
! better condition than lie country, at ~"
! least seTeuty-fiy" per t"u:. better me
| average price Of and in SoHihs'"e Nir-
! giuia at forced cash sd.c-. am c0nhdeht
~ TI q
| challenge the successful COufTddi .t!on OF
! this statement. ] have recently known a
| nrst-Gatc tract Of land, containing oy
| acres. httlc over Out-ua4I cleared, ana
! The rest under Il tOlcTab.r fence. OF good
! fertility. SO ieyed that a mower or reaper
| could he run over every acre of H. and not
single gully on it, within liye miles OF a
| railroad depot. iu an excellent neigh
S2335, only SO cash having been paid.
! the remainder Of the purchase money
| coming due on long time. rms was very
! little over fifty cents IN acre. Ihis sale
| was 50 little exceptional that !. excited
| no comment. Immense areas Of land ar"
! for sale in SoutAs!dc Virginia at nom
| mai price. and st Is 40; only GOOD Land,
| but 1t is exceptionally fertile.
Thousands upon thousands or acres OF
! elegant land are not cultivated, ana IN
! many places game has SO iHtitdStd thdt
| deer are almost as numerous as hosS' ana
| IN numerous places almost Sn"i l9hIdH ,
| Increase Of game is the only '"iHpcH~a-
ton We have. Now al! this Is not q hG-
| uent of the imagination, but Is a Sidlr
| mcnt Of cold and naked facts. Ana yell
| This Is the nineteenth century. and etec-
| lllc cars are running on Tie streets OF
| Richmond. conversation is hedfd ~ E!,!t
| distances by telephones Inc Aua''lC
| ocean il crossed IN less TEAM SIX DAYS
| time hv steam. freight IS carried, pro-
| Nidcd II is through freight, ~ less thdh
cent per ton mile, seventy miles an
hour is not an unusual speed Tor FalI-
| road messenger trains. the photograph -
| yornrjinp the history of the times. the
| fat of meats has actually been maze hN
! chemical process dtf'cHtHid! machinery
| has So improved that immense areas ol
| grain can bt harvested IN rev hours bE
! machinery. and traction engines now 20
| from house to house on common country
| reads portion ot the planet Mars are
| plainly visible through the medium OF
| the new and improved telescopes, ana
| weii-forn1ulated theories are being made
| of the nature and character OF the an
| Ealitants who probably dwell there, tH'
| Koch baCilli theory In medicine l. q
| tremendous success, SKIN grating NhI
| bone grating have become common, ana
! II il boldly predicted. and Will apparent
| truth, mat within nyr hundred years OF
| perhaps, less time, diseases VIII tt swept
| off the face OF tue earth, ana all people
| viii live the fun period OF their ndtuId.
! lives and the longevity Of clNlllzCd man
! kind Is already SfedtS Oh me increase
| ana llSl, bul UOl Itd0Ns fl'' II iN4hNf ny
| means of the telegraph, affords us al
| most instantaneous communication WIN
the mos; important points OF the entlr,
| world. Aud yet though these lIemcii-
dous advances In chemical and mtcndnl-
cal science have added SO much To N,
! aneioratiOn Of the condition Of mankind
and to the sum of human happiness, tAr'
nave not checked the great decrease in
| the prosperity of Virginia in The Last II
teen years which / have mentioned.
| They have been used by the pluto
| cratic class for their Scpdrat" am III
dividual benefit. and 20 the detrlmeni o.
| the common people. through the Wc@iut
OF the national banking system. No syS
TEN OF banking ever invented WAS more
cruel to the plain farmer. The mechanic
and above al. the owner or ltBd Under
| that system no national bank can I"n'
| one cent on a deed of trust on good red
| estate without iOrirt!ne its charter. Tn
Is an edIct more mercilcss and unre,eut
| ing than any ever issued by Omar O
SwOop Il places the landowners unde
the tender mercles of the brokers. IA,
usurers and the mddlemen. who, Whci
a landowner gets IN debt, use the dIgu
ment OF the highwaymdn, stand .u,
deliver and they generally enforce tha
demand and accomplish their puEr1sc.
1t is said that there is plenty 0, money
in the banks, and that IL true: bIt hoV
| question. HE labor hoe opus est
1t cannot be borrowed on land or horse.
or cattle or crops or timber, ami these
constitute about all that the farmer
have 1t can be borrowed only upon rail
| road bonds, Government bonds, Stat,
bonds, stocks OF mercantile goods. auJ
things Of like description. none of whici
the farmers have. From the very nature
of their charters national banks draw
| money from the country and pile il uf
| and congest it in the cities. | have nj
earthly desire either for their abolition
or the change OF their charters. Tn.
| country is large enough and stronl
! enough 10 maintain both state bari
/ and a national bank system. The aboIi
ton OF the 10 per cent. tax on State banl