Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-03-19


The March meeting Of the Woodlawn
Farmers Club was held at Walnut Hill
on the 9th inst, President Harrison in
the chair. The minutes of the January
meeting were read and approved, no
meeting having been held in February
owing to the snow blockade. Z. f.
Mason on behalf of the committee ap-
pointed to consider and report upon
DR.. Paul Wenzel's address, before the
immigration convention at Richmond,
read the following paper:
Mr.. President, in preparing paper
on the subject assigned to US we find
ourselves confronted with conditions
which resolve themselves into stubborn
facs. After the lapse Of over two hun
dred and fifty years, taking the state
ment Of an Ex-Governor of Virginia, O
large portion Of this State is in as prim-
tive condition as when John Smith
sailed up its rivers. And why? Prof.
Shaler in his history of Kentucky says;
In Virginia the colonists were princi-
pallv from the country districts of
England; their absorbing passion was
for the possession of land, for the occu-
pations and diversions of rural life.
Neither the laws Of the State nor the
risks of danger from the savages could
deter them from scattering in search of
large landed possessions. The intro
duction OF negroes in 1920 gave them a
cheaper and more tractable set OF la
borers than the peasants of the country
they had emigrated from. The posses
sion Of this class of laborers as proper
ty made them feel as if they were lorGs
of the heritage, with desires TO initiate
the nobility of the old world. The ef-
feet of this system led them to form
caste distinctions as fixed and inexor-
able as that of the Brahmin; there vas
an impossible gulf between them and
those who had TO live by the sweat OF
the brow; labor was looked upon as
degrading But time has her revenges.
The Incidence acquired by their habits
led them to neglect their affairs so that
many of their baropial estates long be-
fore the war were heavily mortgage d
or abandoned, and, as ex-Gov. Kemper
again says the pursuit of political alb
stractions had left Virgins behind in
the sisterhood Of States where she had
once reigned supreme. And SO we
have her past and present condition.
Now what shall be the future of this
old matron. Her more vigorous and
energetic sons are leaving her borders,
refusing to be chained to this body OF
death. Henry Ward Beecher truly
saws when nations young men be-
come conservative, that nation or Deo-
ple's death knell is rung. TIE eifete
political parasites left are crying for
help lest they sink into oblivion and
are begging that bureaus Of i'm
migration and other offices be
created that they may have q
soft place on which to repose:
Mr.. Blair, in the August number OF
the Southern Planter, 1894, says we
have been seeking immigration for
thirty years, and we are still seeking
with as blind and bland faith as when
we began, and proceeds to show why
Immigration will disappoint, giving his
views Of the social, religious aud polit-
ical condition of this State, and his
statements in our experience and judg-
ment bear The impress of truth. After
the panegyrics we have listened to on
the purity OF the Anglo-SaXon blood
flowing in the veins of the sons and
daughters of the Old Dominion we
might we'll exclaim "'Tis strange,
tits passing strange, It's pitiful," and
"pitv 'tis-'tis true" 1t is at least sur
prising that because, forsooth, certain
condition of affairs has existed for two
hundred wears immigration must prove
lamentable failure, and like lxion
we are chained to the wheel of fate
The boast of this race in history has al
| ways has been that no matter what
the environments, circumstances must
ultimately conform to their will. Ano
this leads to some comments on Ut
Menzell's address before the lmmlgra'
ton convention recently held in Rich
mond. We agree heartily in his ad,
vice to send no agents abroad; let the
immigrant come of his own volition
and study to make his stay pleasant
and agreeable, removing the social os
tracisms (uo matter how originating)
but now fostered by false pride, ano
not only will you have an influx of de-
sirable immigrants, but the emigration
of YOUR native sons will cease. We dc
not endorse his views as to the negro
being q bar TO our prosperity and pro.
rress' Our lands are comparatively
valueless without labor to develop
their buried wealth, and having had
experience both here and elsewhere
with viii the Irish, German and African as
farm laborers, our opinion is that were
# it. nossible ~ we would commit grave
mistake in eliminating this people IRON
onr midst. We cannot expect all the
virtues for SO month. His ailusion
70 the beautiful farms and the prosper
Gus condition of their owners on 'ne
niue-mile road from Richmond gives
the kew note as to our real needs IL
this State. Not only diversihcatlon
of crops, but diversity of manutactur'
ing industries. We may recognize ag'
riculture as the source of all wealth
and vet if the farmer has no convenient
market for the disposition of his pro-
ducts his case is pitiable one; frelghtS
and commissions take the cream leaving
him only the skim milk and much to be
enyied is the situation of those who are
in reach of busy centres of trade. Ano
until the ratio of rs per cent. of pre-
ducers to % per cent. of consumers Is
changed, farmers, be they ever so In