Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-12-07
HISTORICAL plumbers.
For The GAZETTE.

cultured mind. He predicts dire evils
from the acquisition OF new territory
by the United States his stud' n Of
history being oman Of family has
seemingly devoted most of his tine to
Peter Farley and the amusement COo.
the family.
"Peter Farley picked a peck Of
picked peppers" andso our gentleman
of family and fortune has prepared for
the SUMS. readers some "hot stuff.
"Black, fearful, comtortless, and hor-
rible."
This student of history, and man OF
family and fortune proceeds t. dllate
at large upon the symptoms OF decay
which have ever appeared when q
country entered upon a career of colo
nization. All our reading of history
has convinced us that the period of
colonization aud expansion, has been
the period of highest prosperity with
every nation of ancient or modern
times. 1t was 80 of the Romans and
the Athenians in ancient times. 1t is
true notably of England.
in modern days.
The cause of decay and death can
no more be attributed to activity and
effort with nations than with indlvidu
ais. When nations cease to grow they
begin to decline. The gentleman Of
fortune and family is sadly out of it
when he says ''England's grea' ness is
founded on her farmers" Can it be
possible he has failed TO note the al
most frantic, and always futile endeav-
ors of England to grasp fortune through
her efforts to sustain an agricultural
prosperity? Witness the long and
bitter contest over the Corn Laws, The
repeal of which it required starvation
and death to accomplish. When utter
failure of the potato crop IN Ireland
and of the harvests in England, with
consequent famine staring them 10 the
face, Peel secured the repeal of the
Corn Laws though Lord Melbourne
had declared that "of all the maddest
things he ever heard of the proposal
to abolish the Corn Laws was the mad
dest." The result was not so disas.
trous as predicted by the men of "family
and fortune" of that day. The fall in
the price of corn was coincident with a
rapid increase in the prosperity OF the
manufacturing industries, the popula-
ton of the towns increased and there
was consequent increase in the de-
mand for meat, milk and other products
of the farms for their Gustenance. Eng
land then and there discovered that
commerce was the life of the milton,
and expansion the life of commerce.
The gentleman of family and fortune"
predicts the cheap labor of tie Chinese,
the Philippine and the Malay will close
every factory in America, that they will
accomplish with the hand at cheaper
rates the products of our looms and
factories. What utter nonsense, or
what virile races these Chinese, Philip
pinos and Malays must be that when
brought into contac. with Americans
they will succeed in driving us to the
wall and subvert every interest of our
country. 1t is pitiful picture this
gentleman of family and fortune"
draws OF America. After she has locked
horns with the cheap labor of the East.
He speaks CT their living on nothing
and somewhat careless Of costume. We
will teach them to eat square meal,
to wear good clothes, to use tooth
brushes, wear clean shirts and even
collars and cuffs, in other words civilize |
them to want something.
This gentleman of family and for
,une' speaks Of complications. Mr..
Editor, did you ever hear Of any person
,r any nation on This terrestrial ball
Who didn't have complications? Wei
III have CON lications and will continue
o have them, till the final wind up of
his mundane sphere when we trust
IL complications will cease and we shall
OF ever be at rest, with none to modest
n make as afraid.
America has had foreign complica.
ions and has come off fairly well in the
,ast. Mr.. Cleveland had complica-
ion down in Venezuela, the Bearing
Sea, tie Fishery Question, the Barmu-
liza affair, the Itata case and others.
We do not seem to escape complica-
ions by building fences around our lot,
'ut we have met our neighbors, and in |