The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-04-22
~ HAT Virginia has II c'rru1 future
there is nul til" slightest quest

~ llNl 'f"ff''' mas Il great 1H'' Ir
there j. nul IT," slightest quest
ion. md Nhrn we speak Of Nil
mia we do not mean the Virginia o
llarprr> Ferry fame. the Virginia;
where hey inmOrt3liztu John Brown
by hanging him. No. we have refer
enc,' to the Virginia which is to be he
county seat Of Il new county when ST
Louis county. Minnesota. is divided
when he north half goes ny itself
and the people Of that region want {;
cen, raj locality in which 10 meet an'
Transact their public business.
In going 10 Virginia. we lake the
people do witho., this railway? \>
we chamber the hills going mort H.
wur,i and meet the heavily laden
trains coming down. loaded with pine
logs and iron ore we realize what a
"rra; work this railway performs.
1t is clearly evident that the i'm
mcnSc freight business Of his road
nrcrssita1cS Il double track and that
he railroad company are fastening
to make it is shown in gangs Of men
now strung along its roadb.d.
! The immense freight business before
it in iron ore alone is revealed in the
conditions at Virginia where within
one mile CT ina: town there are cS1im-
a1rd to be ll0,O0U.O0O tons of that
material.
Some comprehension Of the great
work to he performed in moving that
ore from Virginia to Two IlarborS,
| Sic'ild it he transported by the Iron
Range Railway. is understood by a
|ittle rcckoniny
\ freight car carries twenty four
tons. At that rate there are over
$4,000 car loads of ore in that local
! ity. Give 10 ears to a train and it will
! require ever l+.o00 trains to carry his
to the lake. Draw. four trains. a day
and il viii require over ten years to
; move the ore from the single locality
of Virginia.
Allowing that ne miners receive %
cents Il ton for getting out this ore
| and there will be paid cut in Virginia.
| if this estimate is correct and this ore.
Inc. n
This would give employment to 1000
men at s.. Il day for over 80 years.
But YOU can't cnthuSc the people
Of Virginia with any Of this talk. They
have known for years about all this
ore lying in the seventeen mines with
in a mile Of the town. They have
heard the 2lor''s Of the happy days
to come sung to TEN by every COM
merrlal traveller for years and years.
They have stocked up their stores
many times on these bright prospects
and go1 stuck on the goods The com
mrrcial traveller there today who plays
the tune Of what the town is to be
deri>ion.
The facts are hat Il large share of
the buildings hal remain in Virginia
are empty. We say remain. because
some twenty or thirty buildings have
lately been removed to Evclcth some
six miles away.
All in all Virginia is as dead as 4
dcor nail and were it not for the com
merci;1I travellers who come in and
jolly the merchants up while they at
tempt to sell goods. there would prob
ably lie Il universal epidemic of suicide
The business men Of the town actually
owe The prOlongation of their lives to
the travelling statesmen. And the com
mercaI travellers. while they sell no
goods. actually believe all hey tell the
people. They stop at the Merchants
Hotel where they have the best pure
spring water and are fed so well and
=" abundan1'y thar they are ready to
swear by Virginia anyway.
There is Il very good reason why all
this Dragging is done about Virginia.
Though The town of several hundred
homes WIS completely burned to the
ground by terrific forest fire thar
swept the place in 1893 the rrcuprrut-
i've force Of the people WAS so strong
as - Immediately rebuild the civ in
a brief time * good as it was before.
50 much for The inherent strength
Of Virginia N ordinarily good times.
The town is ~iluate'! Very nicely.
Two beautiful little lakes nestle on
ne edge of HE town. In the ilnme-
>.iiuI, Vicinity OF these there ar, never
ta;Iin" springs Of water which will
supply Il population Of many thOu>-
ana people, Down :he stream. which
forms he let COR the lakes. is
ample opportunity for drainage. and
rNcrI!en, sewerage.
Two railroads are already in Nir-