The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-14
NORTH CAROLINA's EXAMPLE.
A virginian Bids the Old Dom inion to
Follow Her Industl ial lie I'd.
u.vnchblll,g News.l


Every farmer in Virginia ought IT,
feel indebted to- you for the able editorial
in Tuesdays issue of your paper, devoted
TO their true and best interests, anu
drawing a comparison between the indus
trial conditions of Virginia and North
Carolina. indicating one of the reasons,
and the chief one. why the latter Is
cruising ON the high seas of prosperity
and fortune. while the voyages of tine
former are. to il considerable extent,
bound IN shadows aud miseries.
North Cai Dina is building seven in
,lustrial enterprises to Nirg.nia's one and
She attracts one hundred enterprlsing
Northwestern farmers. who seek Il better
climate. to Nirginia's less than dozen.
What stlf-satisfied Virginian, of the aver
age voting class, mad any idea that such
were the comparative conditions!
''TimCs change ard men change with
Them The writer we'll remembers Il
Joke, prevalent throughout the country
forty on fifty years ago. which the pres
ent condition OF the two 'sOvereigntleS
brings forcibly to his mind: When a
North Carolinian was met abroad and
questioned as to his place of residence,
dis additionally imputed reply usually
was, well, / Hm from North Carolina.
but not very far from the Virginia line.
As boy, knocking about the world
used to laugh at the joke and hold my
head little higher. When next L go
abroad / shall do penance for the VANITY
Of my boyhood which, however, was
cxcuSable at the time. / shall admit
that | do not live in North Carolina. nut
shall claim that my people. who are her
lrear neighbCrs, are capable of following
her lead if we can only break through
thin crust of cid fogyism and kick off Il
large pack of small politicians.
The Book of Books intimates that
meekness invites prosperity, and that
sharp lookout, for the main chance is
better than vain pride and sself-s8tisfied
pomposity We have right to boast
that our State was once the mother OF
statesmen. etc. and we do not fail to
exercise that right occasionally. Nortl
Carolina was and is. the mother OF tar
heels" and though she passed Il declara-
ton of independence more than year
before One was passed by the Continental
Congress she remained meek, AMI kept
her eye on the main chance. SHE stuck
to her pitch. tar. turpentine and luln-
Der" ard watched out for a better place
in the procession.
When the better place came along. VIZ
gina was being amused with rattle
tickled with Il straw by small men
with ideas too big for them tand far
above ''hog and hominy, to say nothing
of tar and turpentinel and North Carolina
almost awed at the idea of taking prec.'-
dence of Virginia, put some more tar on
her heel and stepped into line just behind
the band wagon.
All honor to the old North State.
Though we can no longer pamper our
pride by posing as a model for her, we
can do what will he better for ourselves.
We can look over her shoulders and copy
the problems she has already worked out
We can also take the advice which l
heard one Of her soldiers give to a lot OF
idlers during the war;
There had been little unpleasantness
at Dranesville, i'll which gallant regl-
ment. from another State, had been com
PEELED by overwhelming numbers, to
leave the field in some confusion and
equally as much haste. The incident
had given the regiment the chatting So
briquet of ''the Dranesville trotters' One
cold day tattered North Carolina regi-
ment was slowly passing the road III
front of their winter quarters, and, az
usual, chaffing left-hand compliments
were flying thick and fast, when one OF
the tar-heels with stentorian voice yell
cd: YES; we've got tar ON our heels
that's the reason we always stick III
You 'trotters' had er had sOrle of our tar
YOU could er stuck at Dranesville. Come
to our camp and well lend You some and
show You how to make folks think You
are men,
Let us get some of that North Carolina
tar for the benefit of our Virginia legis-
lators and see if it will not cause them
TO stick to the business they are paid to
attend to, and to quit playing into the
hands OF the professional politicians who
go to Richmond to attend to their own
devices. the chief of which it is charged.
is to consolidate am office-holder's trust
with view to enthroning a political boss
for our poor old Mother of States.
Have we not enough good and patriotic
men in the legislature to lift that body
above the low level OF personal politics
We will wait and see
EX-FARMER. .
West End, January 18th, 1900.
CHRONIC NASAL CyATARRH D0iS-