Year: 1866

Gov. VIM. Smiths Speech.


The following is an abstract of the speech
made by Gov. VIM, Smith, of Fauquier, be-
fore the Virginia Agricultural Convention,
at Richmond, on Tuesday last We copy
from the Richmond Whig:


"a finer population never existed than the
present people of Virginia 1t did his heart
good to see nice, beautiful girl show her
yelvety hand in the kitchen, and let their
Yankees see that she was equal to the occa-
sion. The ladies IN Virginia were sorely tried
In the domestic servants. 1t was sore trial
but Virginia women bore it nobly. How
were the people to accomplish renovation p
They knew that what they willed to do was
IN their power. Now was the time for ex-
traordinary efforts. We are in the dust, re-
viled, held down, to be hanged, drawn and
quartered, and what was left Of their property
was to be appropriated to paying the expenses
of the Government; but they should resolve
to leave no efforts untried to repair the raw
ages of war. When he got home he found
bis farm without rail or tree-everything
gone but his house, which his wife had saved
by her tact He rode to the village. He
He found the citizeus standing at
the corners of the streets, the Young
men idle, but he reminded them Of
their duty, He told them that if thew
couldn't earn dollar day then they ought
to take less, and they would have the conso-
lation of knowing that they had done their
duty. That was the principle. Nothing
should be spent except what was absolutely
necessary. Every shilling wastefully spent
was crime against patriotism and society
lie had heard an excellent clergyman, a friend
of his preach self~denal He saw him in
dulge in smoking and he asked why he was
indulging in a habit pernicious to health and
wastetul too


He introduced this incident to illustrate
the duty they owe themselves, not to waste
their means in luxury or selfindulgence.-
He had, as he before said, gone to his home
after the surrender; he was his own manager.
his own overseer. He told his negro employ
ees that he had hired them, not for their
pleasure, but his profit. He had small body
of land, so acres, ON which he nut 1000
yards of ditching, aud 1000 yards of under
draining. and he made with ali his expenses,
at least five hundred barrels of corn and 100
cart loads of pumpkins, from seed brought
from Connecticut when he did not know if it
would grow for him. The Governor then
went on to describe at length, his farming op-
eratlons and his success therein, and went on
to say that it was true policy now to cultivate
the soil well. They may not be able to culti-
vate in large way; if he couldn't get stock
for his farm, he would rent it out.


He agreed with the President, that large
: farmsacould be managed better than small
ones, if there was capital to do it. When
man had little farm he became like one of
his own cattle, forohe had to work inccssant-
ly, and there was no time for tho improve
ment of the intellectual man. He had ear
nestly impressed on his friends, not to leave
the country. Where would they go2 Vir>
ginia was the place for them, after all. Let
every Virginian say ''this is the spot for me.
here is my ancestors home 1 will die here,
and will spare no effort to restore my native
State !" Where could they go? 10 Mexi-
COZ No. To Brazil To the West? No.
For there they would be overwhelmed by
hordes of foreigners. He had travelled much
of late, and took occasion to converse with
the people. He came to this city, and saw
Palatial residences going up. And forwhat?
To sell other peoples industry in. Thou
sands of dollars were thus spent when if they
had been applied to manufacturing purposes.
other people would be buying from us. He
had been toDanville. He saw there water
front OF a mile and a half which could be de,
voted to manufacturing purposes, but he
found the merchants there putting up fine
houses in the country, where they spent some
of the time that ought to be devoted to bust
ness. He would remind them of the good
custom adopted in England, where men did
not think of retiring to the country until thew
had made 100000, or ''plum," as they
calledrit, for they lived over their stores un.
til they made it, where they could see how
their clerks were attending to their business
in the shop underneath. He saw fine stores
going up here, in which to sell shoes and
hats, from New England, wine from the Rhine
and silks from France; whilst in place of
them new factories could be established, in
which tie Confederate soldier could get EN-,
ployment. He looked forward with hope,
though the signs of the times were ominous.
He was reminded of the saying of beautiful
young lady, spoken to him in days when he
was particular, 'Look forward with hope to
tomorrow" The Governor then spoke of
President johnson, whom he described as a
breakwater standing between us and destruc-
ton, and expressed the hope that the good
sense of the Northern people would return
and allay the present troubles He then re-
ferred to the usury laws, and said he trusted
that the next General Assembly would not
be deaf to the teaching of political economy.
Let every man deal with his money as he