Year: 1871

|


WE have great cause to felicitate ourselves
upon the turn events are taking in Virgin
| la. This change is due to the Press. 1t
acts as the "sentinel upon the watch tow
err and gives the public warning of ap-
preaching danger, or apprises them OF the
necessity for the adoption of such
measures, in their political and mate
rial life, as will most promote their
good. For time memorial it has act
ed in this capacity, and thus prevented
many abuses which would have been in
flicted by designing and selfish men upon
innc cent communities The public have
no time iu the whirl of business that en-
cages their constant attention, to discuss
or carefully study the merits of quc ltions
of local or State policy that springs from
growing contingencies. 1t is the
office of the Press to carefully
weigh all these matters by q close
observation Of surrounding circumstance.
and reference to the best authorities, and
present a result of this summary to the
reading public. True. it may at times be
perverted to evil purposes by distortion
Of facts. and in other ways, but truth, like
murder. "will out" But, however errono-
ous an argument, or unstable the founda-
ton upon which it is built, we believe in
the proverb, +" Aud c'teram partem J" for
it is only by careful collation. and con-
sideration Of conflicting views, that the
truth can, at last, be elected. The truth
in Virginia, however, seems slower In
developing itself than in any place In the
wide world. Only within very short
time past has it been known that the
"virginia policy" was working our de-
struction. But notwithstanding the fact
that this observation is upon the lips OF
almost every one we meet, there are
some among Our representatives, whose
understandings are obfuscated by the
remains of old fogyism, and out of this
relict of antiquated ideas sprung their OPP
position to granting the privileges asked
by the Pennsylvania railway company.
Of these, happily there are but few, and we
can only say of them, "Ephraim is joined
t, his idols, let him alone"


The great mass of the people, however,
appreciate the necessity for lashing them
selves to the car of progress and permit
ting their apathetic brethren to be crushed
under its wheels or left entirely in the
rear. The greatest amount of opposition
exhibited to the bill comforting the right of
passage through the State to this railroad,
strange to say, is to be found in the Gene
raj Assembly. This opposition to every
thing Yankee, merely because it is Yankee,
cannot last. Virginia is greatly in need of
help, and if Northern men and Northern
corporations come down among us and
offer 10 assist us shall we refuse it Upon
the same principle man who has fallen
into pit may as well refuse to be lifted
out by another who has been
his enemy. Thus his own pride and
animosity will induce him to remain where
he is and perish, when he might lo saved
and live to be useful citizen. After the
passage of a single decade, provided the
ssnew policy" is carried out, we would like
to meet the opponents of this measure, to
take retrospective view of its results
within that period. The prospect is the
most cheering that has visited us for the
past six years, and really looks as if that
" hope deferred" which has heretofore
I" made the heart SICK" is about to bo ac-
companied with grand realities. We have
devoted all our energies to putting the ball
in motion. Once started, its own impetus
will add to its velocity, SO that we will
soon see the old Commonwealth covered all
over with internal improvements, and old
Virginia will be old Virginia once more
AS result of all this our lands will ap-
preciate in value, investments will multi
ply, and the tide of immigration that will
be attracted to our borders, will dot our
hills and valleys with happy homes where
now exists the rude wilderness. Those
who have been driven off by the stern
hand of adversely will return to bask in
the sunlight of returning fortune, and
deposit their bones in the home of their
childhood. With the completion of that
grand structure, the James River and
Kanawha canal, and railways that point
to every end Of. the compass, conversing
upon Richmond, this will be no Utopian
dream. But there are othsr collateral
agencies necessary to the entire accomp-
plishment of these results. We hope the
sagacty Of our Representatives will enable
them to find them.