622 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 10 



ciated as she is, may still be found all-sufficient for 

 the happiness of her dutiful and affectionate chil- 

 dren: that they are under no political nor moral 

 necessity to desert her: and that all true Virgin- 

 ians who will abide by their parent state, in all 

 the vicissitudes of her fortune; who will determine 

 to aid with heart, and hand developing all her re- 

 sources, will promote, not only her welfare, hut 

 their own, much more effectually, than by a pre- 

 carious search after the latter in strange and dis- 

 tant, lands. 



It is certainly true, that by abandoning our na- 

 tive homes; by tearing asunder all the domestic 

 ties of early youth and mature age, we may possi- 

 bly find, in some of our new states or territories, 

 greater immediate opportunities of making money. 

 But most of us must undeniably do this, at great- 

 er risk both to health and life: to the first, from 

 a worse climate in general: to the second, from 

 the additional danger of want of power in the ci- 

 vil authorities, as yet, to afford it adequate protec- 

 tion. The newspapers in most of the new states 

 and territories, abound with uncontradicted proofs 

 of this fact. Grant, however, that the opportuni- 

 ties have actually been found, while health and 

 life remain unassailed, they will prove utterly un- 

 available, unless the emigrants also abandon and 

 tear away those fatal habits of indolence, profusion 

 and improvidence, which, in very many cases, 

 have produced the supposed necessity for emigra- 

 tion. Whether increased facilities to get rich, and 

 the actual acquisition of riches themselves, will 

 also increase our power to conquer those bad hab- 

 its which have forced many to expatriation, is a 

 matter well worth the most deliberate reflection of 

 all who are about, but have not yet finally resolved, 

 to turn their backs on home, friends and kindred, 

 for the sake of the single object — wealth. The 

 desire itself we admit to be laudable, provided 

 the motive be — to render our posterity free, inde- 

 pendent and happy. Bui the wiser and more cer- 

 tain course to accomplish our purpose, is, in our 

 opinion, to qualify ihem by thorough education, 

 to choose for themselves the means of its attain- 

 ment. To give our children money, will prove a 

 blessing or a curse, according as they use it; but 

 give them morals, manners, useful knowledge, in- 

 dustry and economy, and we may rest perfectly 

 well assured that they will never misapply wealth 

 in many of its forms, whether it be acquired by in- 

 heritance or purchase. Pardon this digression, 

 and permit us to resume our efforts todevelope the 

 causes of our present depression. 



The legislatures, in the early days of our com- 

 monwealth, seem never to have deemed it any 

 part of their duty to go much beyond matters of 

 mere local legislation and state police. Hence, 

 the pernicious hallucination still to be found among 

 us, that they really have no power to do more; as 

 if to promote the general welfare of Virginia In- 

 popular education and internal improvements, 

 were not quite as much a matter of legislative 

 duty as taking care of oysters in the waters of the 

 Chesapeake — prohibiting fish-traps in navigable 

 streams, and preventing hogs from running at 

 large in petty villages and towns. Popular ed- 

 ucation, that indispensable basis, that life blood of 

 all republican government, without which it can 

 have no healthful, no permanent existence — and 

 internal improvement, the all-essential means of 

 its prosperity and preservation, seem never for a 



moment, in those days, to have been thought fit 

 subjects of legislative deliberation. A school to 

 which every citizen could not send his own child] 

 a road, or bridge, or canal, that each could not use 

 himself, were looked upon, it seems, as contra- 

 hand articles in our legislative halls. Even now, 

 the attention of our legislators to these great ob- 

 jects of national interest and regard — these all- 

 important elements of state welfare and influence, 

 liills far short of their requirements. 



Another most prolific cause of our fallen condi- 

 tion is, that at a later period of our political histo-' 

 ry, commencing with the presidency of the first 

 Mr. Adams, ami extending, we will not say how 

 near, to the present, times, our legislative watch- 

 men have been looking more abroad than at home, 

 for subjects to act upon. The. selfish and demo- 

 ralizing conflicts of political parties, their victories 

 and defeats, always achieved or suffered at some 

 sacrifice of true republican principles, by strength- 

 ening the ability of the conquering parly to abuse 

 power with impunity, together with the making 

 and unmaking of presidents and vice-presidents of 

 the United States, appeared to be deemed much 

 more important matters of state policy and inter- 

 est, and more effectual means of maintaining our 

 just rank, our relative influence in the union, than the 

 making and unmaking of state laws, or the spee- 

 dy developement of all our internal resources and 

 natural advantages, to the utmost possible extent. 

 Instead of its always being made a primary ques- 

 tion at our annual elections, who, among our can- 

 didates, were best qualified to promote these vital 

 objects, inquiries totally irrelevant — inquiries sole- 

 ly into parly qualifications, have, for years past, 

 been almost the only ones ever made. This most 

 inconsiderate and fatuitous course has been a 

 source of unceasing exultation to all those wily 

 politicians in our sister states, who, envying our 

 position at the commencement of our federal go- 

 vernment, as head of the union, adopted a much 

 more rational system of state legislation, for 

 elevating themselves to our level, and finally, for 

 soaring liar above us in regard to all the most effec- 

 tual means of real political aggrandizement. Our 

 truly ridiculous state pride — ridiculous because 

 content with ancestral achievements, instead of 

 being stimulated thereby to noble deeds of our 

 own, has aided our rivals much in their efforts for 

 supremacy in our union — for this pride, self-satis- 

 fied, and consequently disdaining even to exam- 

 ine for a moment, its means of subsistence, has 

 been feeding upon its own inanity whilst they 

 were accumulating in their elementary schools, in 

 their colleges, by their roads, canals and agrieu- 

 tural societies, real and substantial materials for 

 the only species of exultation which true patriots, 

 real, devoted friends of our union should ever per- 

 mit themselves to feel. Give us, we entreat you, 

 us who rely upon you to save our state from ruin 

 — give us the same just grounds for exulta ion^ 

 and our children yet unborn, will bless you for I he 

 deed. 



The fatal consequences of our course might ea- 

 sily have been foreseen and avoided, had not our 

 party prejudices and passions been so aggravated 

 and maddened by constant indulgence, as entirely 

 to blind our judgements to the true interests of 

 Virginia. These consequences are now deeply 

 felt in the very vitals of the state. Large bodies 

 of our citizens are daily fleeing from their native 



