New-York tribune., 1879-05-05
RESOURCES or WEST VIRGINIA.


ERN SETTLERS.
Governor Matthews, Of West Virginia, spent
few days in the city recently. the adjournment OF
the Legislature Of his State giving him an opportn-
nity of enjoying brief of rest and recreation
He is man of about forty-fve, of medium stature,
with brown hair, side whiskers and mustache' and
a countenance whose healthy color bespeaks a good
digestion and "A fondness for outdoor exercise. In
it's main outlines his face resembles that OF Naue
Uamnton but his figure is shorter, more compact
and more alert than that of the South Carolina hero
He is Democrat of course and is IN the middle OF
four years term to which he was elected III 1876
by majority of 900. His Democracy is or TIE
liberal and progressive school. he deplores section
alism and reiolces that in West Virginia there IS
now very little bitterness in politics. and that men
oftbe highest character are found in both parties
representative of The TRDUNEtalkcd with Goyernor
Matthews the other day the condition, resources
and PROSPECTS of West Virginia, State very little
known to Eastern people, although lying almost at
their doors.
"We estimate our present population at 5OO,-
OOO," said the Governor, "a gain of about Co.
600 since 1870. This gain has been chiefly from
the natural increase Of our own people. we nave
had very little immigration; not that we lack
plenty of room for more inhabitants. but the tide
Recently a number of Swiss and Scandinavians
have come In. and their success Will no doubt bring
more people of these natonalities. Our mountain
counties with their fertile valleys and upland pas
turos are particularly pleasing to these people, re-
minding them somewhat OF their native countries.
One obstacle to immigration has been the owner
ship of large tracts of wild lands by few indi-
viduals who have kept them ont of the market.
We have men who own much as 100000 acres
each These big tracts gradually getting broken
up however. Our mountains are not all rocky ana
sterile. by any means The sides and tops are
often fertile, and you have only to clear of the
underbrush to get fine growth of bluegrass The
mountain lands are thus of great value for pdstur-
age The cattle and sheep industries are develop
ing rapidly. Sheep do remarkably well on the
mountain ranges and the cheapness of land makes
this industry especially attractive"
"Are the salt works in the Kanawha Valley in
operation now ~" Yes 4; believe they are doing
toleraby well. For a time this industry was
greatly depressed, but it is picking up rapidly"
"We hear very little of the West Virginia petro-
loum fields of late."-"A good deal of oil is still
produced in the neighborhood of Parkersburg but
it comes from wells of small capacity. and the bus-
ness has lost its speculative character. The yield
of the old wells has fallen off, and few new ones
are being sunk"
lyon make a good deal of iron in your State, /
suppose Y'-" Wheeling one of the chief iron
making cities in the country. It turns out yearly
more than one-thrd of all the nails made in the
United States and fully one-ffth ofthe annual pro-
duction of the entire world Wheeling is also heavily
interested in the manufacture Of glass, which 1t
ships everywhere-even TO London. Brazil and
Australia are among the b markets for our glass.
One feature of this industry is rather singular.
sf,1 .1.aa
chandeliers which have become SO fashionable of
late but they import the cut-glass pendants
from Switzerland, where the peasants make them
by hand cheaper than they can be made by ma
cbinery IN this country. Many of these chandeliers
are sent to London, so the pendants make two
VOYAGES across the ocean. Speaking of the non
business there are now important works at Quin
namont, on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.
Valuable deposits of ore have been found on New
River on the line between Virginia and West
Virginia. These manganese ores, from which
Spegeeisen and BesSemer steel can be made at
prlce far below the ordinary cost of manufacture"
"Are your coal fields being worked "-"To a
much greater extent than formerly since the open
ing of the Chesapeake and Ohio Road.
We have more coal in proportion TO our territorial
extent than any other State in the Union, and
much greater variety. too We have bituminous,
CRATE coal known as CampbePs Creek coal. Many
pewmines have been opened lately and are being sue
cessfully worked. OurState is wonderfully endowed
with natural wealth. l have not spoken of our
lumber interests, which are quite important. We
have white and yellow pine in abundance along the
Greenbrier and Elk Rivers and in the Cheat River
country, and good deal Of cherry and black wal
nut. Many new mills have been erected in the last
few years."
as your State Government economically admin
istered Pr believe there are no complaints on
that score In fact we arc rG her proud of sue
cess in cutting down expenses. The cost of feeding
the convicts in pentenl ary Is only Gi3 cents
each per day. and the entire cost for food clothing,
guards and salaries Of officials is only 20 cents per
day for each convict. OR Insane Asylum makes
an equally good showing. The cost Of maintaining
each inmate, including all expenses. is only 50 33
per week. doubt If any similar institution in the
country can show better hnanclal manaeemeni."
"What ls your State debt W-" We have none"
"You still decline 20 shoulder your share OF the
debt of the old State i'-' Not at ALL we have al
WAYS been ready to assume our equitable share, but
not the share old Virginia insists ought 20 pay.
We have been unjustly blamed as seeking to repu-
date our obligations because all tue facts
not known. When the separation took place, 1t was
sssented to by the Legislature of Var
glnia, sitting at Alexandria, known as the
loyal Legislature, on condition that West
Virginia should assume her equitable proper
ton of the debt of the State as it existed
in 1861 to be ascertained follows: West Virginia
TO be charged with all public improvements within
her borders and with her proportion of the current
expenses of the State Government since 1924, and
to be credited with all taxes paid INTO the State
Treasury by the counties OF shlch she is composed
siuce that date. We have always been ready to
settle on that basis, but Virginia has persist
ently declined. In 1871 she arbitrarily set apart
onethird of her entire debt as belonging to us to
paw This amounted ~ 81 10, ,OO0, 900. For this she
issued certificates to the bondholders payable
when West Virginia should settle. We appointed
commissioners III 1871 to arrange the difficulty, and
sent them TO hichmond but Governor Walker de-
clined to appoint any one to act with them. They
figured on the basis of the ordinance of separation
that we owed the old State about $l,000,000
Subsequently the Committee on Finance OF our
State Senate went over the calculation and brought
4. En