Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-09-04
CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
JUDGE McCARRoLL'S ELo-
oUENT DISCOURSE ON OUR
RESOURCES BEFORE
THE COMMERCIAL
CLUBS.

b The following is an abstract of thu
: remarks to be made by Judge Jo'
o McCarroll at the Commercial Clul
IS Jubilee in Louisville to-day. The
u speech contains valuable collection
of statistics, and withal is very de-
lightlul discourse, We cannot fail to
commend its literary merit,and it will
! take rank with anything the Club
men will hear during the jubilee.
Mr.. PRESIDENT: Il have been Sc
t ected by the Hopkinsville CONNER
Q cial Club to speak for that body, in
, the interest of Christian county.
was instructed not to sound her
praises on account of the million BUSH
l els of corn, and the million bushels of
wheat that she raises every year; nor
the 10000 bushels of oats, nor yet of
the thirty million (30,000 600 pounds
of tobacco now growing there-the
grandest crop of tobacco ever stuck
, in the ground, IN that or any other
country ;-because they said these
things are read and known of all
men. Every man that has ever heard
of Christian county (and all tobacco
men have) knows that she raises
more tobacco, and better tobacco than
any other county of the same area in
the world. Every miller in the
United States, if he is up with the
times, will tell you that Christian
county wheat is superior to any wheat
raised east of Colorado, and only
equaled by that of Colorado. and per
haps California, for milling purposes.
Therefore, they said TO me, "Don't
talk about wheat, and corn, and to-
bacco, but talk about our "hidden re-
sources" All right; I'll try.
But the fact is the old moss-backs
and directors, and the young grum
blers and croakers have been so nu-
merous all over western Kentucky
land for that matter, suppose, east
ern and middle Kentucky might be
included), that only recently have the
enterprislng elements of our county
given their individual attention TO
turning on the light" The moss
back, therefore, is fast getting to be
one of our "hidden industries" May |
the good time soon come, when he |
will be so completely hidden from all
mortal sight, as that other undevel-
oped resources of greater value shall,
grow, and bloom, and bear rich fruits,
to the wealth and glory of the coun-
try. Some time ago, the Louisville
Club sent some of its members down
on a visit to us; aud we got the band
out to play for us; and we all got to-
gether in our big opera house, and
listened to the music, and made
speeches. And, brethren, let me tell
you something: when they all got
through with the croakers and OBJ
jectors, 1 felt very much as member
Of the Louisville School board did
some years ago, when the supposed
delinquencies of that important in
dustry caused him to move solemly
"That we do all arise and indulge in
hearty blush" was ashamed of
our part of the crowd: we had fallen
so far short of our duty in the past.
Well, we are getting out now
where we can see. And our Club is
pulling still further out. 1t is like |
the little ant which we have all
seen tormenting, and pulling and
Juggling at great, big, lazy, hard |
shelled bug, about 400 times its own
size by pluck, and energy, and de-
termination, IL got there icith its bug
Let me tell you about Christian Co |
With an area of about 500 So. miles,
its surface is diversified with every
variety of soil, from the finest red clay
and limestone foundation in four
iifths of the county, to the shotty, |
rocky, hillside soil in the broken,
billy part. Perhaps four-fifths of the
county is suited to the production, in
great abundance, 'of the most luxur-
liant growth of corn, wheat, tobacco,
oats, vegetables, aud grasses of all
sorts. The whole northern boundary,
from the east, even unto the west, |
overlies the most magnificent coal
fields to be found in the world.
Now, you don't care to hear me on
the agricultural possibilities of Christ
ian county let me tell you that our
mineral resources are rich and abun-
dant, beyond conception. All over
Hopkins and North Christian, there
are rich veins of the finest bituminOus
coal to be found outside of Pennsyl-
vania. This fact is being found out
by piecemeal, by the men of means
and minds enough to investigate it.
Already, syndicates from a distance
are buying our coal fields by the tens
of thousands of acres at time. Look |
at the great output of coal at Ear
lington, in Hopkins Co., just over the |
comfy line, town of 1000 inhabi-
tants, built up and maintained by the |
enormous coal mines of that region
mines which supply to large extent,
even the coal market of the city of
Nashville, in competition with the
Goals of Tennessee; whose stocks,
after being watered and doubly wat
cred, over and again, time after time,
are still paying good dividends on the
entire capital, authorized, though per-
haps not one fourth paid up. Accord
ing to Inspector Norwood's last re.
port, AZ Western Ky. mines produc-
ed in 1887, over 25,000,0O0 bu. of coal,
| IuOhJ vi WHlCU Chlllc lTOln EdTllHglOn
and Central City, and their vicinities,
the former, perhaps, being the great
est producers in Ky.
Talk about the mining interests of
Christian county and Western Ken
lucky, why, one needs only to 60
along the railroad through Ohio,
Hopkins, North Christian, Mullen
burg, Webster, Henderson, Caldwell
McCracken and other counties Of
Kentucky, TO see that this great mag
niilcent, diversified agricultural and
mineral country is destined to be de-
veloped into fields and mines of ever
yielding wealth and prosperity.
Again, do you know that we have
iron in the northern hills of Chris
tan county? Aye, aye, sir, and in
paying quantities, doubtless. This
is not an industry with us as is coal
1t is simply a boundless source Of
wealth to our people, when II shall be
developed. We want some of these
rich iron men, who have got rich on
the iron tariff, and charged their la