The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-07-26

lntN uhNG htpt up lHG WLlSh1 JUDI"
ness ever since, and next to tobacco it is
their greatest product. Bourbon" gets.
its name from the county in which it
was chiefly made at the outset. Now,
however, all Kentucky corn whisky goes
BY the name OF Bourbon.
But tobacco and whisky are not all OF
Kentucky by great deal, 1t is one Of
the great agricultural States Of the
Union. ltproduCes more than one-halt
Of all the hemp that is raised in the
country. 1t produces also great crops
OF rye, corn, wheat and barley, and II is
par excellence a great live stock State.
It's breeds of horses are especially fa-
nous. and next to these come its supe-
rior cattle and hogs. The Blue Grass
region is q series OF stock farms, which
are their principal feature, but other
agriculture is not neglected. The big
money, however, in farming in this
State, is in horses and cattle, and espe.
cially in horses. What Vermont has
been to the country in sheep, Kentucky
has been in her imported and domestic
crosses of horses; and even the fancy
rams OF the celebrated Atwood importa.
ton and its crosses in Vermont have
been far transcribed in the Arabian
and European crosses OF horse flesh in
this State.
1t is no longer question that there is
something peculiar in the grass, the
water and the climate OF this region rs
respects the development OF horses and
cattle. 1t holds unique place and all
the country pays tribute to it, as it does
to its Bourbon WHISTLES. There are
those who 90 further than this and say
that this region also produces superior
physical specimens OF men and women.
Whether this is true or not there are
certainly many such people to be seen
in this State.
But Kentucky is large State and it is
not all Blue grass region bya good
deal. That region begins n few miles
above Louisville and extends up TO the
east line OF Mason county and thence
south to the spurs Of the Cumberland
mountains, which are in sight from this
place. This area (say 20 counties out OF
| llG) is the cream of the State agriCul-
turally. There other counties in the
west and southwest that contain much
good land and that raise fine tobacco,
but they occupy second place in the
agriculture OF the State. The Blue grass
region is TO Kentucky what such coun-
ties us those OF the Panhandle in West
Virginia, including also such counties rs
Tyler, Harrison, Lewis, Barbour, Taylor,
Jefferson, MonongaliN and Marion are
to the rest of the State, agriCulturally
speaking. OF course we have othOr
good counties, just as Kentucky has,
but these ! adduce to carry out the COM
parison. Not even, however, the Coun-
ties | have named in West Virginia
compare in their grass or in their
capacity to raise great crops with this
Blue grass region. The SciOto and
Miami Valleys in Ohio are the proper
standards OF comparison, ~ is also the
Lancaster region in Pennsylvania, and
some OF the picked areas in Illinois and
Missouri. For health, fertility and as
the natural feeding and breeding ground
OF live stock, | presume this region lays
over them all.
There is, however, great deal OF poor,
very poor, country i'll Kentucky; lots OF
sparsely settled and wild areas; and
some OF her people are as wild, us poor
and as good for nothing us the regions
they inhabit. Take that region that adj
joins West Virginia, where the Hatfield
Mccoy vendetta has ragged between two
States-that is u tough region, sure
enough. But the spirit OF railroad build
ing and internal development is abroad
in the State. Railways are projected and
agitated in many directions. Out OF
eighty-onc millions OF capital invested
in the South during the first half OF this
year thirteen millions were invested
here in Kentucky. They are reaching
out for the coal and iron orc districts.
There is vast amount OF both coal and
ore in Kentucky, and fortunately they
are located in the poorer country OF the
State agriculturally.
Kentucky will he 4 great State Rs a
whole in the near future. She has the
coal, ore and lumber, in addition to the
agricultural richness alluded to. She is
Il centrally located country. She has u
wonderful endowment OF navigable
streams and streams that can be made
navigable-morc than any other State in
the Union. She fronts on the Ohio for
more than 600 miles and on the Missis-
sippi for about eighty miles. She has
the Cumberland, tho Tennessee, the
Kentucky, the Green, the Sandy, the
Licking and other rivers. She has also
about $500 miles OF railway.
But for slavery she would have been
almOst!such state as Ohio. They are
nearly OF equal size and Kentucky has a
better climate and almost us many re-
sources, But slavery has made and still
makes her people reactiOnary and BOur.
bonish in politics. Her poOrpeOplc and
poor regions incline to Rcpubicanism,
and send three Republicans to Congress.
The Blue Grass and other agricultural
and slave holding regions worship the
old regime. They have very little OF
the progressive element among them.
They build monuments to such men rs
John c. Breckenridge, who led and mis-
led them into completely with the rebel.
lion.
One reason OF the torpidity Of life in
the rich regions OF the State is the fact
that very little immigration has come in.
The seven-eighths OF the people are ma
| tive stock. Out OF over Il million and
three-quarters OF people in the State to-
day about 100000 are native mostly
of English descent and less than quar-
ter OF Il million negroes and not over
100000 foreigners.
OF course Kentucky votes the Demo-
cratic ticket under such circumstances.
As in all the Southern States, the arstoC.
racy are the Democracy. Those in your
midst who are abusing Mr.. Hearne, as n
manufacturer, for turning from Demo.
cracy to RepubiCanism, should explain
to the masses why it is that the wealth,
caste, pride and exclusiveism Of the
South vote the Democratic ticket, and
the poor incline.to Republcanism. All
the people here who do not believe in
the rule OF the common people are in
tense Democrats. just rs all the leaders
OF the South who believed with Hunter,
OF Virginia, that capital should own
labor, were and are intense Democrats.
This letter is already longenOugh, and
will reserve further observations for