Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-17
GOVERNOR M'KINNEY
MS VIEWS REGARDING MATrERs or
INTEREST TO THE STATE.
DIR. Dickinson Talks with Him About Our
Material, Educational. and
Religious Progress.

Religious Progress.
Governor Mckinney has expressed him.
self very fully and freely regarding the ma
tcrial, educational, and religious progress
OF the State.
Rev. A. T.. Dickinson, d. D., editor Of
the Relioious Herald, was the person who in
terviewed him.
Tho talk was had at the Blue Ridge
Springs. where the Governor and his farni-
" have been sojourning for some timo-
DIR. Dickinson has written the following
account Of the conversation. which Will
appear In the Herald this week
the DAT "a pRrcHTrSrSa.
Calling AT the Rluc Ridge Springs en- route
for the meeting of the Valley Association,
one OF the first persons we saw was Gov.
ernor Mckinney. whom every loyal son OF
Che old State delights TO honor. when
asked 10 give ia his view on several sub
fccts for publication IN the Religious Herdd,
The Governor replied:
81 was formerly constant reader OF
rom paper. My nextdoor neighbor
Rocker was a great Baptist. and he took
Che Hs,uh while took the Central Presby..
feridn. and wo read each others paper. TX
] can bs of any service TO your readers by
AUsWtTtnK NUN Cut~tlpu> Nbu fAN-
pound shall be happy TO do So"
what Of the night, Governor Is the
dav dswning for the old Statel" =,
Governor: II think 1t is brighter all
around. In the matter Of material devel-
opment the progress is truly wonderful.
In every section Of the Commonwealth our
people are waking up, and new hope and
zeal are everywhere apparent. W course,
Sbe greatest advance Of late years has been
IN this Southwest Virginia country; but 10
will spread all over the State. and multi
tudcs in Fast Virginia, who now feel land
POOR, will find their wealth in land"
EASTERN VIRGINIA.
$40 you think East Virginia will come
OPP" =. :. ,ou,.nu an mn,
Let us begin at Norfolk-what an enorr,
that section. The dream of generations
is now coming 20 pass, and Norfolk takes
her nl.ce near the bend, if not at the very
head Of the column. And look how Suf-
foIk. Franklin, and other towns in that
direction are improving. Then IL you
come across the river TO Newport News and
Hampton you will find 1t almost con-
fipued city from the one TO the other.
before the war | used TO 60 down there.
and where Newport News oltv now stands
there was scarcely q house, and there was
nothing inviting. But, look now what
place il isl"
DOCS your staid old town show any in
creased signs Of life?"
"Wbv. air, they ore taking options there
on every lot where house can he built.
The Farnville people are conservative,
and they are not rich. you know but there
IA moro hope and buoyancy there than l
have sesn before The new railroad from
Keysville TO Gordonsville will help Farm
Vile very much. II will pass through
buckingham, Prince Edward. Cumberland,
and Fluyanns. There is no county in Viz
GINA more filed with minerals than Buck
Ingham. All il has needed is Just such
road. and the other counties through
which the road will pass will likewise be
greatly benefited by it. This route Will
shorten the distance between Atlanta and
Washington from seventy-fve to one hun
6red miles"
"The Lithia Springs at Farmville help,
too2"
"Yes; we could have 800 people there
TODAY if there were hotel accommodations
Tor them. In Farmville. IA everywhere, we
are banking upon the Buffalo Lithla. Colo
mel L. f. Goode has made money for many
besides himself. Nv the way, | have never
known a nobler. truer man than Colonel
Goode."
THE SOUTH SIDE.
"How about the region from Lynchbure
o. Petersbure?"
Blackstone, Crewe. and Burkeville are
oil three looking up. and other places are
Improving. If YOU coup the Danville road
xou find Improvement. Halifax has one OF
khe most enterprising and promising towns
In the State. refer to South Boston; and
yet n few years ago when the conductor
called out South Bostonl' you would
hardly have looked out of the car-there
was nothing to see: and now IL is
stirrinr. busting town. A little way
OF is Houston. which is also an I'M
proving town with its two banks, etc: As
kor Danville. | need not say a word-its
future is assured. Like Lvnchburg, 1t
does not depend upon booms. Both OF
these growing cities have an independent
strength of their own. and can fight their
own battles You will find all about in
these sections of the State thrifty towns
like Chatham, Rocky Mount. Martinsyiile,
etc, etc As for Buena Vista and Glas-
gov. YOU know how they are attracting
attention"
"What of the section Of the State along
The Potomac and Rappahannock rivers-a
part of which we call the Northern
Neck"
"That great section will come mp come
what a. Accomac and Northampton have
done. They are two of the best counties
in the State. Accomsc is growing rlcn ous
OF sweet potatoes and Northampton out OF
irish potatoes. They have beautiful and
comfortable homes and they owe il. all 20
the potato. And so It will be from frede-
ficksburg down TO the Chesapeake. AS
the great cities grow greater the demand
will grow for everything that can be raised
IN that region. And the same will be true
nj ali our great, beautiful Piedmont re-
rion and Of the Valley-its all going To
develop, and such prosperity as was never
before seen in those sections VIII come to
them"
THE BOOMING TOWNS.
Don't you think there is danger from
these great boomsi in Southwest Virginia! ="
Here and there il may be overdone, but
think that we have seen but the begin
ming of the mighty movement that IS to
rivet the attention Of tie civilized
world upon Southwest Virginia. You
know we used 10 think the projectors OF
Roanoke were wild, but now when we SEQ
Its great and growing population and IT'S
mighty industries. We no longer doubt as TO
Its great future. Look how Salem il leap,
ing forward. 1t now seems that II aho
Roanoke are TO be substantially one city
closely connected by street railroads.
There is no telling what is TO be the result
of this great incoming tide of prosperity.
Take Bedford City: it looks ike
miracle. its growth in little more
than six months But nothing has
20 amazed me as Big-stone Gap when
y WAS OUT tnslo ihst ,"i' h"u w 49,
twenty-one miles in buggy over an al
most impossible road. There was no other
way to get there. and yet found peo-
pie there from every pant OF the country,
and all were excited over the amazing re-
sources OF that region. You know my
friend Senator Mills, who has done SO
much 10 direct public attention TO that
section Of the State. He impressed me as
being q true man and large hearted man,
and that Is his character around his own
home among those who know him best.
Men like Senator Mills are coming to the
front in other places. and soon we shall
pee stranger things out here in Southwest
Virginia. At least, so it seems TO me-"
EDUCATION AND RELIGION.
"what about the outlook of education
and religion in the old Statef"