West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-09-22
NUMBER AZ.
aud ask that You follow mo while
make some comparisons.
A Few gonAnarf.ous

AN''s Nt lNAlilN llt Nliit WITH "A tfif
school system crude and inefficient. W,
perfected the luw. enlarged AMI inn
proved the school work. and gave to q I,
state of West Virginia one of the bet
educational Systcms I'm the country. Tn,
growth OF our schools under Democratic
administrations has been simply wonder
tul. In 1871 we had 2,0l0 shcoOl houses.
in 1901 we hal 1880. In 1871 the school
population of the state was l12.3Bi: In
1892 u WAS 21l.33l. In 1874 the aver.
aye daily attendance WAS but y 4, ,3S6: in
1892 II was l239S1. In 1871 there wero
only 2,i6S teachers employed: I'm 1891
there were 5000 teachers employed. The
value of our school property in 1871 waS
$lOBLilI: in 1891 il was 81, Isl ,33G. In
1874 we hal au irrcducible school fund
of only $2iS,OIN.9 ~. aud general fund
aggIcgNtlny ouly &t1i ,S03. -; i'm 1891 tho
iucduciblo school fund hal grown In
S6G3, ,SO303 aud the general fund tn
1901 ,iSIS0 In 1871 the entire amount
spent in education was $317. .1lS.;2. while
In 1871 there was expended 81 .360, ,603, 81.
This, my friends. "a the splendid record
ot our educational progress and grandly
rindicatCs the loyalty OF the Democratic
party To the bright boys and girls of
West Virginia.
West Virginia Railroads.
In 1870 we had 30O miles of railroad in
this state. The mlage was made up al
most entirely of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, completed in lSji-5J. under n
Democratic administration of the old
mother state, During the entire period
OF Republican rule I'm West Virginia
from the organization of the state To
1871, lcS' than twenty-five miles of rail
roads were constructed aud pat into
operation. What u record for this marty
of boastcd progress that now I'm tho face
OF such record charges us with rctarding
the growth of the state On the other
hand. what has been done I'm railroad
building under Democratic administra-
tion since 1902 On the 3lth of last De-
cembcr, the aggregate railroad mileage
in this state was 400 miles, assessed at
SlS. 05,5i6.Gi. with many more miles OF
new road under construction than mt any
other time In the history of our state.
Not only this, but the new roads aro
chiefly cross lines. penetrating the ir-
terror of the state and reaching and
throwing open 20 capital thoac sections,
richest in all the elements of material
wealth; and they have been aud are being
constructed by West Vhgininns, they
are largely the product Of West Vir-
Binla enterprise. nwcle, brains and
capital. in the face of these facts, my
fellow citizens, which party is the party
of progress, and which shall bo charged
with retarding the growth of your state?
Does tho fact that in nine years of Re-
publican supremacy less than twenty
five miles Of railroad were built i'm West
Virginia, show that amy great amount of
progress attaches 10 that party2 Is tho
quadrupling of our railroad mileage un-
der Democratic administration to he
cited as evidence that the Democratic
party i3 retarding the growth of tho
state2
Progress of the Mining Industry.
No less make 81 our progress under
Dei r.ocrntic rule in other lines of indus
triE activity. We can not give AN esti-
mate. even, Of the coal business i'm this
state when the Republicans were run
ming things, so small and insignificant
were the operations There was NJ
mining law, iu mine Inspectors no re.
ports TO the legislature touching this in
dustry. Twenty years ago l had not
saen coke oven in the state and
tEIbt If any were bult. How is il now?
In .S2l our mines yielded 1881 430 long
tons Ot coal. az against ,253,j tons in
1880, m. ANNUAL average increase of over
1S por cert. since 1890. In 1880, 2.553
miners and t,ii3 outside laborers were
employed; la year our mines gave en-
ploymcnt TO ),42l miners and 2,JS9 out
side labOfcrs.
In 1880 we produced Pills tons Of
coke last year ,23S, ,4l3 tons and West
Virginia took rank as the second coke
producing state Of the Union. Where is
the evidence that the Democratic partv
Is rctarding the growth OF the state?
Our manufacturing interests are b.
corning imin"nse, and there Is marked
improvement IN every line OF trade and
business. Every section of the state
prOclairis the charge Of the Huntington
platform TO DE false and hypocritical
GubcrnatoriaI Contest.
This platform concludes, by dcnounc-
ing the Dem cratic Legislature for NOT
conceding to General Golf an Office to
which they claim lac was elected. This
Is q repetition Of charges contained in
the Republican platform Of 1890 The
issue was thin squarcly made. Republi.
can speakers. including General Goff
himself, stui ped the state from one end
20 the other, and spent more time upon
this question than all others put to-
gether. The people promptly met and
answered the issue ut the polls. by de-
feating every Republican candidate who
had t05rn an active part in the contest;
by sending solid Democratic dclega-
tiDu TO congress; by replacing legisla-
ture which was Republican iu one
branch and Democratic by only one ma
iorty on joint ballot, with Legislature
twO-thirds Democratic in both houses.
sborId Be Hepudhdcd.
Let the h. lest Republicans. the honest
part Of the Republican party. repudiate
the Misrepresentation and falsehooda
cyuiaired in their state platform, leu
them repudiatc the individuals who lc 4
them into error. Let them ask what
party by It's platform traduca5 the state.
iis aduihlstratipi and officers. and pub.
ii bes 90 the world that we are WOiafOig
" our constitution and the laws: that
we have bid government. large debt:
nat We are cEtravag1nt, and that our
people are not progressive aud that our
STATE rs not WO+peting. and let them
rrpudiafe that purity. Let them turn %
those who gl0ly iu our great prOsperit".
who holt up thOse who honestly m
frlrly administer Our wiso Liws. Ny
fellow citizon. which pTty will you
trust fcp tine next four ycarsY
VIII yOu go back 20 the days Of '63 10
a.. or will yOu go with and vote for tho
candidates Of the party that has given
yOu honest administrations. collected
aud honestly disbeF-od the states rev.
enues. established and built mp Our vari-
Ol~ state u-titUiiOus perfected yoar
free school system. the party under