The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-06-27

IuS WuIlu . EHlE OH tLe -utl lHstNuE'
Like the Swiss, to whom we are often
compared, and like mountain people
the world over, VIC are attached to II
state and becOmingly proud OF it,
Among tho things that We feel proud
OF here to-day in the hearing OF the out.
side world, is the fact that so many
people from other states have come
among US and remained to their advan.
tage and ours. BY their help, as we'll
as by the traditional iecundity Of our
own people, ous population has dou.
bled and our wealth quadruplod. This
for an old state made over into n new
one is Q record unsurpassed in tho his
tory Of this country.
As regards our state exhibits, | do
not need to say that had We put them
in this building instead OF in their pro.
per places in thegreat buildings devoted
TO forestry, to mining, to agriculture
ANnl TO the liberal arts, VIC should have
MAJ no room hero for anybody. Those
Vic have visited tho departments have
learned how extensive and how credita.
Bile the exhibits OF West Virginia there.
in contained really arc. AS respects
! natural resources, no state OF the union
shows to better advantage than West
Virginia. Stripped OF their competitive
surroundings these exhibits never would
have shown to the same advantage else.
where. In tho forestry and mining de.
partments, in the matter OF Il i'm.
mense variety OF woods and Goals, We
simply excel everything around us, and
certainly in th"oagriCultural department,
in tho matter Of cereals, grasses aad
woods, We take high rank.
The resources OF West Virginia, as re.
voaled at this fair, will DO an astonish-
ment to many people. Tho general i'm
preston Of the country is that VIC are u
sort Of IN alpine region; that We have
high mountains, deep cInons, bold and
picturesque scenery, very crooked rail.
roads and wild, rushing streams and
that those ar. largely, if not chiefly, Il
asEets and u stock in trade.
FEARS NO COMPARISON.
Those who visit this fair and intelli.
gently compare the exhibits to which l
have alluded will not 60 homo with
this impression. Tho fact is that the
average stranger has been confused by
u history in the past, just US he has
been and is still confused in regard to
the queer fact that thirty years ago wo
somewhat suddenly ceased to be u part
Of the old dominion and became a state
on our own account. He says to him
self, in substance, West Virginia cannot
DO very much Of u state because she
was once part Of one OF the original
itates, and ia new in name only, and
oil that she has to-day, whatever it is,
she must have always had.
The fallacy OF such reasoning is
shown not only in the recent history Of
West Virginia, but likewise in the re-
cent history Of m or two OF the other
southern states, notably, for instance,
in the case OF Alabama, which in the
last twenty years has become ono OF the
chief iron producing states OF the union.
They dig valuable iron ore in that state
on the very ground wheroon they used
to raise sCant crops OF cotton, and the
stone that tho builders, (the cotton
kings, tho old time slaveholders,) 70.
iected has become the head OF the cor
ner. Alabama has thus become one Of
the now states Of the union. She has
boen born again.
HAS BEEN DORM AGAIN.
So, likewise, in regard to West Vir-
ginia. She, too, has boon born again.
She was born again during the war,
and was baptized anew amid the rcd
glare and the red blood Of tho dreadful
carnage that ragged around her. To-day
we are wholly changed from what we
were previous to this marvellous rcnais-
sance. We were once the tail Of the
slavery kite OF the mother state, and
people in West Virginia were the
howers OF wood and drawers OF water
for IN institution that they knew was u
blight to their prosperity.
They knew they had immensc nalur.
al resources, but thOy were cursed by
two great drawbaCks-one was defective
land titles, and the other was tho fact
that capital would not come into our
midst on account OF tho prejudice
against slavery. We could not even 70.
tain tho natural increase Of our popula-
ton in those days. In a word we were
tied, and tho cry was, "Who shall do.
liver us from this body OF death ?"
We'll, VIC were finally delivered; the
war delivered us. The war that dellv.
cred 100000 of slaves, delivered also au
innumorOblo multitude Of white people
in such states as tho VirginiNs and in
Tennessee and Alabama. Then 1t was
that We began life anew. All ii
prosperity dates from that time. This
IL the explanation OF what strangers
here to-day dc not understand. hope
those who hear INC will bettor under
stand In the future the reason why
WeBt Virginia, as u part OF n OF tho
old original statOs, has ono history, and
why az q state by herself she has n new
aud altogether different history. Once
We woro in the land Of Egypt, trying
TO make bricks without straw; now wo
are in tho promised land making moro
aud better brick than over, and making
also, as a people,, agroat deal Of money,
MS HAPLrSs HERITAGE,
Our condition thirty years ago this
day was precisely that OF u person who
had fallen heir to n great estate without
a dollar OF capital to develop 1t. Our
people wOrO poor and for the most part
u%nOduCRtcd. ThorO wore not 100 pub.
lie school houses In tho 24,000 square
miles OF West Virginia on the twentieth
day Of Juno, 1868. Loss than 5000, all
told, was expended pOr Annum in teach.
ing tho young TO road and write. We
had q frIghttul inheritance OF illitoracy
from tho old state TO deal with. WO
had only 800 miles Of railroad. Neither
had cpurta and Legislatures began tho
great work Of discriminating our land