The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1895-01-17
WEST TENNESSEE
And the Centennial. Exposition.
BY COL. ROBERT GATES.

The pending Tennessee Centennial
Exposition will provide the one thing
needful for the proper education of our
own people and the world in the prog
ress made and the resources possessed by
the State. 1t will present in the con-
crete form of object lessons the parts,
historic and material, upon which the
possibilities claimed for Tennessee are
predicated 1t will be at once demon
stration and an inspiration. 1t will
point out the localities where each OF
many lines of fortune may be cast with
the certainty OF good results.
This is a land of Investigation in pro-
duction and industries, 1t embraces a
greater variety and higher class raw
products, and with them larger posi-
| bilities in manufacturing than any sec
/ ton of like size in the world, There are
mountains of iron, coal, marble, stone,
lead, zinc and copper. Forests of hard
and soft wood. Mantel hills, plains and
valleys from eastern heights to the great
river. Grain and pasture lands, fruit
and vegetable lands abound. All the
sources of productive wealth are en-
braced in the fair and fruitful land that
bears the musical name of Tennessee
Such an inheritance carries the duty to so
love and build that it shall grow fairer
in the hands OF each succeeding genera
| ton.
And West Tennessee is a splendid
part of this inheritance of soil and eli
mate which combines to fructify the
chances of all wise efforts. 1t may be
truly said that West Tennessee is land
OF big trees, deep streams and crop yield
ing soil. Nowhere on earth do soil
and seasons more generously respond to
intelligent industry. Nowhere is soil
more grateful to kind treatment, more
easily re-vitalzed, more cheaply and
more proftably enriched by right meth
DDS. 1t is warm and responsive soil it
yields all the crops of the temperate
Zone, more or less abundantly Wheat,
oats, clover, and grass are grown to great
advantage. Corn, cotton, and tobacco
are grown successfully All the roots
crops yield large results. And for small
fruits and tomatoes, for truck farming,
West Tennessee can beat the world.
Its soil and seasons are perfectly
adapted to this branch OF agricultu-
raj industry. This fact, together with
superior transportation, has given great
impetus to this line of effort. AS a whole,
West Tennessee is in few hours OF
the lake and gulf cities, and midway
between them. Its products reach Chi
cago, st. Louis and the North, and
Northwest cities over four trunk lines
of railways. They reach New Orleans
and the Gulf cities over three North and
South lines, and to the East four great
trunk lines in competition, carry its
products to the Atlantic cities and New
York. In fact West Tennessee leads
the State in transportation facilities, as
Tennessee leads its sister States in vari-
ETY. and wealth of resources.
But this is only part of the truth. To
all that has been said of soil products
we must add hard wood in great variety
clay for pottery, ochre, brick, and fire
clay, short and long staple cotton, and
an endless variety OF fruits and vegeta
bles for canning.
Hence, watered by the greatest of riv
ers, and intersected by collateral streams
more or less navigable, so lined by rail
roads that few farms or villages are be-
yond the sound of two roads, and often
more. With health conditions unsur'
passed as demonstrated by the late cen
sus report on vital statistics, and eli
mate warm enough for all year work
and cheap living, and cool enough fol
health and enjoyment For these potent
reasons, West Tennessee is destined tc
be great manufacturing region on the
lines OF wood products, fabrics, leather
wares, brick and thing, and fruit and
vegetable canning
The Centennial Exposition will revea
all these advantages to capital and thrifty
immigrants, as well as inspire our owr
people with ambition equal to the OPP
portunities. 1t will teach at home anc
abroad. 1t will organize development
and set the forces of progress in motion
1t will show the way and inspire
eouagement for action. 1t will be The
morning of great day for West Tennes
see, for the whole State; a day full o
light, encouragement and fruition.