Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1895-01-15
Message of GovernorMaccorkle
TO the Legislature.
Isnecial 70 the Baltimore Sum.

| lature of West Virginia to-day, is u ielt'sn5
aud interesting document. The following are
.he essential points
.sIbe,;eve the condition OF the state TO DC
,,ro,-,,n,,Ied in her history. Her finances are
IN The hest condition her growth in material
,,-osncritv is almost without precedent; her
instItntions have been managed with an eye
s;no,,c 10 the. good of the State. New Goals,
,,reot. il, variety splendid in quality. limitess
IN onnntity. and unexcelled in advantage OF
location. are daily being discovered. New
minerals and new oil fields arc daily astound-
ino the world with the vast possibilities OF
wealth within our borders. In nearly all re-
norris the coal area of the State has been placed
nj 10 COO square miles. New discoveries OF
coal and new investigations place the amount
MT not less than 1900 square miles. New
methods are obtaining and old ideas are being
reyolntionized. Business interests. which q few
wears ago were unknown in our State, are now
the most Astounding in prospective wealth.
Places which short time since were silent
wildernesses arcto-day as wealth producing as
any in the Union. Our lands are rapidly in
creasing in value, our products are finding
new aud permanent markets, and the world is
rapidly approaching our growing commercial
power"
Upon this vital question of material wealth
the Governor introduces large number of
specific illustrations.
FINANCES.
Sc The finances of the State are in better
condition than they have ever been during her
III story. L confdentially believe that no State
in the Union makes a better financial showing
than the State of West Virginia The State
owes no debt and has been promptly paying
all demands which have been made upon it.
There was a balance in the treasury October
/, 1891, of s723. 567 against S659, 1854 on octo-
Der /. 1898. The estimated receipts at the
treasury for the year ending September 80.
1895. are S7s3 ,TSS aud estimated expenditures
for same time S5T.31S.
| THE STATE INSTITUTIONS.
| 8. For the State institutions hespcak the
most searching investigation by the Legisla-
ture. desire no withdrawing reports, but
court the NEST careful insp ection of both the
| financial and domestic management of any OF
all of them. Without exception the institu-
tons in this State are in my judgment as well
managed as any iu the Union. There are no
suown abuses or neglect, and the boards have
been universally requested by me to be rigid in
their demand for a strictly pure aud unseitisll
service on the part of officials and employees,
and summary removal in case of neglect and
inefiiciency has been by me vigorously insisted
upou and has been as vigorously cur ried into
effect.
..This board has been very earnest in its
labors and very active, as well as successful
in its efforts to encourage intelligent farming
large part of our State is dependent upon
agriculture, and when the farmer is prosper
Gus the whole body-politic feels the impulse OF
; his prosperity. Our farmers are beginning to
see that it does not pay to compete with the
purely agricultural country of the Westin the
raising of large grain. The future success OF
the West Virginia farmer lies in the raising OF
the smaller grains, the cultivation OF the
market products, the fruits and vegetables and
the intelligent preparations of the dairy pro-
ducts for sale. The opening of mine and
mandatory in almost every valley will enable
him to make the change rapidly and prosper
ously, and will furn ish him with market
from which he can garner far more wealth
than he could under the old system OF the
cultivation of the larger area.
THE STATE BANK EXAMINER.
s'The work of this officer is before you. 1t
shows a very healthy state of finances in West
Virginia that no bank failure took place
within the State during the panic of 1858 and
only one suspension, that the resources OF
State banks in West Virginia during 1895
amounted to s12, o4s. 1854. and resources OF
national banks for the same period amounted
to s13, 4g7, 1887, making total of s25,5l5.-
62l.11. recommend to the Legislature that
the law relating to the examination and pub
lie statements of banks be revised, so as to
make it more nearly conform to the national
law.
Our progress in education has been re-
markable. In 1870 our school fund was $780,
SEQ; general school fund s2SS, 1902, In 1894
the school fund was s766,676,so and the gen
eral school fund was $3.50, 1854 In 1870 the
number of schoolhouses was 3.113. In 1894 it
was $500. In 1870 the number of pupils was
162. 482. In 1885, the number was 2S2, no. In
1870 the average length of term was four
| months and two days. In 1894 it was five
months In 1870 the value of schoolhouses and