Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-12-10
AN ENTHUSIASTIC GOVERNOR.
He Evidently Believes In the Natural ADJ
vantages of HIS Own State.

He Evidently Believes In the Natural ADJ
vantages of His Own State.
Nowhere in all the republic can
more prolific response be had from the
soil to the intelligent cultivation Of
man. Nowhere can purer water, q
more genial climate, or summer skies
be found to bless contented homes"
These words were spoken of Alabama
by her enthusiastic governor, Joseph +.
Johnston, in his recent inaugural adj
dress. and one not living there is tempt
ed to believe it all when that one fol-
lows Gov. Johnston as he enumerates the
resources and capabilities of his state:
with an area of but little more than
$4,000 square miles," says Mr.. john
ston, there is no territory of like size
in the known world so prolific in the
variety of it's resources; were a wall
erected around our state, cutting or
all access, we could produce within our
borders everything necessary for the
comfort or convenience of man. Great
veins of iron ore and seams of coal put
at our command almost boundless re-
sources in fuel, iron and steel. Splen-
did forests of yellow pine here stand
ready to build homes for millions Of peo-
pie. Building stone and marble, fire
clay, kaolin and lime exist in great
abundance; walnut, maple, oak, cher
ry, ash and other hard woods await the
hand of man for manufacture or the
adornment of our homes.
I'm the production of pig iron we
take rank as the fourth state in the
union; in iron ore, third; in coal we
stand fifth; in the production of cot
ton, fourth, and in it's manufacture,
fourth.
''In lumber we are near the head of the
list.
1T would be unjust should I fail to
include in our minerals copper, lead.
graphite, mari and gold; indeed the
only mineral that we seem to be with
out and to want most is silver.
Leaving forest and mine and coming
to our fields we find that they produce
generously cotton, corn, wheat, rye,
oats, tobacco, rice and the grasses, and
here is the home of the pear. the peach,
the grape and all small fruits. Vege
tables are grown with great success,
and this industry is steadily develop
ing. Our splendid rivers. the Alabama.
Cossa, Tallapocsa, Warrior. Cahaba.
Bigbee and rhe Tennessee are the liquid
arteries of the commonwealth, fed by
innumerable creeks. all fruitful in pow
er to convert our raw products into
articles of merchandise.
Over 5000 miles of railroads ira
verse our state from north to south, and
east to west, furnishing quick trapspor-
tation to market for our products.
when we come to our climate we
find that the Giver of all good things
has not stayed His hand, and that He
has blessed us with opportunity to "a
Dor 12 months in the year without det-
riment to health or comfort. Indeed,
we can scarcely appreciate the bless
ings we enjoy in this respect when
compared with less favored regions, for
even now we are seemingly unconscious
that roses are blooming in our gardens.
and the fragrant air is sweet with their
perfume.
1.-THE Piedmont region of our state
shows that its average thermometer in
summer and winter corresponds almost
exactly with that of Berlin and Ham burg,
whilst Mobile and the lower part OF the
state correspond largely with the eli
mate of Frankfort-on-the-Ma and
Carlsruhe. The average temperature
for the whole state shows about 40 de-
grces Fahrenheit for January, IS for
July and 60 degrees for April and Oc-
tober.
sour streams abound in fish. our woods
are fragrant with flowers, and our
beautiful seaport supplies an abundance
of fish and oysters for all our people.
Nowhere in all the republic can more
prolific response he had from the soil
to the intelligent cultivation of man.
Nowhere can purer water, more genial
climate or SUMMER skies be found to
bless contented homes
Of course all of this was not said with
out a direct object, and continuing he
| pointed the way in which his dream OF
great commonwealth could be re-
allied This for citizens of the state
both actual and prospective We wonder
| if the same, or similar. wise things
might not be said of many another
state, highly favored by natural re-
sources and dormant wealth, of our
| great union.
"This is the age OF industrial de-
velopment, and to that task the legisla-
| tor and citizen should bend their ener-
| gies and weary not in well doing. When
| we consider that we are now culiivating
and utilizing less than one-third Of
| these resources, and that the other two