Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-12-12
AN ENTHUSIASTIC GOVERNOR.
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 f.
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 siza
in the known world SO prolific in the
variety of its resources; were wall
erected around our state, cutting OH
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. Spleen
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.
In the production of pig iron we
take rank the fourth state in the
union; in iron ore, third; in coal we
stand fifth; in the production of cot
ton, fourth, and in its manufacture,
fourth.
I'm 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, Tallapoosa, Warrior, Cahaba,
Bigbee and the Tennessee are the liquid
arteries of the commonwealth, fed by
innumerable creeks, all fruitful in pow
err to convert our raw products into
articles Of merchandise.
"Over 1000 miles of railroads ira
verse our state from north to south. and
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 Ia
| Dor IL months in the year without det-
riment to health or comfort Indeed,
we can scarcely appreciate the bless
| ings we en- joy 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 Hamburg,
| 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-
grees Fahrenheit for January, rs for
July and 60 degrees for April and Oc-
| tober.
| Our streams abound in fish, our woods
| are fragrant with flowers, and our
beautiful seaport supplies an abundanco
of fish and oysters for all our people.
Nowhere in all the republic can more
| DrOllnC response De Heti HUH IhS SOiA
| to the intelligent cultivation OF man.
| Nowhere can purer water, a more genial
| climate or SUMMER skies be found to
bless contented homes.
| "These are our opportunities, these
the substantial groundwork upon which
| a great commonwealth can be erected
| Of course all of this was not said with
| out u 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 legIsia-
tor and citizen should bend their ener-
gies and weary not in well doing When
| we consider that we are now culIivoting
| and utilizing less than one-third OF
these resources, and that the other two
thirds produce taxes only, it behooves
us to invite to our borders and give gem
erous welcome to men and money to aid
in awakening these dormant re
sources
sour pig iron should be melted and
our cotton spun and woven at home.
thus giving greater employment to Ia
Dor and establishing home markets for
our agricultural products.
1.-THE smoke of our factories should