The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-10-21
Quesr q j ". YIrrinia,

lowing comment which Is in circulation,
copied from the Journal, Of Lewiston,
Maine:
In distinction from most states Ia tho
Union. II 10 pleasing TO note that West
has more than q. 90 900 on deposit IN ffty
banks West Virginia was located over q
mine Of wealth, 4 coal center, an oil cen.
ter glass manufacturing center, ana its
frugulity may be less conspicuous than It's
good luck. Names debt was born IN Tight
ing the war Of the rebellion. There are
etter things than boarding money When
thou8andB Of children are born yearly to
die IN ignorance and when the OK team
perEOnihes the idea Of progress, Better
nifty years Of Europe than cycle Of the
blckWood8, where the school and the
gchoolhouse nag are not Economy y Just
and wise. Prudence II an essential, but
there Is no prudence IN money ct interest
when the people hunger for the things
that the money thus taken from them by
taxation Is diverted to other purposes than
their Immediate needs and those OF their
families.
What the New England paper Gays OF
West Virginia resources 10 ali true, and
West virginians win appreciate what It
says OF the manner in which that wealth
is being developed In It's short life
since the attention of capital has been
attracted towards what It has to offer,
It has made rapid progress toward the
building up Of q state which, In point
Of development along all lines OF In
dustrial and Intellectual advancement,
will have no superior in the country,
but the Journals comments in the con-
clusion of the paragraph quoted exhibits
a total misapprehenslon Of what this
commonwealth Is doing In the way OF
education. No such condition as Is Inn
piled by tts comments exists here, and
the Journal shows lamentable lack Of
investigation.
The intimatlon that West Virginia is
without a dsbt and has a surplus Of
million dollars deposited In fifty banks,
placed there as a result OF ''frugality"
which has been at the expense OF our
educational faciliHes-and that in con-
sequence 1t Is a baclSwoods state, where
the school house and the school house
flag are not" Is entirely gratuitous.
There is no state in the Union with a
better system OF free schools than this
state has: no state mas contributed
more literally, or has, in proportion to
Its size and population. better facilities.
With a state university, the attend
ance of which will reach close to a
thousand this year, with it's colleges,
academies, private and public institu-
tons; with Its public school system
perfected in every county; with Its COM
pulsory school law; with its irreduclble
school fund kept up to the standard con-
SANITY; with Its disbursement Of mill
lion and half year from three school
funds; with It's six normal schools for
the training Of teachers, and supported
by the state. in addition to one for the
education OF colored teachers-with this
splendid showing the Idea of the Journal
that we are boarding money, when
thousands Of children are born yearly
to die in ignorance, and that the OK
team personifes progress" is based
wholly on Imagination.
When the Journal further intImates
that in this state the people hunger
for things needful because the money
taken from them by taxation Is placed
on Interest or diverted for other pur-
poses" 1t knows nothing about West
virginia. No state in the Union Is far
Their advanced industrially, commercial
~ educatlonally than West Virginia, all
things considered. Maine was admitted
TO the Union in 1926 her population in
1880 was ss1,OSs. West Virginia was
created from a comparatively undevel-
oped region OF old Virginia within the
lifetime Of every citizen Of SO years Of
age and in 1890 her population was 769,-
7sI-now estimated close to n million.
One evidence that West Virginia Is
not in the ''backwoods" and that In her
limits the or team dues not ''personlfy
progress" is that the assessed valuation
Of her railroad property is about 49,
100000 Three trunk lines cross her ter
rltory from east to west, with lateral
roads. Finally, she has mo debt" be-
cause her constitution torblds the crca-
lion OF a debt. and she has made all
her remarkable progress without the
necessity OF creating debt.
1t is true that Names debt was born
in fighting the rebellion" 1t Is also
true that West Virginia was Child
OF the rebellion" and large portion
Of the state was devastated by war;
also that she was Union state, and
contributed a little more than ten per
cent OF her population to fight the bat
ties of the Union cause, to say nothing
OF furnishing many for the other side,
who fought brayely, and returned and
are among our most progressive cIti-
gems.
The Intelllgencer refers to the facts
in connection with the comments of the
New England paper. because 81 frequent
ly Jus, such Impressions as 1t seems to
hold concerning this state seem to pre-
vail pretty generally in New England,
where there should be reason to hope for
more enlightenment.
The New Electric Line.