The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1899-05-24
THOUGHTS ANENF THE MEET
ING OF THE COMMERCIAL
CONVENTION

ING OF THE COMMERCIAL
CONVENTION
1.
Kentucky is rich-she is fabulously
wealthy.
There Is enough treasure stored away
in her generous bosom to dispsl all the
poverty Of the world.
Her rugged mountains are filed with
inexhaustible deposits Of coal and iron;
millions Of her broad acres are shaded
with hardwood forests; immense reser-
voirs filed with natural gas and petrO-
leum, thousands Of equare miles in ex-
tent, underlies her surface; quarries
OF oolitic limestone, sandstone, cement
rock, lithograph stone, and onyx are
scattered about IN various sections, while
rich marls, valuable shales and clays OF
superior quality everywhere abound.
These mineral treasures have been
scattered with 30 lavish hand that it
seems the Supreme Architect had de-
termined Kentucky to be ga most
favored state"
1t is rare thing to find a state equally
rich in mineral and agricultural re-
sources, but Kentucky is the exception
to the rule. The mountain valleys, the
bluegrass" the 'pennynle," and the
purchase" all possess soil that needs
but be tickled with a hoe TO make it
laugh with plenty.
She possesses genial climate and the
productiveness of her soil makes the
"blue grass" state a veritable land Of
Caanan.
Kentucky's possibilities are limitless.
Her latent resources, if developed, would
place her first among the states. All
that is needed to transmute her mineral
and agricultural resources into gold is
the potent touch Of the wizard, Capital
and its Genii, Labor
II.
Yesterday was the patrisrchisl age Of
Kentucky. The pioneers, after fighting
with the giant strength Of youth, wild
men and savage nature, created in the
land of their conquest another Already,
and here, in the sunset OF their day
they we're content to settle down to lives
of pastoral quiet, to Craze their kline and
till their fat fields until they were called
to the eternal peace of the grave.
Today is the political age Of Kentucky.
The sons of the pioneers have inherited
the fierce energy that characterized the
youth Of their fathers, but instead Of
dedicating this energy to the creation OIL
a new empire, it has found vent in the
bubbling heat OF the seething Cauldron
Of politics and thus it is that there ID
more politics to the square inch in Ken
lucky than in any other place on Gods
foot-stool.
Dissatisfied with Arcadia they sought
Utopia and tried to achieve it through
legislative enactment. Smart and un-
scrupulous men realized the futility Of
the idea, but with the heartles effrontery
of demsgogues they promised the rsali-
cation Of an irridsscent dream that the
generous impulses Of the people should
be prostituted TO their lust for power.
The people were beguiled by the
promises Of the demagogues and were
content with the shadow of things hoped
for. They Jagged behind in the march
of progress. They were 80 absorbed in
the "isms" Of politics that they have
been blind to the latent wealth that ia
their heritage and deaf to the offers OF
Capital pleading to develop it.
III.
Tomorrow is the commercial age OF
Kentucky, and, thank Heavenl the
morrow is already heralded by brilliant
dawn.
Above the strident, passionate yawp
Of the demagOgue can be heard the
calm, insistent voice of reason urging
the introduction Of Capital.
The depagogue, ever jealous Of his
own prestige, and realizing that its foun-
dAtiOn is built Of folly, fallacy, prejudice,
passion and ignorance, hears the voice,
and, trembling for the pepetuity Of his
prestige, seeks to strengthen the founda-
ton by building to it with the same ma
terials.
He challenges the truth OF reason as an