The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-23


trains-go the hGw-eater and the whip
poorwlll. Come, electric liEhts-Eone
the pine torch and the tallow dip. Come,
education and intellectual development
gone, the moccasin, tho hunting shirt,
the shot-pOuch and the lop-earcd hound.
The day Is dawnng, my friends, when
all of the children OF tho state will b.
| furnished ten months free school privi-
| legeS every year and all OF them viii
be as neatly clad and cared for MS tho
Sons and daughters OF the multi-mil-
lionaires Of the land. Whatever thore-
fore. opens communication and creates
Interchange OF ideas umong All Of tho
people. counteraots the sansuinary tens
dencies of makind and broadcns the
field Of usefulness Of all.
The year OF 1899 was the high-water
mark OF the state In the production Of
coal and coke, which viii ever b. our
! principal Industries. The output Of
coal was nearly 100000 long tons. ex-
ceedlng the previous year by l00O,O01
tons. We are now the third state IN
coal production. and WI take SECOND
place from Illinois within the next
for 1889 was 100000 tons. "a a coke
producer we now hold second place, and
we will distance Pennsylvania Within
the next Ave years.
First in Oil Production.
In oil production. we are easily the
Arst OF all the states. We turned out
last year upwards of 100000 barrels
OF whites and oil, and the Industry Is
with us but an infant yet The trend
of oil capital Is all towards West Nlr-
ginin, because oil men know that the
600, 100000 barrels Of the olcasinoua ilutd
which our state has already produced
is but dipper full taken from the oily
ocean that lies concealed beneath our
mountains and our hills.
Gas Is also by no means the lenst OF
our natural resources. We lnd u
everywhere we dig. In fact, SO much
of 1t has been discovered that we don't
know what to do with It. II the West
Virginia natural gas could be properly
utilized 1t would furnish the necessary
fuel to drive all the wheels on. the
continent.
We have within the limits Of the
Mountain State perhaps S,000.OOO acres
of what may be practically termed Vir-
gin forests, which embrace an the
classes OF hard and soft woods. No
other state. in my judgment, cnn offer
opportunities TO the lumbermen COM
parable with those of West Virginia.
Already the song Of the saw is heard in
every vale that has thus far been pene-
lItrated by railroads, More RAILROADS.
more lumber camps, and more wealth
for the citizens who hold the titles 10
these undeveloped forests.
Rapid Progress in Agriculture.
Viewed from an agricultural and
horticultural standpoint, our state is
also making rapid progress. As our
husbnndmen adopt more Intensive sys-
tens OF cultlvatlng fewer acres upon
which paying crops are practically cer-
tain, they will soon become the hap
piest and most prosperous class OF
people within our borders. Our eNcel-
lent climate, rich soil n2arncss 10 tho
great markets, our very few crop fails
ures, and our great diversity Of pTo-
ducts, are few Of The many ranspns
why agricultVre, II properly followed,
will prove as profitable in West Virgin
IA as In any other state IN the Union.
The improvement In our domestic
animals has also been very remarkable
In the last few years, ana the lrplrt-
apce and desrubllity of procuring
Thoroughbred slres is becoming general
throughout the state. With this I'M
provement In breeding has already
come increased profits to the stock
TulEeTH, ana Nlt llLAklluA ANhNtk la NAaF
wIping out of mortgages and the liberia
lion Of the farmer from lntere5t-bearlng
burdens, which, IN the yenrs gone BY
were all too common for the common
good.
Fruit Growing Not insignificant.
Ny fellow citizens. fruit growing Is
by no means an insignificant industry
in West Virginia Apples, peaches,
plums, grapes and other smaller fruits
are extensively produced in some local.
tiles. In round numbers, the state now
has about 100000 bearing apple trees,
producing annually about 100000
bushels of apples; 100000 bearing peach
trees, producing annually about iOGOVo
bushels: 10000 bearing cherry trees
producing annually about $1,000 busn-
els; $1,000 bearing pear trees. produce
ing annually about 2OO0 bushels; l,S0O
bearing apricot trees, producing annu-
ally about GOO bushels; $4,000 bearing
plum trees, producing annually about
1900 bushels
There are In the state thirty or more
commercial nurseries, covering about
500 acres Of land. This represents alone
an invested capital of $lg5,OI0. Large
numbers OF men and women and chll-
dren are employed In them. There are
In addition. twenty-five or more conf
mercial florists. whose establishments
represent about $4,000.
The value of all this fruit aggregates
So 4O4. 600. To 1t may he added S20000o
for garden crop and $2T0.O0O for miscel-
laneous crops making n total OF nearly
S4 900 as the value Of the annual
fruit production Of the state.
Industrial Lines Show Improvement
Mr.. President, l am Informed by the
states commissioner OF labor-a man
thoroughly equipped for the position he
flIs-that there are marked improve
ments along all industrial lines In West
Virginia. There were fully five hun-
dred more mining and manufacturers
Industries January /. 1900. than were IN
existence at the beginning Of the year
1897, with the investment OF E1VerA
millions Of additional capital and cm-
ploying several thousand more iabor-
ers; and the advancement OF 1889 over
1895 Is also most encouraging to all or
our people,
There have been no reduction In
wages, but continuous advance ALONG
the whole line of our mining lumber
ing and manufacturing institutions
The Increase in wage rates Ia about 20
per cent, and the increase Of employees
IL about 30 per cent over the pfeeeHlliE
year Commissioner Barton officially
Informs me that the general condition
OF labor In West Virginia was never pa-
fore so favorable MS 1t Is at the preaent
time. LaborinE men are IN demand all
over the state, Therefore none need rec
main Idle, except ms n mntter Of choice
Permanent places In ruilroai hMlllnhr
in lumber camps and In coal mines arc
now going begging. More than a tApN-