Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-06-07
tom HORNER TALKS.
He Thinks Morgantown the
Greatest Town on Map.


Growth has Been Rapid and is Made
up OF Desirable Class Of People
Clean Town May Prosper as Well as
Other Sort Farmers Warned
Against Haste.
Thomas r. Horner. well known
here as the editor and student who
took such an active part in the fight
against Raymond, is in town. He
walked over the town and expressed
his surprise at the wonderful growth
and prosperity of this section. Talk
ing to New DOMINION man be had
the following to say:
ain my opinion Morgantown is
growing faster than any town in she
state. It has been almost two years
since | was here and I find on every
side evidence of prosperity and
growth. / have read in the local pa
pers of the great growth of this sec
ton but | supposed it was the usual
tune hummed by all newspapers in
booming their towns. But with
Morgantown the case is different.
The place Is growing in every diree-
tion, and what were pasture fields two
years ago are now parts of the town.
"And from what can learn the
boom is yet in its infancy. / have
been told that several new manufac-
turing plants are now under course
of construction which when com
pleted will add several Thousand
population.
"The great growth of Morgantown
proves two things which contradict
accepted ideas as 10 what town
needs to grow; first, that it does not
necessarily have to have new rail
roads, and, second, that it does not
have to abandon law and order and
give free reign to vice. Morgantown
has but one railroad and it is as or
derby as it ever was.
Under the present system of
combination in which all competi
tion is killed, one good railroad af-
lords all the practical advantages to
town that half dozen do Nor
gantown has the same freight rates
that Clarksburg or Fairmont has
with the additional advantage Of a
navigable river.
But the greatest advantage which
this place has over all neighboring
towns is the superior average quail
ty of her citizens. / am informed
that about 200 families have moved
here in the last year for the purpose
of attending the University. These
are the verv best quality of people.
One good man is worth more to a
community than half dozen toughs.
West Virginia has several boom
towns, but | think as rule their in
creased population is due in the
main to the influx of foreigners, ne
groes, and the like. On the other
hand large per cent OF Morgan
towns growth is composed of the
very best class of citizenship.
1.-THE great industrial development
which commenced so years ago ia
Pennsylvania has reached West Vir-
ginia. We have one of the richest
states in the union and it is only a
matter of time until all these towns
along the Monongahela will be cities.
The most unfortunate feature OF
our new growth is the great saeri-
fee the farmers are making and have
already made by selling their coal
for the pittance of $50 an acre or
less. Twelve years ago the coal be
tween Clarksburg and Fairmont
was bought for $40 and $40 an acre
today the same coal could not be
bought of the companies tor $500 an
acre.
I'm 1912, Lewis Maxwell, the
greatest land holder in West Virgin
ia, bought 300 acres of land in the
West Fork valley for SO cents tor
the entire tract at another time
in the same year he bought at tax
sale 1000 acres of fine farming land
in Lewis county tor 1898 for the en-
tire boundary. Less than 80 years
ago vast tracts OF fertile land on
Hughes river, the Little Kana@ha
and other streams were sold for less
than one cent an acre, and the deeds
confirming my statements are to be
seen on the records of Lewis, Gilmer
Doddridge and Richie counties!
"When the West Virginia commit
tee sought block or specimen OF
coal to exhibit at the Worlds Fair
they took it from mine near Glen
vile in Gilmer county as the Pitts
burg vein reaches its finest develop
ment in Lewis and Gilmer counties.
Yet the people have sold this coal
for prices ranging from SIS to $25 an
acre.
"If farming lands advance in