Evening star., 1902-01-01
MONTAGUE IN OFFICE
Virginia's New Governor Sworn in
at Richmond Today.
MAKES SPEECH IN CONVENTION HALL
Contrasts the Virginia of Today
With That of 1850.
NEEDS OF NEW CONDITION
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star
RICHMOND, Va, January 1.-Andrew
jackson Montague was today inaugurated
governor of Virginia for a period of four
years. The ceremonies were of the SIM
plest possible nature, and took place in the
hall of the house of delegates. The crowd
taxed the capacity of the building and IN
cluded many of the most distinguished
people Of the state. Gov Tyler entered
with Mr.. Montague, Lieut.. Gov.-elect VIII
lard with Lieut. Gov. Echols and Attorney
General-elect William A. Anderson with
Alfred P. Thorn, chairman of the constitu-
tional convention committee of arrange
ments. followed by members OF the COM
mittee, a committee from the general as
sembly of Virginia and members of the
staff of Gov. Tyler. The oath of Office was
administered by President James Keith of
the supreme court of appeals.
The Governors Address.
Gov Montague made an address after the
oath had been subscribed to. He said, in
part:
MY appreciation Of the confidence of my
fellow-citizens and of the Invitation which
brings me into this honorable presence can
best be expressed by this public and unre-
served dedication Of myself to the service
which the oath about to be taken will le-
gally proclaim
'In this devotion Of myself to the public
veal am not unmindful of the conditions
which embarrass your most patriotic pur-
poses. No similar convention was ever
confronted with the difficulties which stand
in your pathway-dificulties political, eco
nomic and sociological You are called
upon not only to extricate the common
wealth from political conditions wrongfully
imposed, but to safeguard and make room
for great and rapidly growing industry and
commerce and to preserve inviolate the
precedence and mighty mission of our race.
''No political conditions threatening the
intellectual freedom and the civic virtue
OF our people; no vast dispiacements of
capital by machinery and corporate owner
ship, giving rise to new and difficult ques-
tionS of taxation. and no racial problems,
vital and profound, evoked the thought of
the convention of 1850. while all of these
momentous changes and their consequent
your most exalted courage. Surely, there
fore, these conditions must secure from
your fellow-citizens a patient and just con-
sideration.
1.-The Virginia of the convention of 1850
and the Virginia of the convention i'm whose
presence now stand afford a striking con-
trast. And yet despite the years of war
and waste and the succeeding period of in
dustrial and social revolution. the present
Is full Of satisfaction and promise"
Question of Education.
After contrasting the conditions which
existed with the conditions Of today in ma
terial development the governor took up
the subject Of education. He said:
This is a momentous question for the
southern states. Republican government
founded upon an electorate without intelli-
gence is a house whose foundation is sand
The predominant feature of the century
just closed is the extension Of free educa-
tion to the masses Of the people, and with
this extension goes hand in hand the
Weath-producing power of the people, for
the material advancement of a state is
measured by the school privileges Of it's
people.
But one education differs from another
as one star differeth from another in glory.
There is an education of the learned pro-
fessions, statecraft. science and philosophy,
and there is an education of agriculture
and the mechanic arts; the latter is the
foundation of wealth and comfort, and is
laid in the common schools
The age of the hand is past and the
age of the machine is come. Its mighty
power is at play in modern Industrial prog
reSs. What shall We do with this force?
Shall we observe its march with unconcern
or shall We command it to our own uplift-
ing? II so, We must engraft upon our COM
mon free schools some forms Of industrial
and mechanical education.s
Matter of Public Roads.
Concerning public roads he said
''The decrease in the number Of those en-
gagged in agricultural pursuits in the state
is both significant and regrettable. What
ever may be the several causes, one of mo-
ment, 1 venture to offer is the condition of
our public roads. In many of our counties
from two to three months in the winter
season our roads are social and Industrial
blockade This blockade should be raised.
We should facilitate the social and COM
mercial intercourse of our rural population.
We have spent in the past five years about
s., 600 upon the public roads, but this
great sum has been of no appreciable good
May not the failure be largely due to the
fact that our people do not sufficiently
realize what good roads are, and what a
contribution they make to mans comfort
and wealth? We should at least start a
good road in every county which now has
none. This will at once prove of extraor-
dinary educational value, and when the
knowledge of such benefits is once per-
ceived we need not fear for the results
Words are inadequate to express my sense
of the Importance Of this subject and l
simply suggest this, as do that of indus
trial education, for the purpose of inviting
public consideration. for later I entertain
the hope Of presenting my views more con-
cretely TO the legislature