The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-03-08


A. Richmond Is one Of dlsappolnt.
nssnts He looks over the city and
thinks what a difference would be ap.
parent x some Of the communities
Of the North had the chances that
seem 10 be wasting at Richmond. In
the t a place, at Richmond there is
found enough Ewater.power, to make
sne the foremost manufacturing
cities Of the country That water.
power Is Just at the edge Of tide.
Mater SO: that5the city which might
use the enormous energy could dis.
tribute sits prodncts by water to all
the markets ofEthe world. South of
Riehmo nd the cotton country, from
which supply Of raw. material for
textile manufacturing can be drawn
SO 8 ol,gs a s. man sliall cultivate tho
sou: the westward, in the great
yallay q the James. is timber, and
coal, and mineral wealth. The riv.
ers and the bay afford iarbors, and
fisheries and fertile bottom lands. ,un.
dl Richmond can justly claim that
Nature has overlooked but little in
The wealth OF gifts. Even the eli.
mate is such that the inhabItant is
eompelled 10 make less: provision for
winter than insstlee cities farther
NostlIs ~
Mchmond rs the Yankee sees the
place should have thousands of busy
looms, and thousands of lathes and
dorges and hundreds Of rolling mills
and WOO d.working shops and nipple.
mend shops and carriage and wagon
Eosks; and 9 Everything that utilities
cheap Ioweraalld convenient, raw ma.
tenal. Richmond ought to be one of
shsworks shops sof the world-a Pitts,
hHrg or q Birmingham.
There are several reasons why
Ranmond Is not forced by her album.
dance OF facilities to be leading
manufacturing city, but perhaps the
sliiaiE one IS that so many other places
me United States have likewise an
abundance of resources and facilities,
50 that the place that lacks energy
sna habit Of progress is not crowd.
ga w its natural advantages. Rich.
nmd some day will come in, and then
the gait win be swift and decisive.
The United States is yet to be built.
Solar; only q commencement has been
made, This Continent has the abil.
10 sustain a greater population than
the Continent of Europe, and as de.
mands press upon facilities, the pos.
sibillu essofS such places as Richmond
Hills he used,
was 1G11-almost three hundred
years agoEthat Sir Thomas Dale led
2 colony from Jamestown to com.
aance new colony at the falls OF
The james River. That was the be-
u - when Nir'
tala oneS hundred and fifty years
iatefs sent n A. Washington, with the
krrhess Expedition, against the French
ort Duqpesne, Richmond, as a com.
lslnnltg TWAS Just about as old as
ettsbgsg IS now. The capture of the
lgFfs !atS SDuaiesne marked the begin
ming Element in the vicinity of
lttsbtrg as the colony, led by Dale,
marked The beginning of the commu.
zits which, has grown up to make
Richmond The contrast is sharp,
Plttsbllrg has been growing rapidly
from year TO year, Richmond not so
test But Pittsburg keeps up with
the rest Of the country. Richmond
does not. Richmond, in 1900, was
fourteenth in the rank of cities. AT
4: he u last census she was in the forty.
sixth place. Richmond century
ago vas in the class with New Or
leans, Charleston, Boston, Philadel.
sSphi ga: and New York. To-day it ranks
with DAYTON (Ohio). Grand Ronids