The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-07-19

Here and there low lays one
hears tie claim advanced for the re.
vision of the tarif. 1t Is no new SEN
tfment. our Denrocratic friends. ~
ways and ever for free trade or the
nearest practical approach to It, never
lose an opportunity of airing revision.
But in West Virginia we are stand
paters" and believe IN letting wen
enough alone. Ihave often been asked
why West Virginia, a Southern State,
has taken such a stand and why we
are even able to divide our State
Democracy on this question, The story
Is one SOON told. and this is it:
West Virginia, as State. was
forty-three years old last month OF
June. She was set apart from vfrs
ginIa in 1862, but not admitted to the
Union until 1863. For years ignored
by the eastern portion Of the "old Do
minfon,v the western part was looked
upon as mountain wilderness, But
that wilderness produced hardy race
of sons who, as soon as the Civil War
was over, began the development of
her great destiny. Until the Centen.
NAL year many West yirginians them
selves did not know, except In a gem
eral way, and the world at large not
at an, OF the States wonderful re.
sources. and everywhere the Com
monwea1th was spoken Of as 1.-The
Little Mountain State" Now the
West virgfnfan has dropped the little"
and is proud everywhere he goes to
boast OF his State and to describe fits
wonderful and vast resources.
In its area OF twenty-four Thousand
seven hundred and eighty square
miles there is more natural wealth
than is, perhaps, crowded into the
same space in any other portion of the
world. In coal her supply is almost
inexhaustable. She, in this one product
of nature alone, is one and one.halt
times larger than the entire area OF
the coal fields Of Great Britain. The
value of her coal, it is estimated, is
greater than the value of ali the gold
and silver on the Pacific coast. Over
seventeen thousand square miles of
her territory is underlaid with this
mineral. But this gives but very
faint idea to the general mind of the
immensely of this deposit. To say that
there are over ten million acres of
West Virginia in coal land gives but
a little better idea. When It is stated
however, that the coal OF. this state
could furnish the entire world with it's
fuel for centuries some idea can be
gained.
The presence of coal was known TO
the earliest settlers, but there was no
development made until 1856. In 1853
few small coal mines produced some
coal for domestic consumption, and in
1864 the first splint coal mine was
opened. Yet to-day the State is sec
ond in the production of coal and coke
and predict in few years she will
be first. Railroads have been built;
her rivers have been locked and
damned, and her mountains have
given up their wealth. From easily
mined veins, ranging in thickness
from few inches to almost thirty
feet, the "bIack diamonds" have been
taken out and shipped to all parts OF
the world The veins have been SO
easily accessible that the mining in
dustry has been most attractive to
capital, and the production, as con.
sequence. large, In one mountain in
the State there are no less than eleve1
veins, one above the other, from two
feet seven inches to twenty feet in
thickness, aggregating sfxty.efght feet
eleven inches Of coal. Aggregatine
thickness of from twenty-five to fifty
feet of coal over the same property
are not infrequent. And this is only
one of natures gifts.
Her wealth in petroleum is unknown
and what the future of this product
will be no one can tell. She almos
ties pennsylvania for first place fol-
the excellency of. her product. She
ranks second among the States in the
total value of the petroleum produced