The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-10

ADDRESS BEFORE.
BOARD OF TRADE

CHARLESTON; ". Va, Oct 10
The second annual meeting of the
west Virginia Board Of Trade con
Eened, in the Elks' club room here yes
tsrday. The first session was held
Tuesday morning and the body will
remain In session till Wednesday even
ing, when an informal smoker will be
rendered the visiting delegates by the
Charleston Chamber of Commerce at
Elks. Hall.
The morning session opened at 10
O'clock, with President George G. stur'
glss, Of Morgaqtown, presiding. Inyo.
cation was pronounced by the Rev
Dr. Robert Douglas. Of Charleston.
The address Of welcome was made by
Fred NJ, staunton. chairman of com.
mittee Oh publis improvements, Char.
1estoh Chamber Of Commerce, The
response was made by Vice President
Howard. Sutherland. Of Elkins. Dur
ing the afternoon Senator Elklns de.
ilyered an address which touched on
many interesting suggestions for the
betterment of the business conditions
of the State. The remaining part OF
the afternoon session was devoted to
the reports of various officers and the
appointment of special committee
to prepare memorial to the memory
Of the late c. A. Weaver, former treas
urer Of the State board, followed by
adjournment for the noon hour.
The evening session was brief and
was taken up with an address by Rich
ard H. Edmonds, editor of the Manu-
fasturers' Record, Baltimore. This was
followed by a reception to the mem
bers Of the State board, the Charles.
ton chamber of commerce and their
wives, by Governor and Mrs. William
N, o. Dawson, at the executive man
sion.
The session Wednesday will consist
chiefly of reading the reports Of the
various committees and the other bust.
i ness. Hon. w. G. Sproul will deliver
an address followed by addresses by
honorary members. This will be fol.
lowed by the election Of officers and
( the Introduction of the president-elect.
The present officers are: President,
George c. SturgIss, Morgantown;
treasurer, w. Alfred Wilson, Wheel.
ing; secretary, R. B. Naylor, Wheel
ing; vice presidents, F. W! Clark, New
Martinsville; Howard Sutherland, El'
kIns; Charles Caplto, Charleston; Geo.
W. Summers, Parkersburg; ]. W. Ruiz,
Blueaeld.
The address of Mr.. Eimonds was a
most remarkable one and is given in
full below as follows.
Address of Mr.. Edmonds.
In creations dawn when Nature
counted up her stores of wealth intend.
ed for that portion of earth destined in
. time to be known as West Virginia,
she found the quantity so vast that
she could only pack 1t in the limited
space assigned to this State by plling
il mountain high. That it might have
the cheapest of all possible means of
transportation to reach the worlds
markets, she cut these vast mountain
ranges by great rivers which forever
assure to the coal and iron and timber
and manufactured products of the
State water transportation facilities
probably unequalled in many respects
by any similarly rich mineral region
of earth. And as though she intended
to give to the inhabitants of West Vir'
ginia the most favorable conditions
for mans highest development, she
blessed you with your bracing noun
tain air, free from the rigors of the
far north and the heat of the far south.
In your valleys and on your hillsides
she has put soil rich and yielding
in abundance almost of every kind OF
of grain and fruit needed for human
sustenance. Unique in the vastness
OF hsr resources, West Virginia is
alike unique in the unparalleled loca.
tien which she enjoys. Midway be.
tween the activities Of the Atlantic
Eeaboard and the center of the worlds
iron and steel industry around Pitts.
burg and the lakes, she has on the one
side the whole Atlantic seaboard at
ber command and for the future the
fuel needs Of Europe which she must
in time largely supply, and on the
other hand not only the almost limit.
less demand OF the great steel and
iron and Lake region, even into Cana.
da. but also the open waterway to
New Orleans, the West Indies, South
America and Panama. Even now great
steel barges are being built which
when loaded with West Virginia coal
S win not break cargo until they dis.
charge at Havana and other West In.
dian ports. The old wooden barge is
doomed. With steel barges built to
stand an ocean voyage, the coal trade