The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-11

tconhlued from Page one1
with a common interest we should
aid in the development Of our Re.
sources in extending our trade and
commerce, and in making our natur.
al wealth, climate and advantages
more widely known, and there is no
better means to do all these things,
than through the efforts Of this
board Of trade. In population, West
Virginia ranks twenty-eighth in the
union, with 95S,9OO inhabitants In
1900, and forty.third in area, hay-
ing 24,645 square miles, her estl-
mated population now being 1885,.
900. There are seven States smaller
than West Virginia. The combined
area of these seven States is 4G,47S
square miles; West Virginia is more
than half as large as these seven
States. Belgium, with an area Of
1876 square miles, has popula-
ton of about seven million people.
With less than one.half the area,
she has nearly seven times the peo-
pie. England with about double
the area of West Virginia, has a
population of about 32,5OO,OOO. The
day will come when population will
he as dense in West Virginia as in
either England or Belgium.
The area of West Virginia can
never be increased, and her location
being one hundred miles from the
lakes on the north, and seventy-tive
miles from the tide water on the east,
we would not change It II we could.
No other State has two pan
handles; Texas has only one. West
Virginia lies on both sides Of the
Alleghanies. She looks east and
west, and finds markets for her pro-
ducts on the Atlantic seaboard in
the west, and on the great Lakes.
She is an eastern and western State,
and belonds to the north and south.
When her resources are developed
and with her advantageous position
in the union, she will rank foremost
among the States in business and
population. She is destined to be.
come a great manufacturing State.
With building of needed railroads
in and drought her borders, which
we should encourage, raw materials
now passing by and going to other
States to be manufactured, will be
manufactured In West Virginia. She
has coal, iron, timber, oil, gas, fire.
clay, marble, limestone deposits to
make cement and other resources,
in the greatest abundance; indeed,
might say, inexhaustible.
In enumerating the assets, and
advantages of West Virginia, we
must not forget that more than three
hundred miles of the Ohio river lies
within our borders. and belong to-
the State. This. with its great trib-
utaries; the Big Sandy, the Big and
Little Kanawha, and the Mononga-
hela, all now navigable with be most
important factors in the development
ment of the resources of the State.
Tie Ohio river carries more freight
than any other river in the world.
There is more freight already car
rled by water and rail in and out of
Pittsburg than is carried out Of.
New York.
At the last session Of Congress, |
favored and assisted all could On
framing an act incorporating CON-
pany, with capitol of $5O,0OO,OOO,
10 build canal from Lake Erie to
the Ohio river at a point some thirty
miles below Pittsburg. | believe
this canal will be built, and when
completed, 1t will furnish an outlet
by water for our coal, coke and
other products to all lake points as
far as Duluth; then coal and coke
and lumber, by this route, will come
down the Big Sandy, Big and Little
Kanawha and the Monongahela rivers
into the Ohio, and reach destination
TO all points by water.
Nature has done much for our
State, and we should DO something
for ourselves. England. the silver
coasted Isle" with an area Of only
50,922 miles, has for a century con.
trolled the commerce Of the world,
although not producing enough 10
feed her own people, She did not
reach this leadership and predomi-
nance in the business affairs of the
world without great effort. With
far.seeing craftsmanship and wisdom,
her people anu government have al.
ways, and particularly during the last
one hundred years, given great atten-'
ton to trade and commerce, and made
every effort to extend and build them
up, until she has reached her present
condition. Her consuls, ministcrs'NPI
ambassadors all over the world, HH.
sihnr Attending To the Affairs Of dinfo.