Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1907-03-21
Extract from Speech Of Senator Z. F.
LoYill, OF Watauga.

1 Cdpt' II. Il. LOulllj clOSeu HIS
speech on the railroad rate ques.
tion in the State Senate with the
following beautiful tribute to the
mountainous sections OF North
Carolina:
"Mr. President, / represent a
district in which there isnotas sin
gle foot Of railroad. think it is
the only district in all the South
ern States in which there is no
railroad, and | believe it to be
the only district east Of the Mis-
sissippi river in which they have
no public means of transporta-
ton. We have hoped and prayed
that the State Of North Carolina
would come to our rescue. Our
people have cheerfully paid taxes
to build the North Carolina rail-
road, the Atlantic & North Caro-
lima railroad, the Western North
Carolina railroad and the Cape
Fear and Yadkin Valley railroad
and we hoped that when t h e
State became great a n d pros
porous that they would turn
their eyes once to the northwest
and make us feel that we are a
part of the great State OF North
Carolina. We are fast becoming
tributaries to Tennessee and Vir-
ginia. 1t is not our desire that
this should be the case because
we are North Carolinians, and we
look forward to the time when
that country to which / h q We
called your attention shall also
be connected by railroad to the
balance Of the State.
"Iet me describe this beautiful
country to you, Senators. Ii you
60 three thousand feet above the
dome Of this capitol, you would
then be on a level OF the streams
that flow through my district.
1t is O country Of beautiful val
leys, and rich and fertile hills, ma
jestlc mountains and happy
homes. There stands the great
Elk Knob mountain, which lifts
its mighty peak near six thou
sand feet above the sea. Back
across the beautiful hills and val'
leys tan d s the Grandfather
mountain that lifts it's mighty
brow six thousand feetabove the
sea and whose summit ! 0 O k s
down perhaps over the thunder
storm with it's rolling thunders
and fishing lightning, into the
chambers OF the setting sun, and
as you GO down the slopes OF that
majestic mountain you will see
beautiful and crystal springs Of
icy cold water thatroll like liquid
diamonds into the valley below.
You will go through vast prime
val forests Of mighty timber
trees and down through ferns
and rhododendrons into t II e
broad and beautiful valleys where
you viii see the tall meadow
grass waving in the breezes, and
catch the aroma of new mown
hay. You will see great orchasds
OF big apples that gather the col
ors of the rainbow from the glo-
rious sun Then, as you journey
along. you will see the lazy fat
ted cattle as they browse upon
the sweet and nutricious grasses
by the crystal brooks that 60
rushing and gushing and dash
ing and splashing and jumping
and hopping like the waters that
came down at Ladore.
"Then, Senators, you will be-
hold the lambs skipping over the
green pastures, and as you re-
cline under the shade OF the su-
gar tree as the ozone fans your
brow, you will imagine that you
have been transported to th e
laid of Arabey, the blessed. Here
you will hear the hum of the
bee that gathers the honey from
the lynn, the buekwheat and the
clover, or you may hear the buzz
OF the humming bird as it gath
|ers nectar from the wild flowers
that bloom on either hand, and