The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-07-04

lands then wffid0TBie and uuadruple
in value becaQsesFe have the great
est supply and hast Goals In the
world, the CHEAPEST mining, the
cheapest and best Transportation to-
an appreciativs+xnd ever Increasing
market; not ohiyso the markets OF
the world, but what might be- term
ed local mRtkeEin the east. the
west and the n0ttAs where the most
stupendous ACTIVITIES of the world
are now in progress. :
West VrglniS isNfirst in the pro-
duction of hardwO,ds. InH19O5 the
product of our Nmber industries
amounted to, nearly fifteen lni4tion,
dollars. Our forests of merchant,
able timber cover sixteen thousand
square miles, and consist of oak
poplar, hemlocks spruce, walnut.
pine and nearly AL the trees OF the
temperate zone. lOn a conservative
estimate they are worth twelve mil
lion dollars. ss&x.. ~.
West Virginia. Is first in the pro-
duction of petroleum The annual
value of the product is twenty mill
lion dollars. West Virginia oil has
no superior In the: market. 49,.
West Virginia lis first in the pro-
duchon of naturalSgas. The extent
or the nEoduct 1sspnascertained, and
rs development lis in It's infancy.
Last year the value of the product
amounted to overlfifteen million dol
lars, so it is said. but this figure
seems too low, Itsis the ideal fuel;
and with the proper appliance makes
most excellent hight. Thousands
OF buildings depand on it exclusively,
for both light and beat AS a direct
source or pOWersM the gas engine it
greatly cheapena production Mil
hons or feet of itiRre consumed under
boilers to produce steam. At pre-
sent only small part of tho pro
duction is consumed in the state.
west Virginia gas gives power TO
factories and light and heat to
thousands Of homes In Pittsburg.
Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland,
and other cities land towns in the
state and out OF the state.
Transportation facilities are indis=
pensable to the. development of a
state. elsewhere we have referred
to water transportation. In railrbad
| building the increase in West Vir-
ginia is remarkable. | shall not
speak of the electric or trolley rail
ways; they have multiplied and are
increasing In number and mileage at
an amazing rate.
| At the close of The Civil War West
Virginia had the Baltimore & Ohio
| railroad only, extending from Har-
! per's Ferry to Wheeling and Park
ersburg on the Ohio river. Now the
mileage is 5000. and new roads and
extensions Of old lines are constantly
building. In The last fifteen years
the increase In mileage of railroads
in the United States was 27 per cent.
Pennsylvania held up to the aver
age, 27 per cent? In Ohio the per
centage OF Increase was IA; in West
! Virginia it was SO. Today the ter
ritory Of West Virginia is ,traversed
by seven great systems; the Balti-
more & Ohio, principally in the nor
| thern part Of the state, having track
age in twenty-six counties; the
Pennsylvania lines in the northern
Panhandle; the Western Maryland, a
part Of the great Wabash system,
penetrating the central eastern re-
| gion; and the Chesapeake & Ohio,
the Norfolk e Western, the, Deep
wha & Michigan, 81 the Central H
Ohio lines, are located in the south
| ern part Of the state. In addition to
these Interstate roads mention should
be made of the Coal e Coke, extend
| ing from Charleston, the capital of
| the state, to Elkins; and the Nor
gantown &c KingWood road, from
MorgantoWn on the .Monongahela to
I.RoW1esburg on the Cheat, traversing
the Immensely rich counties of Mo-
mongolia and Preston. These great
interstate railways, traversing the
state from east to west principally,
not only bind together the several re-
OI M h fnt~
transportation for it's products to the
Atlantic seaboard and markets of
the east, and to the great lakes and
the innumerable inland markets Of
the great west. Branch roads ram
ify the state as feeders to the great
systems and today there are only one
or two counties that are not tapped.
The assessed value of the property
OF steam railroads in the state is
over $1S7, 100000; of electric lines,
$8,464,O 900; of car lines, 1886, 900;
express companies $200,60O; tele-
graph and telephone lines, $685.
600; pipe lines (oil and gas), $751;
10000; and Of water and light COM
panieS, $1,636, 5000; and the aggre-
gate assessed value of these proper
ties is over $244, 100000. No state
in the Union offers greater induce
ments to the investment Of capital
in railroads, and no state Is more lib
eral in it's treatment Of railroads.
The state needs and invites immense
ly more capital to aid in it's develop
ment. 1t is the settled policy of the
state to treat capital justly and
fairly.
I should be extremely sorry to
admit that we have given our energy
exclusively to making money and
the development Of material things.
If we boast too much Of these things,
I am DPrSna6p1 a NOT D,Ii1fior