Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-10-16


to the inventions. to recall the strug-
giles or to reeite oven the principal
events of SOME OF the bioodiest wars
recorded in history that occurred
during those 135 years.
The great transformation which
our country has experienced since
1874 has been slow and yet nothing
like 1T is recorded in all history.
am not only proud of the fact
that | am on American citizen. born
under the stars and stripes, but
!. ikewise rejoice that it was In West
Virginia that I first saw The light OF
day / would not attempt to say
that those OF us who were born and
reared among these beautiful hills
and valleys are any better citizens
on. more loyal to orr state than those
who were born elsewhere; far from
our state and country, We have done
nothing more than you have done
If you woydd take the time TO travel
over this state you will find thriving
progressive. up to date cities, towns
and villages; every where you viii
hear the sound OF the hammer and
the hum OF the wheel: and best of
all you will find at work intelligent,
contented and happy people. On the
hills and in the valleys you viii see
churches and school houses, and on
the farms you will find happy, con-
tented, intelligent, Industrious, God
fearing men and women. We have
erected and are maintaining institu-
The eye can observe al the things
necessary fer the comfort and hap
p.ness OF man that can be found
anywhere. and underneath the sur
face, hidden in the bowels of the
earth are untold millions of wealth.
No wonder our hearts swell with
pride when we say We are West Vir-
ginians. Some one, don't know
who it was said of West Virginians:
"They enjoy a climate as genial as
that Of the Italians. who dwell on the
slopes of the Apprentices: they have
forests more valuable than those
that skirt the upper Rhine; they have
mineral wealth as great as that
which has given England her pre-
cedence in the manufacturing prog
ress of the world We are proud
of calling ours great state and
when we find doubling Thomases
we prove cur greatness by facts and
figures that are indisputab'e e.
A State 10 be Proud OF.
The more we know OF our state
and country the better we love 10th,
A friend of mine wrote NE letter
the other day, in which among other
things he said:
have just returned from sew
eral weeks sojourn in New England,
principally in Massachusetts,. New
err before have the possibilities OF de
velopement in West Virginia appeared
so enormous. Massachusetts has not
thing in the way of natural resour-
ces, which is not greatly exceeded in
West Virginia. Our state has i'm
mense timber wealth; Massachu-
settles has very little. We have coal
for a thousand years; Massachusetts,
has none. West Virgnia's water
power, if deve oped. would exceed
that of Massachusetts, tive nty times (;
yet, ours in untouched, While Massa-
shusettes has developed it to its full
extent We have oil and gas, viii e
Massachusetts, has none. Our eli.
mate is superior TO hers, our soil far
better, our scenery gnander in every
way. But our wealth lies undevelop-
d. while that of Massachusetts, is
visible and active. | see no reason
why West Virginia. with development
equal to that which Massachusetts,
now has. connot support in comfort
and prosperity q population of eight
or ten million people. But there
must lie development, and every edge
must cut. Resources must be put
to the highest possible use, as ID
done in New England
gOilONSu the CO0neCUCuN river
entirely across the state of Massa.
chusettes. 1t is about the size Of the
Monongahela. Hundreds o. thousands
of prosperous persons depend largely
upon its water power fer a living
They use the same wa.er over and
over Yet, with all the wealth which
the stream produces, l am sure II
gives less rover than might be devel-
oped on the Tygart Valley river and
not half as much as Cheat river might
produce. and not one tenth as much as
could be developed on the Kanawha
and its tributaries.
Massachusetts, imports more um-
Der than is cut in West Virginia. it
gets some CT its best oak and poplar
from West Virginia. 1t buys III in
the rough and manufactures it into
vehicles, furniture, boats, boxes, and
everything that will sell. II a New
England state can haul lumber a
thousand miles and then manufac-
ture Something out of il at profit,