The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-10-10

Many states in the union have
realized that better school condi-
tons, and better surroundings OF
life, must follow and not precede
good roads. What profit is it to
IA farmer in the county of Mar
shall, living some miles from the
railroad, to produce an abundant
crop, if he has not the means of
conveying the products of his
farm to the market? There are
hundreds OF communities in this
state, with a fertile soil, capable Of
producing abundance OF farm pro-
ducts equal to amy section of the
United States, if the. products Of
the sections in our state could be
gotten to market, but in great
many instances the sections which
produce these products SO album
dainty never reach the market,
with the exception of such quanti-
ties as are carried on horseback
in bags to some twon on the rail
road, to be peddled out for few
paltry dollars, when their farms,
as before stated, are capable of
producing an income that would
make their owners independent.
Behind in Road Building.
"The day OF the horse-path to
the village is not in keeping with
the great development and Won
derful progress that has been
made in great economic questions,
and we must confess, with shame,
that the sheep path to which we
point as out public thoroughfare is
fifty years behind all other great
achievements. 1t has not been
kept apace with passing years.
Think of our own state with
out even road map until last
year and this displaying only mere
marks upon the surface of the
earth, instead of presenting great
highways that would invite into
our state admiring citizenship
from all other states.
No state has a brighter future
for its rural citizen than ours. One
needs but pass through this state,
on any of the railroads, to realize
the truthfulness of this statement.
Pass with me for an instance,
over the Baltimore & Ohio and
look at the great county of Har-
rison as fair example of the
average good county in the state.
You will see soil producing a
fine blue grass as any state can
boast of, on which is fattened as
fine cattle as any state can pro
duce. Her hills are ribbed with
lime stone, that perpetually feed
the soil, underlaid with the great
Pittsburgh coal that is produced
in numerous quantities land in ad-
dition to this, belching forth from
the bowels of the earth, the high
est grade of oil and the greatest
quantity of gas found anywhere
in the world, and this only typi-
fes great many counties in our
state. But, with all Of this wealth
we, as natives, have permitted
spectators to come into our
midst, purchase and develop that
which we should have taken ad-
vantage OF as native West Vir-
ginians.
Had my ancestors retained the
property which they once pos
sessed, |, today, would be many
times a millionaire, but it all went
for naught, they not knowing the
great value Of the property they
possessed. SO it is with us all,
and especially those who live in
rural districts. We have not yet
risen to that state OF living and
learning to which we are entitled,
and we have not in the past taken
advantage OF the great natural
wealth which surrounds us on all
sides.
1T is not enough that we have
guaranteed to us by our funda-