The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-06-22

oAft oAAo 49, 81
ed the largest possible area Of 80,
lands. These lands made large or,,,
Of obacco. which your rivers made
possible to ship at the smallest COS,
AZ some one writing of Connecffra+
said as to that State. For two htu
dred years it is safe to say that Goat
lands governed the State. 1t was onI,
necessary to know the soil to kpsu,
also the character of the people TIA
best soil bore everywhere the bast mn
and m and the enterprisinc eAa-
ment which came over from thu alt
country was selected seed which tnnt-
deep ROOT in the best uplands and in
the rich bottoms OF the great rivers"
What he said Of Connecticut was emf
nently true of Virginia. Your MANY
navigable ivers brought in an enter.
prising element which Was saalan-
good lands whose products could IN
shipped to the best markets at the
! lowest cost. The resultant comnnarca
brought in wealth and maintained
education and intelligence among Your
people.
60 Largest Colony. I have all
ready mentioned that yours being the
largest colony and the exponent as
we'll of all the southern colonies gave
| you the comnander-in-chief. II is
to your credit that you had a man 10
present for that position who was
| equal to the opportunity. The same
cauSes gave you a large representa-
ton of unusually able men in the
continental congress and dictated that
one of them should be on the commit
tee tt draft the great Declaration Of
Independence. 1t is to your credit that
you had. in Jefferson, a man for that
position, who was fuIy equipped for
this opportunity.
Nor did the a0Va nta pes arjSipo from,
your central location, the size Of your
representation. the wealth and intelil-
gence of your people cease with the
adoption Of the constitution. Natural
ly Washington was the first president
But under our system in the election 0f
a president by which usually the en-
tire electoral vote of a State is given
sOlidiy. it followed this for the tirts ~
years Massachusetts, and Virginia
furnished the presidents, Virginia fur
niShing fOur presidents for eight years
and achuSettS two for four years
each. After Washington's eight years.
there came four years for Adams Of
Massachusetts; then eight years for
: jefferson Of Virginia: then eight years
for Madison; then eight years for
Monroe, then four years for another
t Adams of Massachusetts. The open
ing of the West and the battle of New
1 Orleans then gave us eight years OF
l jackson Of Tennessee (bOrn in North
+: Carolina) and the great increase IN
I population Of New York gave US Van
. Buren, from that State. followed from
! the new territory Of the West by Har-
: rison of Ohio, born in Virginia. sue
coded by Tyler of Virginia, then Polk
of Tennessee, born in North Carolina,
II then Taylor of Louisiana, born in \H-
: ginia (who. by the way, is the only
I president who base come west OF the
: MisSissippio, and then Fillmore of New
York.
- Mother of Presidents.
In like manner since the war, our
a presidents nave come chiefly from
New York. Ohio, and Illinois. The
n presidency went mostly to Flrglnlah'
# prior to the war, because it was the
= largest and most influential State, o.
k is the case with New York Ohio. ant
Illinois since the war. 1t is not tina
Ie the men best fitted to be presidents
r have lived in the largest states, bu
le when New York could swing thirty
d six electoral votes from one side U
n the other making a change of seventy
is two votes in the electoral college /
)r was not astonishing that Grover tleVe
land, though only by 100 majority =
20 the popular vote, carried his o"I
State and thus won the presidenc
4. over Blaine, the most popular man .
,,o the stronger party, who happened /
~ live in the small State Of Maine I'M
E instance is given to Show that opp"F
r tunity has a greater influence ina
Ga chance in shaping the success of state
re and men.
lg CD Progressiveness. I have Ih
IS, stanced in turn among the causes 9
the success of your great State. H
er advantage by eason Of its geoer5
rs ply, by reason if it's climate; its Ger
ar trail location, the nature of its popD
IN lation, sprung from the educated e'e
e ment in the cavalier and opposln
party, as each in turn was defeated j
Sc the old country; the education ana +
m t~elligence of your population due
Sc your large quantity of good land an
an commercial advantages by reason
no your rivers; and the influence OF yoi
80 of rs 81