Show jr t ELo belfe cited tn in the inaugural address adar of or Jolin toa govern v feib fi ib h F johnston ws waa inaugurated augu rated cosor or of alabama dec L before taki ta the th oath or of office he delivered a I 1 long g address sounding the keynote of his administration which is to promote the development of ala babas resources and improve the condition of her people speaking of the resources of the state he said with an area of but little more than fifty thousand square miles there is no territory of like size in the known world so prolific in the variety of its resources were a wall erected around our state cutting off all access we could produce within our borders everything necessary for the comfort or convenience of man great veins of iron ore and seams of coal put at our command almost boundless resources in fuel iron and steel splendid forests of yellow pine here stand ready to build homes tor for millions of people building stone stole and marble fire clay kaolin and lime exist in great abundance walnut maple oak cherry ash and other hard woods await the hand of man for manufacture or this the adornment t of our homes in the production of pig iron we take rank as an the fourth state in the union in iron ore or third in coal we stand fifth in the production of cotton fourth and in its manufacture fourth in lumber we are am near the head bead of the list it would uld be unjust should I 1 fail to include clude in our minerals copper lead graphite marl and gold indeed the only mineral that we seem to be without and to want most is silver leaving forest and mine and coming to our fields we find that they produce generously cotton corn wheat rye oats oata tobacco rice and the grasses and here is the home of the pear the peach the grape and all small fruits vegetables are grown with great success and this industry is steadily developing our splendid rivers the alabama coosa I 1 tallapoosa warrior cahaba cababa bigbee and the tennessee are the liquid arteries of the commonwealth fed by innumerable creeks all fruitful in power to convert our raw products into articles of merchandise over miles of railroads traverse our state from north to south and east to west furnishing quick transportation to market for or our products when we come to our climate we find that the giver of all good things has not stayed his hand and that he has blessed us with opportunity to labor twelve months in the year without detriment to health or comfort indeed we can scarcely appreciate preci ate the blessings we enjoy in this respect when compared with less favored regions for even now we are seemingly unconscious that roses are blooming in our gardens and the fragrant air is sweet with their perfume with a profound gratitude to the god of our fathers that our lots hae ha e been cast in this sunny land let us beseech him to send warmth and vitality and enduring growth into every field of endea endeavor v or that will make us strong to accomplish the things that make a state loved at home and revered abroad |