The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1873-08-30
POVERTY OF THE SOUTHERN
STATES.


from the Vicksburg Herald of the lIth
inst, and ~ It Is the best showing we
have yet seen of the ruin wrought by
war and the II famous governments
that have since prevailed In the states
of the South, we publish to the eNclu-
sion of other matter we have prepared
for insertion in this issue. The follow
ing Is fine campaign document, ANA
we trust that our speakers who intend
to "take the stump" during the
cheated days" that will intervene be-
tween now and the election, will study
it carefully and make ii telling point
i'm their discussions.
A correspondent of the New YORK
Tribune has collected from the census
report of 1870, an exhibit of the valie
of property in the Southern States.
Granting that his figures are true, the
comparison with the values OF lSOo
makes startling showing of the I'M
poverishment of the South within the
past decade.
Reducing the values for both periods
to gold basis, and deducting S2,OOo-
DOC, 900 for the slaves of 1860, not rep
resented as property in 1870 (which is
at the valuation of 500 each), the
value of property in thirteen Southern
States, excluding Delaware, Maryland
and Missouri, was So 1903, ,0O0,629 in
1860, and in 1870 $2,7G2, 263, ,429, or an
actual loss in ten years of 30 per cent
of the value of all property. In the
three States, the valuation for 1870 was
"a per cent greater for Delaware, 56
per cent greater for Maryland, and l34
per cent greater for Missouri, than that
of 1860.
Counting the gain in these States,
the actual loss for all the Southern
States during ten years was 81 per cent
of the entire valuation of 1860. Estl-
mating the value of grcenbacks for
1870 at 81 cents, the depreciation ofthe
property in the former slaveholding
States, excluding the loss of the slaves,
was S4l3, 1000, 900, or about $50 in gold
for every man, woman and child,
white and black, now living in those
States. Excluding the three States
which show large gains, the loss Of the
other thirteen States in ten years was
81 ,231 ,0OO, 900 in gold, or Slo0 in gold to
every man, woman and child. we
add to this the estimated value of the
slave property, which was the largest
and most profitable the people possess
ed, the depreciation amounts to S3,-
230, 900, 900, or S2S7 in gold for each
person. In other words, the value of
property in the Southern States is not
to-day more than one-half of what it
was thirteen years ago.
Eiamining the property in detail
ha led to the same result. The value
of the farms in the Southern States as
shown by the census reports, was less
in currency in 1870 than it was in gold
in 1860 by more than S750,000, 900. The
loss on farm lands in thirteen of the
States, Oh a gold basis, was 81 ,002, 49,
l6l, or greater than the entire value
that remains, During the ten years
intervening, 2,S3D miles of railroa
were constructed at Il cost of SlOO,O00,-
900, which should have added proper
tionately to the value of farm lands.
But in spite of this investment,
the farm lands of the South are not
worth to-day one-half of what they
were worth in 1860, though the build
inc of railroads Ia the country at large
dn,;no tho same time has increased
tha w,,ma of farms three fold. The
'hr;,ioae in the value of farms per
Co., nnStirn,s this estimate. Tn West
VIZ, VIZ; ,;a and Virginin if was 50 30. or
On mar cent. in Tennessee 81 10, or 30
mar nv cent. I'M Florida 50 %, or 40 per
rent. in North Carolina 81 81, or A
mar rent. in Arkansas S. 80. or So per
rrent. in I,ouisinna Sl3 %. or 60 per
cont! in south Carolina S5 63. or 66 per
oomt, and so on The depreciation i'm
tba yoi,e of farm indictments i'm the
sn,,,o Sn tin,o y,,a from, $50 SIG. 600 i'm gold
7" IsGn to S55 S5i 1SO In currency in
is7o or n loss of more than one-half
Tho dncraosn in tho value of stocks
and ornns that were raised i'm 1860 and
IsTo was i'm the same nroportion. The
fo,,ros sufficiently startling them
aei,,as Il, NOT ronresent the loss by pre-
,'nnt;n,n Of naturoI ;ncreose which ii is
nrn nrnnnr to consider Phe rain i'm wealth
p.oTSo, ~, " Vori, ,,.os Is5 nor cent In oold
,,ai,'oo. In Lowe I36. In Missouri. l34.
IN pannsvIvnnio. liz: i'm Michigan
1ae. in C,i,fornia. I4s. The average
a,in In wealth in a,I fhe States. except
s sho th;rteen Southern states under
confederation WAS III Nor cent In the
tU,'1 tan Gears Al this ratio the wealth of
tbass tIn Santbarn states would have been
;morooSod ;,ore S NV 81 Oo0 O0O. 900 instead of
idirea'eT hn;na J;n,Ginis5ed IL Inv 81 2O0 000. 900,
Thn TS,ns sa;9aramna to the countrv, there
err mo hv tba imnoverishment of the
r lo,V, ns Stotas IL renresented Inv more
Io than e. oon ooG lloo or considerably
.,,"n ',nra than orr notional debt.
ihg' gn on,,n,onting mon these figures,
,ha rh;naao Tr;I,na riplffly points, rs
tho tho nr;ncinol couse of this alarming
up tne p,in -, 1,aInations to tj,e niundcr.
uecio ..,J r;atoms reiwn of carneihaprers
is ~, ,hn South Rut we give the Tri-
ILL., ln w oon,moptS in fnlI.
ourT .rThoro are few men at the present
do,, who will care 70 dispose of the
uJ So,o n,est;on Inv deciding the impov.
o,;ahvant muJ,u 70 be y inst visitation upon
tho Santh for the sins of the rebellion
Practical men will rather stop to con-
s,dor tho, the burden OF this loss falls
mon the entire country and inquire
into the ca,,se of II. II cannot be traced
70 Tho enoncinatiou of the slaves. The
si,,a,,os sT .nu were ap,ancinated I'm Delaware
v