National Republican., 1875-06-07
The Prosperity OF the south.

From lie PittsbErg Commercial
II has been the constant practice of the
Democratic press Of the country to represent
the South as down troddcn, oppressed and
miserably poor, in consequence Of the heavy
hand alleged to have been laid upon it by the
National Government. The South, itself, has
kept up clamor to the same effect, and those
who were disposed to take these people at
their word, would naturally conclude that
blight had fallen upon their fields, that in-
dustry was paralyzed, ard that everybody
there was living in a state of abject poverty.
Governor Hendricks, of Indiana, being a
Democrat of the school which regards the
Democratic press as q sOlt of inspired reposi-
tory of truth, recently visited the South, eX-
pecting, from the impressions gathered in his
constant perIIsal of Democratic papers, to find
every thing wrong-side up. He has but lately
returned from that visit, aud we are not sur
prised to hear that he should have said to a re-
porter that, "from many accounts which he
had read and heard, he was prepared to see
wTetchedness and sqUaiOr on every side, and
especially in North Carolina. On the contrary,
thrift, prosperity and happiness seemed to
prevail"
We gave similar testimony to this not long
since from Virginia paper, which confessed
that the South was really prosperous, and
that her farmers were steadily boarding up
their annual gains. 1t could not, in fact, be
otherwise. The South, since 1865, has not
only had excellent crops of cotton, sugar, rice,
and tobacco, but she has been able to get
large prices for them. The cotton crop is as
large as it was before the war, and the inflow
of money to the South for her products is now
mucn larger in volume than it was at any
period in the times of slavery. If she is not
growing rich it is her own fault.
In addition to this fact, it is to be remem-
bered that greater attention is now given to
manufacturing industry in that region than
ever before, and that the area Of grain cult
waited for home consumption is much larger
than in ante-waT times. Formerly the slave
holders bought their breadstuffs and bacon in
the North, while now a very large portion of
the corn consumed in the Southern States is
raised there. Cotton factories, also, have
multiplied, and her resources in iron and coal
are beginning to find development. Alto
gether the South is in a much better condition
as regards material prosperity than at any
other period in her history.
She is not of course cOntentei with her pros
perity. She has a grievance, and she must
complain. She used to rule the nation, and
now the nation rules her. That is her burden,
and all the wealth of GolcOnda would fail to
satisfy her, if laid in her lap. Restore her to
power, and she will gladly relapse into her
former poverty, and he much NOR cOutentPd
with it than she is now with the plenty that
surrounds her. 1t is power she wants, not
prosperity.
In view Of such testimony as we have cited,
it is time these Democratic grumblcrs should
cease tOyeN the public ear with their continual
whine about the suffering OF the South. There
is no suiieriI z there to conn ain OF. The panic
Of 1916 affected her MUch less than any other
part OF the country, and she has produced, for
the last eight years, much more tLAn she has
consumed. The balance Of trade mas been in
her favor continually, and by every rule of po-
litical economy she should be the very embOdi-
ment OF prosperity. And she Is. In the words
of Governor Hendricks, she is enjoying "thrift,
prosperity and happiness, - and the mutterings
Of discomfort that come up from her public
men grow solely out of Il restless political
ambition they have not yet been able to crafty.