Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-06
ynoTH AND SOUTH
Reasur, 10 Tho ~ o Sections Com.
parsd-The MagniSiCenf
Capabilities OF 1.-THE
South.

tbs following letter. comparing tie
resc'.-ces OF the northern and southern
states. appeared in tho New Orleans
Picayune:
The southern states, including those
south OF the Ohio river. and south of
PENNSYLVANIA, also Louisiana. Arkansas
and Missouri. contain vastly greater and
richer stores of natural wealth than the
states north OF the Ohio and the .iIiddle
and eastern states. and the free states ON
the west bank ofthe Mississippi. Slavery
kept these southern treasures locked up
for the benefit of future generations.
The vast fields of coal in the southern
states, the iron mines that could turaish
iron enough to casemate 4 world, the
precious metals. the limestone. hvdraulic
cement, potters clay, salt and sulphur
mines. quarrlcs OF griudstone. whet-
stone, II marble. the marls, the forests,
and numerous other valuable resources,
have been overlooked in the fanatical
scramble tor more cotton, more sugar,
more rice and tobacco, more land, and
more negroes. But the absence of
slavery ut the north stimulated immi-
grafton to the extent OF millions OF new
inhabitants in those states and territori-
eS. These w~Ork;ngmen from Europe
joined hands with the w~urkIngmen OF
the north and west thev swept of the
northern forests ail converted wild
timber into valuable lumber. and into
thousands of shapes and turms for the
convenience OF the people at home. and
as articles of 20 be sent
abroad. The result is. thai timber in
these states, where forests once abound
ed, is exceedingly scarce and iire-wood
very dear.
The report OF a committee to con-
gress some years since, made up OF men
OF great intelligence and sound iudg-
lneht, stated that the oak and hcmlock
forests OF the north We're so exhausted
as to threaten Il tannin famine thai the
forests were So reduced that, if we re-
member correctly, there were but two
hundred and fifty billion feet OF lumber
standing IN the forests of all the north
ern and eastern states and Canada. that
Inc consumption yearly was vertwelvc
billion feet. and the demand constantly
increasing. The committee further
stated that the destruction Of these
forests had caused drouths to be more fire.
quent; many springs and branches that
formerly supplied water all the year.
now go ury IN tile SunImer months, and
in heavy rains the water rushes more
rapidly to the streams and branches, and
causes disastrous ireshets. such rs were
unknown in the early settlement OF the
country. And the winters are colder
and he's summers hotter IT,. A formerly.
The very enterprise Of the )rthern PEG
pie has consumed the bulk of their nat
ural wealth they leave the coming gen
e%rations to SHIFT for themse IS as hest
they may. They nave exhausted the
sol! OF the older states so that five
bushels of wheat cannot he produced to
an acre where thirty bushels were form
erly obtained. And their yield OF corn
and other products decreases yearly. ex-
cept where an improved agriculture sup
plies abundant fertilizers. Even the
factories Of the north are nearly para
lyzed. while the southern factories
promise grand successes in future, I'm
migration, skill. labor, enterprise. and
capital in due time NAV make these
southern states ten times richer than
they ever were, and much richer than
The northern states. And with such
resources, in such u climate. their pros
perity should be perpetual. Or so j,
seems to us.