The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1881-11-19
Speech by Mr. atkinson.


son; of Massachusetts, at the At
lanta Southern Exposition, last
Thursday:
Gentlemen of Atlanta, friends
Of the South, fellow citizens of the
nation; Again have you asked me
to speak to you, again | feel that /
am among friends, again | am as
sured that no matter how greatly
we may differ on any points rela-
ting both to the past or to the flu
ture, we are all moved by the same
purpose, we all seek now the well
fare of our common country.
| / am almost appalled, at what i
see and by what you have accom-
plished in less than a single year
since the mention of this under
taking-in less than six months
since the first practical measures
were taken, in l0S days from the
beginning of the work to the open
ing day. Think that we who are
from the North may return home
and ponder a little on what this
means.
Facts are said to speak louder
than works. Here are some loud
facts on these grounds-the loud
est / ever listened to: what do
they say to usl | will tell you
wb at they say to me, it is this: the
[ industrial revolution which | had,
as yet conceived as family as | did
the full scope of the work which
you have accomplished, is not only
entered upon, but far advanced.
This is now becoming appar-
rent, and from this exhibition your
progress will be dated; what you
have already done must always be
a marvel. Yet more remains to do;
but you will do it. While some of
my friends here still think me too
much of Northcrner, NY friends
at home still say | am too much of
a Southerner; does not that prove
that ! am not too much of either,
that | am true citizen of our com
mon country 7 Therefore may say
that when reviewed the history of
the few years which have elapsed
since you were subjected, no only
to IA revolution in your whole
method of labor, but yet morcto a
revolution in the very fundamental
ideas respecting labor; when l
think that not only much that had
been wealth to you, even though
fictitious, was destroyed, but that
almost all your real wealth was also
destroyed; when | remember that
you came back to fenceless and al
4 most deserted fields, to work with
old tools or none; that your means
of communication were torn up
and destroyed; that you were. not
only without capital but without
credit; when think again that il
was unwise then to restrict suf'
frage mainly to black citizens as il
would now be to restrict it exclu'
sively to whites; ] say, when | say,
when / think of all these things
my mind is lost in wonder at the
progress made by white as well as
black in your great Southern land
When Isuggested the addition
to the railway exhibition, j said il
the railroad corporations which
have been built, are now project
ed in this middle or mountain sec
ton of your land, among the noun
tains, on the plateaus and through
the Piedmont District of the East
and blue grass section of the West
covering in my vision a section
nearly as large as France and twice
as large as great Britian-if these
railroads would place here exam
pies of the products of agriculture
of the forests and of the mine, OF
that section, it could not be equal
ed from any other equal area ofthe
worlds surface. The collection il
here and they have justified me.
Material prosperity is purely
question of quantities. The only
question is, how rapidly can YOU
convert the forces of nature to the
service of mani There are vast
areas of land-there are vast mine:
of mineral. Only one seventh
part even of the available land Ot
the nation is under the plow-less
than that portion in your southern
sections.
Is the land good are the mines
rich9 is the timber abundant : Here
in this exhibition is the testimony
of almost boundless capacity fol
wealth and welfare. Are the peo
pie poorl Do they call for capital
The capital of the richest State
or nation now exceeds one, two, OF
three years production. Welfare