The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-02-01
THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE SOUTH.
Under the operation of those in
scrutable laws, not formulated in the

Under the operation of those in
scrutable laws, not formulated in the
human brain, by which the inherent
resources of every habitable land
must always be worked out to their
best practical ends, the southern
States Of this Union are now brought
into the presence Of an opportunity
glowing with promise of the greatest
results. 1t is an opportunity pre-
senting itself too clearly to fail to be
recognized by every intelligent mind;
and it needs only to be earnestly
accepted and utilized to the fullest
extent of all the capabilities it un-
folds, to enable the South to rise,
very soon, to a plane of solid pros
perity unsurpassed by any region at
any period in the history Of the
world.
As long as the institution of slavery
existed in the South, the cultivation
of the soil was naturally, almost nee.
essarily, the one engrossing occupa-
ton of the great body Of the southern
people and as long as that condition
of things continued little attention
was given to mining, to manufactures,
to commerce in its broad, compre.
hensive sense, or, indeed, to any of
the many invaluable resources of the
South outside of the regular crops
from the fields. So soon; no wever,
as slavery disappeared and the south
ern mind was set free from its own
thraldnm under the influences of
that institution, immediate necessity
conspired with what seemed to be
the impulse of new and more vigor.
Gus era everywhere, to turn the eyes
of the southern people inward, upon
natural advantages unimproved ali
around them, while at the same
time northern capital and enterprise
were also attracted to a recognition
of the vast store.house of material
wealth and strength, waiting for the
wand of progress to open it in the
South. 1t was in this way that the
old slave States. after ceasing to be
slave States, we're shown to the
world almost in the light of new
land teeming with everything that
can be made contributive to thrift
and prosperity, and more inviting to
men of energy. whether rich or poor,
than any other part of the American
continent.
The soil of rhe South is so varied
in quality as to be suitable, some
where, to the growth of almost any
thing within the desires of man, and
in productive capacity its real value
is, everywhere, far in excess of the
prices at which it is held. The min
eral riches of the South embrace
everything of value in the kingdom
of minerals. The forests Of the
South are filled with all sorts of tim
Der, and it may almost be said there
is no limit to the extent OF them !;
the rivers, and bays. and harbors
of the South may be confidently
compared with those of any other
land in the world the manufacturing
advantages of the South are proba-
bly, not equalled, certainly not sur
passed, in any other section of the
Union and the climate of the
South is indisputable the most
agreeable and the most healthful
within the boundaries Of this coun.
try. With all these things to be
said, and said with entire truthful.
ness, in favor of the southern States,
and with almost the whole civilized
world on tiptoe for new fields for in.
vestments, the opportunity of the
South for magnificent development
of her extraordinary capabilities.
has certainly come If it had come
sooner it would have been less bright
less fruitful of material profit than it
is; for the capital, the intelligence
and the enterprise of the world are
more ripe for appreciation of the
resources of the South now than they
ever were before.-Industriul South