The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-03-29
THE SOUTH AS A FIELD FOR SPECU.
IATT0N

Among the wealthy men Of Eng.
land, and among the wealthy men Of
the nothern section Of this country,
fhere is a plethora of capital all the
time awaiting opportunities for remu.
ieratlve investment. If the men who
.ol that capital in hand could but
he made as familiar with the inviting
offered in the South as
Ill southern men are, they would
freak up their profitless gold gorges
md pour their money into the old
slave States in such torrents as would
,oon cause the whole southern
and to glow with the warmth of
thrift and cheerfullness again.
In Eng AMI, and in the northern
Stataes of this Union, the fields :or
speculation have been so long and so
veil worked that it is rather excep.
ional than otherwise for an opportu.
lity Tor large and speedy returns
from any safe investment to present
itself SO boldly as to command the
confidence of capital. In these south
-rn States 1t is very different; for all
through the South. from the Potomac
o the Gulf OF Mexico, there may be
-ound, almost without looking for
Them, sucl occasions for most lucra.
i've Investment as, presenting them.
elves where the capitalists live,
would he caught at with eagerness
and improved to the highest ultimate
,dvantage. Whether the man with
money may prefer to invest with ref
arence 10 agriculture, in any of it's
varied features, or to manufacturing
y: to mining. there is 10 other region
Of the Eabitable globe in which he
:an be made more sure Of success
than In these OH slave States where
yhe lands are cheap because the own.
:rs, impoverished by the late war, are
unable to cultivate them as in other
tays where the facilities for manu-.
,acturing, extraordinarily offered on
every hand. are unutilized by the
..atlve people because the native peo.
pie have moi. the money to make them
.vailable and where the mineral re-
sources. just beginning to be devel.
opei. represent In themselves coming
millions OF money and tell too plain
~ OF the >outh's long neglect Of the
.reat riches lying at her feet. In ad-
lltlon to all this. the vast forests of
the southern States are entitled to
conspicuous claim to high considera-
slon; ior the woods Of the new world
are 30 longer looked upon as Value
less lncumnrances Of the earth to be
enjoyed only by the wild animals in.
uaulling them, but they are attract
ing attention as holding the great
reserve supply Of timber on which
Two continents may draw without
fear OF exhaustion for many years to
come yet.
The opportunities and advantages
Of the South as field for speculation
ire the results of the war by which
The whole southern land was sudden.
iy brou;s down from prosperity to
LOverty. OF course we had the soil,
and the manufacturing sites, and the
mines and he forests all here before
.le war came upon US, but ii negro
slavery had not been destroyed, if
.he southern farms and plantations
nad not been laid waste, il the south.
ern people had not been made poor,
the remnants of fortunes saved in
lands, from the wreck could never
nave been bought at the low prices
at which they are offered now. In
fact, if there had been no war the
Old slave otates would still be going
on i'll the old grooves, and entirely
free from all desire for any such in.
novations as have been introduced
under the new regime. But the war
resulted in general revolution
throu hout the South; and as re-
suit of that revolution there were
never such opportunities seen as are
now offered in all parts of her terri
tory for the most lucrative specula-
tiOnS.
We have written this article with
the hope that in Europe as well as in
the North it will set capitalists to re.
ii citing upon the attractions OF the
South. Industrial South.