The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-10-30
New York Hsrald.l
The Rise or the SOuth.

Our en,erprising Southern contempt
rary the New Orleans Timss Democrat
has rendered valuable service not alone
to the South, but to the entire country.
In its issue of October 20 it gives thor
ough and carefully prepared review of
sixty teeming columns, showing the in
dustrial condition of twelve Southern
States to-day, and the progress that has
been made in them since the national
census was taken. The States are Nir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee
and Arkansas. The facts and figures
were obtained from the Governors of
those States and other official sources.
The completeness and substantial accu-
racy of the information are vouched for
by the journal which gives it to the pub
lie.
For all practical purposes the report
may be taken as "A new industrial census
of the South. 1t tells a marvellous story
OF present prosperity and recent progress.
The material growth OF the South was
rapid during the decade preceding the
last census year. 1t has been far more
rapid and wonderful since the last census
year. According to the report of the
Times Democrat, the progress of the past
four years is greater than that of the pre-
cedlng ten. Take the item of assessed val
ue of property as showing the increase OF
material wealth. IN 1875, the year to which
the figures of the federal census apply, the
aggregate assessment in the twelve South
ern States above named was two billion
one hundred and eighty-tour million dol
lars. 1t is now two billion eight hun
dred and twenty-five millions. This
shows the enormous increase in four Years
OF six hundred and forty-one million dol
lars, or between half and three-quarters
of a billion. At the same time there has
been a material reduction in the rate of
taxation, while liberal appropriations
have been made for schools, public i'm
provements and other useful purposes.
or is this marvellous advance in valu-
ation," says the Times Democrat, the
result of any initiation in value, but the
natural sequence of grand crops. new in
dustries developed, new manufactures,
mines and lumber mills established.''
The progress in railroad building is
equally striking. In the twelve States
which We have enumerated the mileage
of railroads in 1879 was seventeen tnou-
sand. 1t is now twenty-six thousand,
showing an addition of nine thousand
miles to the railroad system of these
Southern States in four years, or more
than two thousand miles Il wear
The cotton crop of four years ago was
five and three-quarter million bales. The
yield Of the past season reached nearly
seven millions In 1880 there were in
the four principal cotton manufacturing
States-North and South Carolina, Ala
bama and Georgia Fps mills, with 45l,-
600 spindles and $500 looms. There are
now in these States 1925, 80 spindles and
$4,000 looms humming i'll $50 mills.
This shows an increase of more than sixty
per cent in mill capacity with. three
years, and the mills are reported to be
making handsome profits. Within the
past four years the amount Of raw cotton
manufactured in the South has more than
doubled, the consumption having in
creased at a far more rapid rate in South
ern than in Northern mills.
We have given the particulars of but a
few items. The reports published by our
contemporary show that the marvellous
progress has been varied in character and
general throughout the South There
has been an astonishing development of
mineral resources, agriculture, manufac-
lures and trade, and this industrial and
material progress has been attended with
corresponding advance in the social,
political and general welfare of the South
crn people. 4
These facts are daily becoming more
known and appreciated, not only in the
South, but throughout the North The
Atlanta Exposition brought the Northern
and Southern people together and gave
the world better knowledge Of the great
resources of the South. The fruits of that
enterprise appear in the striking progress
which has since been made. The exhibit
ton now in progress in Louisville will
serve the same good ends, while still
more valuable results are promised by the
Worlds Industrial Exposition to be held
in New Orleans next year. The tide of
Southern prosperity which set in but IA
few years ago is steadily arising, and
there is every sign that it will continue
To rise
The Charles City Qowa) AteHigr"-
Ger, All earnest republican paper, liz
alarmed nv the nolitical ou.lOok in that