The Dawson journal., 1883-10-18
WATTEIsSON ON DIXIE.
An Eloquent Statement of Its
Growth.

the officers for the ensuing year
elected, Henry Watterson, by invita-
ton, addressed the convention. AT
ter some very pleasing illusions to
the banks and bankers, which put
the convention IN good humor, Mr..
Watterson said: 'It was not how
ever, to hear of banks and bankers
and banking that you did me the
honor to call me before you. l am
told that to-day you are considering
that problem which has SO disturbed
the politicians of the South, and that
you wish me TO talk to you about the
South. 1t is no problem at all. l
thank God that at last we can say
with truth it is simply geograph
zeal expression. Applause ] The
whole story of the South may be
summed up in the sentence: She was
rich and she lost her riches she was
poor and in bondage she was set
free and had to go to work; she went
to work and she is now richer than
ever before. Applause. The
curse of slavery was hers. God
passed a rod across the land and
smote the people. Then in his good
ness and mercy He waved the wand
of enchantment, and 10, like flower,
His blessings burst forth. Ap-
plause. Indeed, may the South
say, as in the experience of men, it is
rare for any to say with perfect sin
cerity, Sweet are the uses of adyersi-
ty.' Applause The South never
knew what independence meant un-
til she was taught by subjection to
subdue herself. We lived from band
to mouth. We had our debts and
our niggers. Under the old system
we paid our debts and walloped our
niggers, but under the new we pay
our niggers and wallop our debts.
Laughter and applause,l We have
no longer any slaves, but we have
no longer any debts and can ex-
claim with the old darkey at the
camp meeting who, whenever he got
happy, went about shouting "Bless
The Lord, Pm getting fatter and fat
ter. Laughter The truth is that
behind the great rufie the South
wore to its shirt, there lay concealed
superb manhood. That this man.
hood was perverted there is no
doubt; that it wasted its energies
upon trifes is beyond dispute that
it took pride in cultivating what it
called 'the vices Of a gentleman
am AFRAID must be admitted, but at
heart 1t was sound. From that
heart flowed honest Anglo-Saxon
blood, and when it had to lay aside
It's broadcloth and put on its jeans it
was equal to the emergency, [great
applause] and the women of the
South took their place by the side of
the men of the South, and with tie
spinning wheel and plowshare, to-
gether they made a stand against the
wolf at the door. That was fifteen
years ago, and to-day there is not a
reward offered In a single Southern
State for wolf skins. The fact is the
wolves have got ashamed of them
selves and gone to work. Laugh
ter and applause l beg you to be
lieve that in saying this my purpose
is not to amuse or mislead you. AL
though my words may seem to car
ry with them an unbusiness-llke lev
ity, l assure you that my design is
wholly business-like. You can see
| for yourselves here in Louisville
what the South has done and what
the South can do. If all this has
been achieved without credit and
without your powerful add am
now addressing myself TO the North
and East, which have feared to come
South with their money-what might
not be achieved if the vast aggre-
cations Of capital in the fiscal cen
tres should add this land of milk,
wine and honey to their fields of in
vestment and give us the same cheap
rates which are enjoyed by nearer,
bat not safer borrowers. Tue fn-
ture of the South is not a whit less
assured than the future of the West.
Why should money which is freely
loaned to Iowa and Illinois be re-
fused TO Alabama and Mississippi?
perfectly understand that business is
business, and that capital is rs un-
sectional as unsentimental. ] am
speaking from neither spirit. You
have money to loan. We have a
great country to develop. We
have given hostages to fortunes and
/ our works ore hetnra un,, lro.