San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-01-11
-, ri Development Of the South.

IudustI"' ~ 49, 7 7. II = : : b.
W one circumstance pertaining to
49, history Of the past more strikingly
!, me the extent of the resources
tbe country and the energy of its
oi.uIation than the recent industrial
POrpeIopment of the soNth. In 1865
.h;S section of our country found it.
' 'uT as the result of four years war
s sat;reIy PROSTATE, without industry,
s s;tbont tools, without money, credit
y" % crops; deprived of local self-govern-
v,snt. and to o great extext of all poll
teal privileges, the flower of its youth
W the hospitals, OF dead upon the
hattle.felds, with societydisorganized,
and starvation imminent or actually
nresent. But the year 1868, the third
GEAR of the free-labor experiment,
brought an improvement. The har-
vest was sufficiently abundant to fur
nish the people with cheap food and
to produce a large surplus for the flu
ture and for export, while the value
seturned from the sale of the exporta-
ble product of that year, in the form
Of cotton, grain, sugar, tobacco and
naval stores, and the like, was large
enough to lay a solid foundation for
future success. That result of effort
and industry brought to the people of
the south, before so enfeebled, poor
and discouraged, a large measure of
strength and prosperity. Since that
day it has restored and built railways;
It has enriched the soil and increased
the quality and quantity of the great
staple per acre, through the extensive
use of fertilizers and improved tools
and implements; it has multiplied
that distributor of COMFORTS and ne
cessities--the country store; it has
built manufactures, and is attaining
truer independence than could ever
have been purchased througha victory
at arms. p ,a IN US
KThe supply of labor in the south
has not been sufficient to meet the
demand of it's new and various indus
tries; population is needed and ad-
vantages to the immigrants are multi
piled. To doubt that such supply
cannot be obtained is to doubt that
the influences which have heretofore
proved sufficient to control human &C
ton and direct the movement of pop
alation will continue to operate. But
supposing the labor and population of
the south to remain for many years
as it is, and the circumstances attend
ing production and development to be
only moderately favorable, the south
gives fair promise of deriving annual
ly greater amount Of active surplus
capital as the results of its industry
than any other section of the Union,
and Of thereby attaining to a degree
Of prosperity, which will enable it's
population to. become large consumers
Of the products of other states and
countries. This in turn must Atend
to increase the general prosperity of
the whole country, and to extend trade
and commerce within it's borders.
Furthermore the large amount of
capital that has become annually
available at the south, and, in large
part, been invested in lacal and do
nestle enterprises, and in the estab-'
lishment of manufactures on an ex-
tensive scale. True diversity of en-
ployment has become to the south,
for the first time, possible; and south
ern capital can be advanteously applied
to the manufacture of agricultural
tools and implements, leather, wagons,
wooden ware, soap, starch, clothing
and similar materials. They employ
the largest amount of labor in proper
ton to product and capital, and WAL
rant the payment of high wages
United States Economist.