The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-21
A Trim to the South.

Correspondence Of the indianapolis Journal
NEW ORLEANs, April 1S-Having visited
New Orleans find the Cotton Exposition a sue
cess, and worth the trouble time and expense of
anyone to visit The weather here is perfect.
The flowers are in bloom every hand, and the
exposition grounds are particularly attractive
with flowers and shell walks. The natives, how
ever, are not satisfied, because General Burke,
the manager, was a Republican at one time in
his life, and received the encouragement of
President Arthur. l find the business men OF
New Orleans welcome a business man from the
North with all the cordially the human family
are capable of, and say that they would be
pleased to have us come there and make it our
home, and assist in developing that
fine country, whose virgin forests in
many places have never been touched. and the
mountains filed with minerals of ali kinds, and
never tapped except il but few places But they
add we will not permit any Northern men to
come here and attempt to direct oss-polities-
That privilege belongs to ourselves. Our city is
healthy and pleasant We know the streets are
dirty and in some places filthy but it is owing
to the rings in our city government. We pay
enough taxes to keep the city clearly, but it is
of appointing q committee of one hunded men
as they did in Brooklyn, N. Y, and other cities.
However, we prefer to handle these questions
ourselvea
derfully quiet / talked with some of
the poorer citizens, and they told me
that the old soldiers, especially the ex- generals
colonies and captains of the late confederate
army made it SO terribly warm for all the North
ern people that came there and settled that they
all left except few thick skinned ones and so
left the city without brains and without money:
that a Major Burk and one or two other men had
bearded the lion and remained, and were at the
head Of enterprises now that viii bring Mobile
to the front rapidly. The past cotton market of
this place was the greatest in the United States,
and it is beginning to recover its lost glory the
government having dredged their bay and
brought the largest vessels Of the world to their
mountains and hills of Alabama are beginning
to come to this city, / had a
fine drive of ten miles behind private roadster
of one OF the younger business men of Mobile
over the wonderful shell road made from oys-
ter-shehs. 1t was the finest road ever rolled
wheel over and white as snow. While riding.
this true gentleman-intelligent and fair minded
Informed me that the cities and country of
the South would improve from this time onward
for the reason that the Young men who were not
in the war were coming into possession of the
land and the business and were beginning to
see that a solid South was curse to the land,
and that capital was necessary and Northern
brains and indnstry-and that if would come
down to mako Mobile my home should have
no lack of society and friends. / thanked him
heartily for his candid talk and his seeming
dleasurc at meeting me- My pleasant visit with
him touched my heart and filled me full of good
desires for him and his kind. God speed such
men in the Development of the new South.
Birmingham, Ala.-.My last stop is at Bir-
ulingham, the Pittsburg of the South-only
twelve years in buildingthis thriving city amidst
these small mountains filled with coal and iron.
| visited the large iron furnaces. whose lights
never go out, and as witnessed the drawing off
of the red-hot ore my mind went back to the
last days of Pompeii described in history, and
/ wondered if the old orthodox church could
possibly be correct in its ideas of fu-
tnre punishment There IS one drawback
to the iron interests of Alabama. noticed it as
soon as arrived at the furnaces, and that is too
much slate in the coal. If they only had our
Clay county coal down here, their fortunes would
be secured. They admitted, finally, that this
was a serious difficulty. However to close this
too lengthy letter, the greatest difficulty in the
development Of the new South. in my estimation
is the lack of school-houses and churches
Church and state must build together if any
thing is to be built for permanency.
d. V. MclsILLIARD.