The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-31
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.


lin New Orleans and the Red river country. IL
seems to me that the new South is coming fact
that interests everybody
]. The South is full. of the elements of wealth
that, rightly handled and developed, will make
her in twenty-five years tie rival of New Eng
land She is richer in lumber, iron and coal,
climate and cost of living than the most favored
regions of the North. Besides that, the Missis-
| sippi river is the gateway and waterway to a
trade richer even, in the end, than that the old
world enjoyed by New York city. Among the
attractions OF the great exposition is model OF
the proposed Eads ship railway, which seems to
me bound to be put into successful operation
in the next ten years, and which will divert
to New Orleans the China and east Asian
trade. The cotton industry is only half devel-
oped. It is now found that the seed is more
valuable than the fiber. By and by, when the
secret of making sugar successfully is natural
lied In the cane regions, which u.s. for one set of
men-the farmers--to grow the cane and do
nothing else, and for another set-the manu-
facturers-to own and operate the sugar mills,
and do the manufacturing and nothing else. the
South will, with the aid of the protective tariff,
furnish sugar for at least 60, 600, 600 peo-
pie. The next step will be to set
the cotton factory down beside the
cotton field, and the sugar refinery beside the
cane field and sugar-mill, instead of sending
| raw sugar and cotton to New York, New
England, and then carrying both back in the
| shape of the manufactured article, and thus
paying tribute land no light tribute, either) to
the merchants of the North.
The South is poor in money and way be-
| hind the times in enterprise Her railway sys-
tenn is hardly dozen years old; vast tracts of
country of untold natural resources are yet to be
| opened up. There are no banks to speak Of,
| and but few school houses as compared with In
| diana. At Alexandria found no bank within
| one hundred miles; yet this is a town of 1900
| people, IN the midst OF an agricultural region
not inferior to Shelby and johnson counties.
! Money commands Is to 80 per cent. per
The war swept away everything, and the slave
| system left the people as helpless children in
/ organizing labor and developing their means.
Since then the new South has made its appeal
ance and it has come to stay. A new generation
| is fast coming to the front, which is bound, in
| time, to emulate the thrift, energy and invent
| i've industry of the North and out of poverty
| and necessity to find the road to wealth and
| prosperity, such as was never dreamed of even
| In the old slave days.
8. say to all young men, as SAID the immortal
| ii. g., go South, young man. Go South and
| grow up with the country" During my brief
| stay l saw an hundred chances to make indie
| pendent fortunes. For example: The North
writes and publishes the school books used south
| of the Ohio. Suppose an enterprising publisher
should make headquarters at Chattanooga and in
| An arithmetic written by some man like Bishop
McTyeire would drive out all Northern compel
tors and make the fortune of its author and pub
| Usher And SO on to the end Of the chapter A
| good banker could coin money in almost any of
| the larger Southern towns.
+! 4. lis all nonsense about life and property
| being insecure in at least two-thirds of the
South. 1t is possible that there places, like
| Copah county, Mississippi, where a North
erner would be unsafe; but in the Red river
| country l find social order as perfect as in any
| county in Indiana. In the Jail of Rapdes
parish there is a white of wealth imprs-
| oned, and denied bail because of well-defned
| suspicion of his shooting negro Imprisonment
for carrying pistols is quite common. l found
white men who voted for Blaine from conscien-
| tous convictions, and whose convictions,
although ridiculed, did not subject them to
personal danger. The further the South
gets away from slavery and the old
South, the greater will sbe the security
| for freedom of thought and speech; and the new
| South will soon find out that these must be
! guaranteed before the capital and population SO
/ much prayed for will come and come to stay.
| s. Truth compels me to say, however, that
| white Republican stands no chance ir the cotton
States politically and socially. That is the
weakness of the old South, and which the new
possible moment. The very best men in the
| country in Louisiana that visited told me that
| while they would welcome the opportunity to
| break away from the old Bourbon Democracy
| JndC nau Tue upper manu-, nOCnlnS WOulQ induce
them to join the "nigger party" The Southern
| politicians make no secret of their past and
future policy. They say, 1--WE propose to
| handle negroes. We have tried force
| but that creates too much friction
| we have found out better way,
and that is to buy them. For a few dollars, put
| where it will do the most good in each voting
| precinct can control the colored vote, and we
| mean to do it. Don't you do the same up North
both Democrats and Experimentation you
| get chance2
6. Outside of politics no one could wish to
live with more friendly and liberal people
| They are anxious to turn the tide of emigration
| and especially to draw young and active North
| ern people to their midsts would not fear to
| go almost anywhere in the South to live and to
| take with me both family and property. There
are 10, 600 places in the Gulf and South Atlantic
| States where young, enterprising, thrifty
| man could get rich The only forbidden fruit to
Republican is politics and political preferment.
But politics and politicians are only fraction
| of the industries of the great American people.
In conclusion, repeat, with a modification that
Il. G.. would himself make, If living: go
| South young man. Go South and grow up with
| the country" ID. p. BALDWIN
INDIANAPOLIS, March 30, 1885.
The Monroe Comfy superintendent.
To the Editor Of the indianapolis Journal
| notice in your paper of March 81 an article
entitled "A Conflict of Authority" The article
does an injustice to the superintendent No
| yember &c 1884 Mr. Melee resigned the office of