The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-02-07

The South is at the present time
the most prosperous part Of the Union,
and is therefore attracting more gen
eral attention than any other section,
Horace Gree VS. oft quoted "Go West,
young man." could now well be sup
plemented with go West young man,
ifyou have money enough to survive
there, if not, 60 SoutI5 young man, 60
South.
That the South is prospering is
evidenced by the fact that Alabama is
making iron, at u profit, at about S! l
per ton, that costs Pennsylvania man
ufactories ST per ton to produce
and that the cotton mills of Missis-
Sippi, Georgia and other Southern
States are paying handsome dividends
aud running on full time, while many
of those of the North are not paying
and are shutting down" So with
many other industries. Capital is fast
learning this fact, though it was bit
ter lesson, and hundreds of thousands
of dollars have already been Invested
in the South and millions more will
in the near future be brought South
from the North, the West and from
Europe.
The South holds the future timber
supply of the continent, with large
surplus for foreign shipment, and be-
sides this source of incalcuIable wealth,
the millions of acres of fertile lands
in the Southern States would, if prop
erly cultivated, produce food enough
to supply the world. The South then
has within its limits all the elements
Of prosperity. 1t has an eXhaustless
supply of minerals, fuel, timber, water
power, soil, climate, cotton, rice,
sugar, semi-traPical products and
fruits, and can raise successfully all
the. productions, including the cereals
of the North and West.
Then it is no wonder that the South
is attracting universal attention and
is making such gigantic strides in the
onward march Of progress, and it is
not strange that Northern and even
foreign capital seeks Investment with
in its borders, No, the only wonder
is at the immensely and the variety Of
the resources of this favored land.
The incubus Of slavery with its blight
has gone, and the South is now hap
PLY disenthralled from the apti-pro-
gress Of slavery days and from the
more recent but still more biighting
effects of reconstruction and carpet
bag misrule. Both are gone; gone
never to return.
Louisiana, the Pelican State, proud,
historic and wonderfully rich, Louisi-
ana is one Of the brightest and most
yaluablS Of the great gems that make
up the diadom Of the Union. In do
main and resources the State is an
empire; while in climate and Produe-
tions it is, or car be made, an earthly
paradise. The State at large is won
derful for its salubrious climate, fer
tile soil and variety Of productions,
while Cslcasieu parish is not onsg one
of the largest but one Of the most
highly favored Of The divisions Of the
State,
Southwestern Louisiana was, until
the completioH9 Of the railway from
New Orleans to Texas, an almost un-
known region, because Of its ipacees-
sibility. True, Lpke Charles had Water
communication with the outside world,
but this means was roupdabeut, tedious
and expensive, not ~ All in keeping
With this age. With the advent Of
tle railway tho parish began to % no
ticed, and Lake Charles began to
grow. With regard 70 the pagishj
however the emigrenf from the East