Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-12-31
THE PROGRESS OF THE SOUTH.



W. -. Kelley.
The Hon. William y. Kelley of pcunsy
vania. who has lately made an extensive
trip through the South, contrib ties to the
Baltimore NdnutuCtHrCrS' Rccoyd n
lengthy article reviewing the progress of
that section, in which he presents some
striking facts as to the great industrial
development now in progress there. Re
ferring to his visit to the South in 1867
Judge Kelley says: "The South was a
land of desolation, her fields were fence
less and uncultivated, and her people
were without reproductive stock, or that
with which to impel modern agricultural
implements had they been bestowed upon
them gratuitously. They were, nnmeri-
cally speaking, without seed or food crops
except what was bestowed upon them by
personal friends or the government,
through the freedmen's bureau and the
agencies of the agricultural department"
Contrasting this with what he saw ON his
late trip, he says: "Ihe progress in
wealth, in the means Of individual com
fort and productive power, has been mar
Vicious and the change wrought from then
until now in the immense development of
the coal and iron ore of these states aud
the increase in number and extent of in-
dustrlai centres may justly he regarded as
the work Of IitanS. The systems of raIi-
roads that now traverse the South are as
perfect in construction of road-bed, track
and in passenger cars and the means pro
vided for the transportation of freight, as
those OF the North. lHter all roads
branch from them INTO such valleys as are
known to he especially rich, not IN iron
alone, but in other mineral some of which
are found in such proiusOn and iuXtapOei-
ton ~ To seem to defy geologic laws as
elsewhere illustrated"
THE GROWTH OF CITIES ~ THE SOUTH.
Prior to the war, Judge Kelley writes.
the South neither had nor desired to have
great cities. 1t is also true that her states
men preferred that their workshops
should be in foreign lands and that the
ships that exported their produces and
brought them commodities in exchange
should be built and owned 10y foreigners
In this respect the contrast is most sIrik-
ing. Nashville he found to he Il beautiful
city which surprised him 10y the extent
and variety of its manufactures and the
magnilicenCe of its buildings. ChattanoO-
ga and Birmingham are eacn a marvel in
their own way. In the former he visited
the great industrial enterprises that are in
operation and it was here that his atten-
ton was first attracted to the neat com
modious and well painted homes Of the
negro labOrers in mining, smelling and
mechanlcal pursuits, The inechanica.
shlll OF the cnlored iaDorers IN some of
tnese enterprises surprised MN, and CON
Nlncen MN That with an industrial art
scnooI theN would soon produce gratifying
evidence OF the adtptatlon of negroes to
mechanical pursuits requiring a high de
gree of skill. Referring to the proximity
OF coal, IRON ore ana limestone at Br
mIhGham he says 1t is not surprising hat
the oNer-sangulne men OF that city really
believe that they will he able 70 make IRON
SO cheaplY as to soon close up the works
OF pennsylvania and force her iron mas
tefs ana Their employees to re-eStablish
-'-'' o'''i'
AT Admission he spent 10 days making Il
thorough investigation of the resources of
the country tributary to that place Here
ne found extensive iron works, machine
shops rolling mills, car works and other
industries, besides large cotton mill,
winch SHIPS a considerable part of its pro
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