Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-09-09
Wilmington. THURSDAY, Sep, 9, 1886.


Wilmington. THURSDAY, Sep, 9, 1886.
Tho New Orleans Times Democrat Of
Wednesday is 2I-page paper devoted 10 |
review Of the trade and finance Of the |
south for the past year and the general |
advance made by the southon states |
since the compilation OF the statistics of |
the last censua. The work embodied in
this issue has been done in amazing full
ness, even IN these days Of unprecedented
newspaper enterprises, and the material
contained therein would make good
Hazed book. In it's editorial summary Of
die results the Times Dsmpe,at shows
that during the past seven years the
twelve southern stnies alabama, Arkan-
sas, Florida, tieorgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Caro-
lima, Tennessee, Texas and virginia-hAve
advanced in wealth, according to official
reports, from ~, 1854, 20s, sos in 1879 to
, $9,ll73l2, 602 in 1856. Examination
OF the table given shows thatthis advance
has been most marked In Florida, which
has jumped from $29, All ,6ls to $40, G67,-
45S, and least in South Carolina, for
which the figures are $l32, 2S7 9ss and
$149, 973, 1865. OF the totals the Times.
Democrat says
This Is creditable improvement-an adj
vance OF $93S, 104,097, or 42,7 por cent,
against M .i.eIease In population Of 17.5
per cent The assessed value OF property
per capita In the south In 1876 was $1SS 20;
In 1856 $1,000, and It Is $685. to-day.
From these figures there Is no appeal.
They represent, 1t Is true, much below the
real wealth OF the southern states, but the
progress demonstrated is undeniable, The
south In an err OF depression and OF low
prices Ia growing richer per cent per year.
IL q comparison were made on the relative
values OF 1876 and 1886, the showing would
be even more striking and impressive.
This new progress results from the de-
velopment OF every resource and posi-
bility OF southern wealth--in the improved
cultivation Of the soil and diversi1cation Of
crops, In better labor, better cultivation,
better yislds; in the utilization OF immense
forest and mineral resources, In tho build
ing OF new railroads and the establishment
Stnew factories.
Manufactures have advanced some
what more rapidly than agriculture, con.
shutting 40 per cent Of the output of the
south to-day against 80 per cent six years
ago, but the claim is put forth that thisis
perfectly healthy increase and that new
manufacturing establishments have, as q
rule, only come into existence with the
demand for them, any attempt to the
contrary having resulted in financial diff
guilty. Agriculture still remains the
largest element Of southern wealth AMI
southern crops continue one of the mos
important elements of national wealth
The encouraging features of this industr,
are that the southern lands are GROWN
more fertile, the yield more abundant an
Of superior quality, the crops more dive
sifed and the labor more efficient, viii
the farmers are rapidly getting out fro
under burdens of Indebtedness that hay
restrained and crippled them in the pas
With regard TO the manufacture
s iron, which has brought the south of Ia
90 prominently forward as competit
against which the most rabid protectio
lists Of Pennsylvania are forced TO adm
their beloved high tariG must prove il
operative, the Times Democrat says:
Its iron furnaces have Increased the
product from 270,722 tons in 1879 10 1884,
tons In 1886, an improvement OF 100 y
cent, bringing with IL an advance IN hui
dred other kindred Industries, building
Chattanooga, Birmingham and do2i
promising towns In the iron district of II
south. These furnaces have achieved h
triumph OF notwithstanding pig iron
$3.50 ton, hitherto believed tmpussIu
lnd ninsi shit 3fa,i byttlii 0at " d
Nthhru tntrkats aud pa thac make O
product ol Alabama, teprgiu and i-u4te-
composition 10 tbs British, Nalah %
Scotch iron In the markets Of the world.
But the statistics of the yet unoccupi
sOuth-the room that it is waiting 10
filled up by enterprising inmigral
Arc the most surprising. OF the to
arabic land in the United States, which
set down ut 1898, 1870, 900 acres, the ella
ia made that 80 per cent lies in I
Southern States, and there will soon
added thereto, by the reclamation
swamp lands in Florida, Louisiana n
Mississippi, by the construction of lev,
and by the Improvement of other WA
lands, some ~, 100000 acres more.
this immense amount only Z, G79, 900 acr
or slightly over ID per cent, is now oct
pied for agricultural aud grazing pr
poses. There still remain open for sott
ment 6l,lS1 1854 acres Of public Ian,
subject TO entry or homestead or purch
able at nominal figures,
Then, again, tho south s declared to
the most heavily wooded portion Of
whole country, containing no less tn
239, 1897, GIL acres of tinbered land or G.
per cent Of the forests east of the Roc
Mountains, and being, with the except
Of Canada and Norway, the best tiill
region In the world. There are 50 O0O,C
acres of coal lands, iron ore is found o,
an area of many thousands Of squi
miles In sufficient quantity losupply g
whole civilized world for all time, VII
there are multitarious other resources
which the people arc Just beginning
lind out the probable value as factors
the development Of the promising N
South.