The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-19
DIXIE AND THE DOLLAR.
TIE STORY OF HER RISE FROM
POVERTY TO PROSPERITY.

The Sunland the Coming Ri Dorado of
American Adventure The Losses
Entsiled by the War Estimated at
$6,ooo,O 900 - Wonderful Prog
ress in the Past Nine Years.
BALTIMORE, Dec. 1S-R. Fl. Edmonds,
the editor of the Manufacturers Record,
contributes to this weeks issue of that
journal, under the title of "Ihe South's
mption-From Poverty TO Prosperity
the most elaborate review ever published
of the industrial history Of the south, the
occasion for it being tine issuing Of a special
edition, copy of which will be sent to
every banking house in tho United States
to show what the south has accomplished
and what are its prospects. Opening his
review with the statement of Hon.
William d. Kelley, that VThe
south is the coming FL Dorado of
American adventure" Mr.. Edmonds briefly
refers to the combination of advantages
possessed by the south in climate, soil,
mineral and timber wealth, in rivers,
large and small, in an abundant rainfall,
etc, and says: With the rapid progress
now being made in the development of all
these resources, the south is entering upon
period OF prosperity greater than any
part OF this country has ever yet enjoyed.
The conditions for this are far more favor
able than in the west during the period of
the most rapid growth of that region, and
this prosperity being free from fictitious
imitation will be permanent.
THE ANTE-BELLUM SOUTH.
Blessed with such marvellous advantages,
what has the south accomplished is a ques-
tion which the world has right to ask. IL
is needless TO enter into any discussion of
the reasons why the south did not undergo
Industrial development prior to the war.
Her people preferred to give their attention
to agriculture. But it may be we'll to call
attention to the fact that when the census
of 1860 was taken the south ranked very
high in wealth as compared with the rost
OF the country, showing that she was not
slothful In the business Of money making.
The losses entailed upon the south by the
war are estimated at over S., 900, 900 900, or
double the total amount of capital invested
in manufactures in the United states in
1850.
AFTER THE CoNFL ICT.
At the close of the most disastrous war in
the worlds history, the south was in de-
plorable condition. It's business interests
had been destroyed; for four years it had
been drained of everything that could help
to maintain its armies; it had been the
battle-ground of millions of men; its cities
and its towns were in many places in ruins;
its fields devastated and its fences destroyed /;
blackened chimneys marked the sites where
thousands Of fine dwellings had stood; its
foremost mon had been killed by the tens of
thousands, and so gloomy was the outlook
when the war ended that hundreds of thou
sands of the young and vigorous men aud
boys that were growing up left during the
next few years for the west and south west,
and for the north.
OUR WEALTH BEFORE THE WAR.
In 1860 the assessed value Of property in
Georgia was greater than the combined
wealth of Maine, New Hampshire, Yer
mont, and Rhode Island. South Carolina
was Sos, 900, 900 richer than Rhode Island
and New Jersey. Mississippi outranked
Connecticut by $16o,000,0O0. In the
assessed value of property per capita, Con-
necticut stood first in rank; Rhode Island,
second; South Carolina, third; Mississippi,
fourth; Massachusetts, fifth; Louisiana,
sixth; Georgia, seventh; District of Colum-
bia, eighth; Florida, ninth; kentucky.
tenth; Alabama, eleventh; Texas, twelfth ;
New Jersey, thirteenth; Maryland, four
teenth; Arkansas, fifteenth; Virginia, six
teenth, and Ohio, seventeenth. New York
and Pennsylvania were also far behind the
south in the amount of wealth / proper
tion to population, the former state ranking
twenty second, and the latter thirtieth. By
1870 there was a startling change. The as
sessed value of property in New York and
Pennsylvania alone was greater than the
whole SOUTH Massachusetts, had just one
half as much wealth as the fourteen south
ern states combined. South Carolina,
which in 1860 had been third in rank in
wealth in proportion to the number Of
her inhabitants, bad dropped to be the
thirtieth; Georgia, from the seventh to the
thirty ninth; Mississippi, from the fourth
place 10 the thirty-fourth; Alabama, from
the eleventh to tue forty-fourth; Kentucky,
from tenth to twenty-eighth, and the other
southern states had gone down in the
same way, while the northern and western
states had steadily increased in wealth.
In 1860 the assessed value OF property in
South Carolina. according to the census,
was $4S9, 900 900, while the combined values
in Rhode Island and New Jersey aggre-
gated $421, ,000, 900, or s68, 900 900 less than
South Cardinals. In 1870 the com Dined
values in Rhode Island and New Jersey
amounted to 1868, 900, ,00), and ths value in
South Carolina was $l83.000,000 Thus,
while South Carolina had SOS, 900 900 more
assessed property in 1860 than these two
states, it had in 1870 $685., 100000 less than
they had. la 1860 the total assessed value
of property in the United States was $12,-
00O,000, 900, and of this the south had
IS, 200, ,000, 900. or A per cent. in 1870 the
total for the country was Sl4, l70,00 600,
and of this the south had only $3,064, ,000,-
900, or % per cent.
ON THE UP GRADE.
In 1880 the south had commenced to re-
gain it's position Of 1860, and its progress
during the last nine years has been the
wonder of the age. Since 1865 over
81, 800, ,000, 900 have been drawn to the south
to pay for cotton, and tue value Of cotton
exported to Europe during that period has
been IS. 100, 900, 900. Heretofore the bulk
of money received for cotton has gone north
and west to pay for home and farm sup
plies, but now the south is raising its own
corn and bacon, and largely produces the
manufactured goods required for home con-
sumption. In this ange there is revo u
tion in the currents of business. Added
to the S100,000,000 or 5000, 100000
of cotton money that have for twenty-five
years annually gone north. but which will
now remain in the south, will be an equal or
possibly greater amount brought to the
south TO pay for the iron, the lumber and
the cotton goods that are being shipped
north, the millions that will come to pay
for mineral and timber lands, the So, ,0O0,-
OU0 or more that is now paid for early
vegetables and fruits, aud the great aggre-
gate, reaching, proba )ly, already $25, ,OOO,-
600, spent by winter visitors who come
south to enjoy its climate.