The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1890-05-16
ADVANTAGES OF THE SOUTH.

from an address delivered at the
recent commencement of the
South Carolina University by
Hon. Edward Atkinson, the cele.
brated statistician of Massachu-
sets, shows how the South is re
garded by so eminent an authori-
ty. Among other things he says
of the advantages of the South
"Let me now call your attention
to what | think is the most won
derful chapter in economic histO-
ry, the true bearing of which
neither you nor can yet measure
nor estimate, to-wit the industri-
al progress of the South since the
way to material progress and pros
perity was first opened by the es-
Enlistment of personal liberty
throughout this whole broad land.
l may venture, perhaps, to treat
this subject in a very concise way
at this time. because it will fall to
you, the graduates of this and
other Southern universities, to
supply the mental factor which,
as | have already said to you, is the
prime factor in material proper
ton and material welfare. With
respect to certain products you
hold almost a monopoly, and mon
opolies are more dangerous TO
those who purport to enjoy them
than they are to those who are not
subject to pay for them. 1t is for
tunate for you that you have not
absolute control of the cotton
trade, There is just enough pos
slbility Of competition elsewhere
to compel you to apply science,
skill and economy in the prepare
ton of this great necessary staple,
and you have a great margin for
improvement to work upon. Your
supremacy in the PRODUCTION of
cotton fibre is due to the gift of
God and not to the skill of man
you have the temperate climate,
cold enough in winter to prevent
the cotton plant from becoming
perennial /; you have the great cen
trail range of mountains, gathering
the moisture from the winds that
blow overthe Gulf stream, precipi-
tating them in showers, seldom in
destructive floods ; you have the
strong soil of the upper-country
over which the glacial drift never
passed, and from which the phos-
pilates so necessary to the produc-
ton of cotton have not been
washed out; you have the low
land soil redeemed from the shall
low sea, full of minute shell and
other elements of fertility, yield.
ing the phosphates so necessary to
the seed of cotton which is the
true function of the cotton plant,
the fibre being only the wing of
the seed. The seed takes fifty
pounds of phosphate from the
soil to each bale OF cotton, while
the fibre takes but four. In these
natural conditions you excel all
other areas of the world in which
cotton grows except Egypt and the
region on the Paraguay and Para
ma rivers, now being so rapidly
settled by the Italians. So long
as the Egyptians are despOiled and
deprived of personal liberty, as
they r now and always have
been, by the oppression of debt
and taxes to which the people
never gave their consent, and of
which it is the disgrace of civil
cation to enforce the payment
since that payment almost reduces
the population to starvation-you
have not much to fear from them,
although the staple of their cotton
is better than yours and although
as a rule it is better prepared for
market"
The Philadelphia Record thinks
there never was any use of having