The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-05-21

"
that the former system OF slave IsHs
che losses OF the war and distrrbe d
conditions following it do not ft,siy ac-,
count for the relatively slower growth
Of accumulated wealth in the Southp
While the progress OF the North b, d
been phen bmenai unparalleled in his
tory, yet it rnust not be overlooked
that nowhere else in the world, except
in the North, has such progress bee
made as IN the Southern States, and
that the relative development of wealth
in the South during the past decade
has equaled anything accomplished in
the North in any like period As we
look ictO the matter we shall find
strong indications that the forces
(which have been most active in devel-
'oping the North must now be largely
eAncen:rated, and with greatly in
creased power, upon our richer south
ern field.
Fifty years ago, when the capital
and labor of Old World countries, and
especially the Great Britain, stima-
lated thereto by inventions of chemis,
try, metaliurgy and 30 the successful
application Of steam power to station
ary machinery, to railways and to
ships, began to concentrate upon
manufactures and shipping, the de
mands for cheaper food for their peo-
pie collected in manufacturing towns,
for cheaper raw material for their fac
tories and for freights to more fully
employ their ship combined TO bring
about competition, especially In food
products and textiles, which rapidly
transferred profitable agriculture in
many branches to new fields, and with
this transfer went vast numbers Of
farmers and agricultural 'aborers
thrown out of employment at home.
In other words, the older countries ex
ported labor in exchange for raw
preducts-always a bad trade and a
hard one for any country to be COM
PEELED to make, and to be losing
trade in the long run. Our own coun-
try imported labor to make products
for export. 1t was the best trs a ever
made. Our country offered the best
field in the world for this labor. Lit
tie capital was brought by these labor
ers; but little was needed Their
work soon brought about the oppor-
tunity for the most profit .ble employ
mert of enormous capital, and the
capit4 III was forthcoming. Both edges
cut for us. Surplus capital created
abroad by concentration followed the
labor it had scattered and diffused to
our more productive fields. The
came to US from abroad was in their
strong arm. They knew how to work,
wero willing to labor, and spurred on
by the most powerful of ambitioiie-
to own home The public lands of
the West were open free to settlers.
Once a man landed on our shores he
could, if without money, work his
way to them and find work on arrival
until he could take up land. The
land was suited to his needs. Its eli
mate suited these Northern races.
The title was direct from the Govern
ment. The land was fertile, level
we'll watered, largely prairie, ready
cleared, and the tirm sod everywhere
afforded a good road. II needed but
the team which had taken the settler
to his Homestead" and plow and a
few seeds taken from the wagon to
begin the work of cultivation. Until
the f tst crop was in the ground the
| wagon and camp fire constituted the
Gimp fovement :" Then ''dug out"
or "shack" served uHtii the crop
could be gathered and sold and the
| newcomer made a market for it at
first. Even the cultivation required
was but of the crudest. The sod once
turned and the seed in the ground, it
brought the first year its crop of "sod
corn" potatoes and other things with
out further cultivation. Then grew
up the dwelling end the barn. Here
were ideal conditions Tor settlers OF
small means.
With the wave of foreign population
came the skilled and thrifty surplus
population of the Eastern States, who
4 built towns and organized ways and
means for exchanging the products OF
the soil. Here, too, the Great Lakes
and the level prairies afforded foun-
dation for transportation by water, by
rail and by wagon, with maximum
power at minimum cost. The bulky
/ and heavy crops produced required
sn enormous carrying trade, but it
paid, and 40 it came. The public lands
were ready reserve to help out the
building of railroads. The Great Lakes
the Erie canal, the Hudson river and
the early railroads fixed and deter
mined the lines by which this tide OF