The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-04-21
UPWARD AND ONWARD.
UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY OF
THE NEW SOUTH.

ment of the Southern States Duripg the
Past Decade as Shown by Census Re-
turns.
BALTIMORE, April 16.-The Manu-
facturers' Record this week publishes
an article from tho pen of Robert p.
Porter, Superintendent of the Census,
on the material development and pro-
gress in the Southern States during the
past decade, as shown by the facts and
figures gathered by the Census Bureau.
AS epitomized, they show wonderful
growth and progress in mineral and
agricultural development, and justify
Mr.. P0rter's prediction of even grea ter
and unprecedented prosperity in the
New South.
While the time, he says, has not yet
arrived to give complete inventory of
the wonderful progress Of the South
during thellast decade, official figures of
the branches of inquiry already COM
pleted indicate that the final returns
will show that in no part of the United
States has industrial progress been
more satisfactory. One thing is GER
tains namely: that the mineral develop
ment and increase in manufactures du-
ring this period has b,en of such mag
nitLde and of such Importance as to
seriously attract Tie attention Of the
world. The South is to-day producing G
as much coal, iron ore and pigiron as
the entire United States produced in
1870, and the progress of the Southern
States in the manufacture of steel Mr..
Porter thinks will be as great during
the next ten years as has been in the
production of coal and plgiron during
the past decade. And the class OF labor
| a ttro nfp1 RI fhn rinl, Y,,tnnrol
will be a higher character than Of the
past: that is, there will be artisans and
mechanics, who will command a much
higher rate OF wages, and hence in
creasing the consuming power of the
South.
The trouble to-day, he says, with this
part OF the country, is that most of its
products have to be shipped North or
to foreign countries for further manip-
ulation; but once establish an indus
trial condition that Will require a
greater variety of articles of consump-
tion, and you will bring to that region a
lures.
The remarkable development Of the
New South. as he calls it, Is shown in a
striking degree by the astonishing
growth of individual cities in this Sec
tion during the past ten years. In sup
port of this, he cites the wonderful and
in some cases the phenomenal growth
of number of cities and towns during
the decade in Ala, Ark, N. c., Va,
Tenn, Ky. and Ga. Admission, Ala,
that in 1880 had a population of 042, is
returned by the census of 1890 as con-
tanning 9,876 inhabitants. Birming-
1870 was taken, and which in 1880 had
a population OF 3OS6, had grown in
1880 toa 1lourishing city of 26,178 in
habitants, and in fact a centre Of in
dustrial activity of $4,000 people; Flor
ence, Ala. with population in 1890 of
1884, or $50 per cent greater than IN
1880. Chattanooga in 1890 had a popu-
lation of 29,l0O, or an increase during
the decade of more than 125 per cent.
Roanoke, Va, which did not appear in
the census of 1880, is now city of 49,
159 inhabitants. These he points to as
some of the striking illustrations of
material progress, while a hundred
similar examples could be given of
small towns that had thus developed in
the South, and the greater part OF their
growth has been due to the develop
ment of their mineral resources.
Facts already published by the census
Office, he says, exhibit mineral devel-
Opment in the South, which ii contin-
ued through another decade, will bring
about remarkable changes in num-
ber Of Southern States. In 1860, the
best estimate that can be obtained
show that the Southern States pro-
duced less than 100000 tons of coal,
and in 1870 about 2,OO0, 900 tons. In the
year 1880, as shown by official data, this
production had increased to 5,676, ,16O
tons. According to the eleventh CEN
sus return, the production in 1890 was
17,772,45. This gives an output in the
coal producing States of the South in
1890 tof more than twice the entire out
put of bituminOus coal in the United
States in 1860, and nearly 100000 more
tons than the total production of the
United States in 1870.
Far greater progress, Superintendent
Porter says, has been shown by the
South in the production of pig iron.
The entire production South in 1880
was 307 ,301 tons, which in 1883 had in
creased to 1,132, 1853 tons, and in 1890 to
2,9l7,5 ,520 tons. In fact, the products of
iron ore in these Southern States now
almost equals the total production of
the United States in 1870.
Nor has this development. Superin-
tendent Porter says, of the mineral re-
sources OF the South been at the eX-
pense of its other industries. The man.
ufacture of cotton, for example, has in
creased toa wonderful degree, as will
be seen from the fact that in 1880 the
amount of cotton consumed i'm the South
was 10000 bales, while in 1890 it used
497 900 bales-an increase, in round
numbers, of 176 per cent
The fact that since 1856 near 49,
|OOO,OOO,OOO have been brought into the
South to pay for cotton, explains in
part the marvellous cooperative powers
of this section since the war.
While bad agricultural methods ha We
made cotton raising Improbable to
many farmers, it is claimed that cotton
is one or the most profitable crops that
can be raised when its cultivation is
carried onintelligently on cash basis.
The South produces about three-fourths
OF the worlds annual cotton crop, but
manufactures only about or 8 per
cent. Of what it raises, the balance fur
nishing the material for spindles in
New England and In Europe. The
total cotton crop OF the world now runs
from about 1O. 900 600 to IL 900 bales
of which the South raises on an average
of late years Z, 100000 bales.
or the agricultural development of
the South, Mr.. Porter says: The South
has also made great strides In agricul-
tural progress during the past ten years.
This has been the result largely of di-
versifying her crops. At one time King
Cotton held absolute sway on nearly