The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-31
A COUNTRY WONDERFULLY rich.
What Edward Atkinson Thinks
of the South.
The Great Northern Economist Writes ut
Length About the Varied Resources of
the Section Recently Visited by Him
Everything Here to Attract Dense
Population.

future based on MS recent investigating
trip through that section. Mr.. Akin
son says that it may almost seem Off
cious for him to deal at much length
with the resources of the South, but
that his justification is found IN the
strange fact that in the very heart of
tho eastern part of the United States is
an area nearly as large as France,
endowed with moro varied resources
and with better climate than almost
any other similar area within the limits
of our common country, which is very
sparscly settled and until few weeks
ago scarcely known to New England peo-
pie. Tho time has now come. he says.
for men to comprehend that there lies
at our door Il very large area of almost
unoccupied territory capable Of being
made the homes of millions of intel
ligent and industrious families. 1t is
territory capable Of supplying meats,
fruit and vegetables in almost measure
less abundance, where yet a large part
of the grain and meat are.imported from
the West.
Mr. Atkinson confines his review
mainly to the great Appalachian region
of the South from the Potomac to North
gion to the Blue Grass district of Ken
lucky. Of this section he says; ''Ono
might spend months instead OF days in
taking observations. Even then, unless
the trip were extended beyond Il twelve
month. only half Of the story might be
told. Great as the work of exploration
has been during the last ten years, the
half has not yet been told OF this i'm
perlal series Of deposits Of coal and
probably OF iron, to say nothing OF the
other resources of this pare of tho
Southland. Almost any attempt to
forecast the future of this part of our
common country becomes nero vision.
The whole area is SO much elevated
above the level of the sea as to be in a
true sense a white mans country. This
mountain and plateau section possesses
climate in which any kind of work
may be performed by white or black
alike; in some portions OF the area de-
scribed arc probably to be found the
best conditions OF climate, of soil, Of
humidity and rainfall and of all the
other elements which go to make stall
wart men and women"
Referring to the coal and iron resour-
ces of this area, which covers about
100000 square miles, Mr.. Atkinson saws
that 1T is about equal to tho combined
area of England, Walos, Scotland and
Belgium, half of France and half of
Germany, which are the main sources of
tho iron production of Europe. eff any
one would fully comprehend the future
Industrial development Of the area which
have bounded and described in this
country, let him draw maps of each
100000 square miles as have described
each section, on the same scale, (of
course eliminating the British channel
and North seal, then set OF London and
Liverpool against our own great sea-
board cities; lay one map on the other
and stick pin through tho points over
tho European area where the great cen
tiers of industry are now established;
remove the map Of Europe, and find the
perforation in the map of our own terri
tory; then imagine, if possible, what the
conditions will be at or near these points
Il single generation hence.
Are not the mountains of iron orc and
the mines Of coal tho true loadstones
to which all forms of Industrial energy
are attracted? At a few points the
capitalization has begun, but as vet it
is only beginning, and one may not
yet venture to predict whore the pro-
cesses will go on most rapidly. Moro
over, in European iron countries largo
quantities of ore have to be drawn from
Sweden and Spain. European railroads
have largely been built to serve war
purposes. Southern railroads wholly
in the interests of peace and for the
distribution of the abundance which it
makes for human welfare. In Europe.
passing from Great Britain into Franco,
from France through Belgium and
Luxembourg to Germany, and taking
into view the condition of Spain, would
not ono find every possible obstruction
that could be placed in the way by
difference OF race, creed and condition,
by national animosity, accompanied by
a burden of debt five times as great as
that which now rests upon us?
docs it not require tho product of the
work OF one man occupied in the pur-
suits Of peace to support every idle
soldier in camp or barracks, waiting for
the spark by which war and revolution
may be engendered at any moment? Is
not the border OF each country an armed
camp? Are not all the railways laid out
more for the contingencies of war than
for the service Of peace? In passing
over the iron and coal areas of Europe,
should we not find diminishing supplies
OF coal and iron ore?
Again one may put the question,
must not Europe diSarm or starve in the
face of the coming competition of this
country in supplying the great COM
MERGE of the world when we remove tho
distractions which wo ourselves have
set up? So much for tho vision which
everyone may indulge in who chooses to
lay down tho lines upon the map, and
VINO may attempt to forecast the future
OF the section Of this country of which |
have given the bound aries.
Wlth respect to the resources of the
South,it needs only trip Of two weeks
or even less, to prove the existence of