Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-07-18
The South.
Memphis Commercial. ]

Memphis Commercial
Mr. r. II. Edmonds, editor of the
Baltimore Manufacturers Record, has
a very interesting and instructive ar
tcle in the Southern States magazine of
Baltimore, showing the progressive de
velopment and steady growth of South
ern industry since the war. The figures
presented by Mr. Edmonds are eloquent
of the spirit of progress that is taking
possession of the South and are pro
phetic OF the fast approaching time
when the South will be the richest and
most prosperous section of the Union.
What makes this showing the more re
markable is the fact, as stated by Mr..
Edmontis, that the wonderful progres $
indicated by these figures was mainly
due to the work of Southern men a3i
local capital. We might add that il
has been done in spite of Il systematic
and deliberate policy of violent, inalig
nant and selfish hostility toward the
South By other sections OF the country.
Northern investors have been slow to
take advantage of the opportunities Of
fered by the South, and Southern en-
terprise has been compelled to fight the
great battle against poverty, prejudice
and many adverse and discouraging
conditions. Great as is the work that
has been done, it is but dim prophecy
of what is to be done when the barriers
of sectional hate and prejudice have
been broken down.
Mr.. Edmonds makes the following
compendious statement of what the
South has accomplished in the past
few years:
1. 1t has shaken off the idea Of de-
pend .nce on the negro as the labOrer,
and the latter is falling into the rela-
ton of helper to the white laborer.
2. It1las accumulated enough to un-
dertake very extensive manufacturing
without, in many cases, need to borrow
capital from the North.
g. 1t has demonstrated that the
Southern man makes as successful man
ufacturer and skilled mechanic as the
Northern man or the Englishman, aud
that the climate is rather advantage
Gus than otherwise to successful and
profitable work.
4. In iron, cotton and lumber manu-
facture it is not question of whether
the South can hold its own against 9th
err sections, but whether other sections
can compete with the South.
In agriculture Mr.. Edmonds shows
that starting in 1880 with total farm
assets of 50, 314, 100000 the South made
advance by 1890 to SO, 1872, coo, 600, or a
gain Of 81 per cent, as against gain
of 30 per cent for all the rest Of the
country. The total value of farm pro-
duets for the South in 1880 was $685.
100000, against 81, 800 DOC, 600 for the
rest of the country. By 1890 the South
had gained in the value OF its agricul
tural product $107, 900, 900, or Is per
cent, while ali the rest of the country
had gained only $141, 900, 900, or per
cent. With ust one fourth of the CAPT
tai invested in agriculture the increase
in value of Southern production was As
per cent. of the total increase. In 9th
err words, the South derived a gross
revenue of "a per cent on the capital
invested in farming, while the rest Of
the country derived only ID per cent,
or but little more than one-nalf. Sonth
ern agriculture, therefore, according
to these figures, pays $500 on the in
vestment to where agriculture in other
sections pays 81 90. But the showing
is eve more favorable when we con
slider the difference in the cost of living
on account Of the milder climate. In
manufacturing the showing is even
more impressive. La 1880 the South had
$257, 900, 900 invested in manufacturing;
in 1890 it had 1868, 900, 900, IL gain of 1876
per cent, against a gain for the entire
country of 1870 per cent. The value of
Southern manufactured products in
creased from $457, 000,0 600 in 1880 to
$917 ,000,0 900 in 1890, gain Of 100 per
cent, against a gain of only SO per cent.
for the whole country. In 1880 the
South paid $75 ,000,0 600 in wages to fac
tory hands, and in 1890 1929 ,000, 900 In
cotton manufactures the capital invest
ed has increased from $21 900, 600 in 1880
| to $61, 900, 900 in 1890 and $97, 900, 600 in
| 1894 In 1880 there were only forty cot
| tonseed oil mills in existence, with il
combined capital of So, 500.G00 Now
there are 800 mills, with an aggregate
capital of $4,000, 600, and the total
value of their product $29,00o,00 OF
! which the farmer gets S18,000,000 to
| 800, 100000. In 1880 the South made
397. 900 tons of pig iron, and in 1898, de
spite the great depression, its produc-
ton was 1867, 900 tons. The South IS
coal output was 10000 tons in 1880,
and nearly $4,000, 900 tons in 1890.
| These figures tell their own story
They place the future industrial pri-
macy of the South beyond question
They will. of their own force, break
down the barriers of sectional preju
dice, and foreign capital will come in a
steadily-increasing tide to aid the
heroic efforts and complete the mag
nilicent work of Southern pioneers.