The evening world., 1894-06-21
GREATFuTURE FOR THE SOUTH
Secretary Hoke Smith Says Its
Facilities Are Unequalled
An Intelligent Man Can Make Money
There without Capital.

Secretary Of the Interior Hoke Smith.
who arrived at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
yesterday, will return to the Capital
this evening. His visit to New York, he
says, is to attend to private business,
but he probably will attend the Con-
ference of the Southern business men,
who are to meet a number of New York
capitalists 1t the Fifth Avenue Hotel
to-day to discuss the best manner In
which to promote business interests in
the South.
Secretary Smith is very enthusiastic
over the future of the South.
A a preface, let me say tina the
South does not van a boom, wouldn't
have a boom. and would probably pay
literally for any intending boom to stay
away" said he to an Evening World
reporter this morning. Blooms always
react in the end, and destroy more than
they ever even promised to achieve in
the beginning.
"But for a solid future success, based
upon substantial and guaranteed founda-
lions, there is no section in the country
to compare with the South. Its posi-
bilities and opportunities are matters Of
fact and not Of guess work. 1t pre-
sents now the most lucrative field in the
Union for agricultural, manufacturing,
mining and lumber developments.
IL know of no even equal opportunity
for a man of average intelligence and
willingness to work. He can assuredly
make a good living. II he adds q
larger degree of ability and a couple of
thousand dollars as capital, he can
surely earn a competence. X ne mas q
still larger. capital and still more Oh
other qualities, he can make a fortune.
Good land for agricultural purposes
can be had in the South. say In the
middle belt, for, from y to sio an acre.
Even II a man has no capital at all be-
You'd his muscle and intelligence ne can
make a good living working a farm on
shares.
appreciable extent the hard times OF the
past eighteen months. For instance
I do not know of a single cotton manu-
featuring firm in Augusta or Atlanta
reduce wages or decrease working hour
during the past depression. Our cotton
industry has been an object lesson to
Here are some figures that I be-
lieve are accurate. l had them pre-
pared from the census returns. In lS%
the gross returns from the AGRICULTURAL
lands amounted to PAL per cent. Of their
value in the South, while in the balance
of the United States the returns were
but ls.1. The net profit was in the same
proportion.
F"in 1880 the South's agricultural and
manufacturing product yielded q; oU Oo , SoG
900. In 1890 the amount was $l,S0O,OOo, Wo
an increase OF $500, 900, 00 in ten years,
II won't say exactly that the South IL
quite the place for a many withou,
money, not of extra intelligence, anC
who IL willing to work for others all his
life. But even so situated he can MAKE
a livelihood, though he would nave u
compete with negro labor.
THE South appreciates the fact tina
for many years to come 1t Will be de
pendent on the colored race for mos
Of the labor supply. The South ais
this class of labor Is, the better 1T Y
for the employers. Therefore the Souti
has widely extended Its free schools 70
the colored people, and its school facii!i
ties now will compare most favorabll
with any other section"
Secretary Smith declined to say any
thing on the political situation at Wash
ington, beyond that he believed that,
vote on the tariff would be reached b!
| Saturday,