The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-06-14
AT CHAPEL HILL.
SECRETARY SMITHS ADMIR-
ABLE SPEECH

The Distinguished Son Of North
Carolina Talks Sense in His
+ Commencement Address--He is
/ Deeply Interested in the Future
/ Welfare Of the State Says
/ Some Things That are Calcu-
lated to Do Good to This Section
in Particular and the South in
General.
Mr.. Josephus Daniels, who accom-
panied Secretary Hoke Smith to
Chapel Hill last week, writes as fol-
lows Of his commencement address to
the North Cayokinian:
He opened his speech with a
reference to the years of his childhood
spent at Chapel Hill, while his father
was member of the faculty. He then
stated that he came with no speech of
prepared sentences, but with heart
full of hope and longing for the
material development of the South,
and deeply interested in the future
welfare of North Carolina. He called
attention to the advice given by Horace
Greeley years ago, for young men to
go West. No one had doubted that
the advice was wise, but inquiry should
be made to determine why it was wise.
He said, "as loyal son of this Union,
desiring the prosperity of its every
State, county and home, may still
say that in the South at that very
time, could be found lands as fertile,
mines as rich, a climate far more
gentle, and a section upon which
refreshing showers fell in every season.
Why then was it wise to advise home
seekers to 60 West rather than South ?"
He called attention to the fact that
the South was settled at about the
same time as the East. As an illus
tration, be made comparison between
North Carolina and Massachusetts,
showing the superiority of natural
resources of North Carolina, and the
fact that in 1890 North Carolina had
10000 inhabitants while Massachu-
sets had but $4,000. With every
natural advantage in favor of North
Carolina, in 1880 Massachusetts, with
one seventh of the area, possessed six
times the wealth. He then added,
"Why has the tide of population
poured into the West, why has Massa-
chusetts outgrown North Carolina?
ask these questions not for the purpose
of creating Jealousy on the part of
North Carolinians for any other
section, but because desire to impress
a truth from which future action can
follow" He attributed the advantages
of the West and the superior growth
Of the East over the South to two
causes. First, to the institution of
slavery. Second, to the legislation
| incident to reconstruction. He claimed
that the institution of slavery divided
the people of the South into three
classes. First, the rich slave owners
who had no inducement to exert
themselves for material gain. Second,
the poor whites who, brought into
competition with slave labor, had no
opportunity to accomplish results.
Third, the slaves themselves, who
labored without aspiration doing only
that which was forced upon them. 1t
created an agricultural system which
was calculated to gradually exhaust
the soil, while it was productive of
waste, and had no tendency to develop
resources other than those of an
agricultural nature. He urged that
the foundation of material growth
must rest upon the intellectual vigor
and creative faculty of the common
people, of the great laboring masses of
the people, and that the institution of
slavery took from the South the posi-
bility of growth based upon such
force. He characterized the plan of
reconstruction as legislation crminally
stupid. 1t not only freed a large
portion of the population who had
been slaves, but it gave to them the
right Of suffrage without first requiring
preparation for suffrage. As natural
result they fell under the control of
whites who came into the South with
nothing but their capetbags, with no
interest in the section except what
they could prepare to take out of it.
| While there were some few men who
came into the South in this way who
subsequently proved themselves to be
excellent citizens, great majority of
the white politicians who invaded the
South between '65 and 10 came with
no patriotic purpose but with the
desire to use the ignorant blacks for
selfish ends. For the first ten years
after the war, all over the South the
energies of the best people were
devoted to the preservation Of what
little they had from legislative thievery,
and at the same time to the creation
of decent local governments. By 1880
a change had come. The blacks
had improved mentally and portion
of them had begun to acquire prop
erty. They threw off the control OF
the carpet-bagger and realized that
their white neighbors were to be their
best friends. The percentage of the
whites was largely increased over the
blacks and the dread of a race struggle
had ceased. The number of school
houses were being largely increased
and their beneficial effect are reaching
the masses of the people.
He then asked their attention from
a criticism Of the past to a consider
atom Of the bright prospects for the
future. He showed that with every
man free, with the evils of reconstruc-
ton largely overcome, with school
houses literally scattered throughout
the State, North Carolina, from 1850
to 1890, had surpassed Massachusetts,
in her percentages of increased wealth.
Massachusetts percentage of increased
total wealth was $50; North Caro-