The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-06-07
INDUSTRIAL CONGRESS.
THE NEE TING OF THE SOUTHERN I'M
MIGRATION CONVENTION.

Speeches OF Welooms-Aueustn ao an
Exsmpla-What Governor Til!man Had
to say-Iutent on Busins ss-The Dele
gates all Hopeful.'
AUGUSTA, May 30.-The Southern |
Industrial Immigration Congress OPEN
ed auspiciously In Augusta today. 1t
was called to order at noon in the
grand opera house by President Bryan |
of Nashville, who introduced Mayor J.
II. Alexander Of Augusta. who well
coined the congress on the part Of the |
city.
Mayor Alexander's speech WAS full Of
interesting historical facts about Au-
gusta. He said:
Augusta Is the oldest inland city In
the South Atlantic States, and was the
second eatabliehed by Oglethorpe. This
city, before the days Of railroads, being
navigation to the sea, south Of Vir.
ginia, was the point Of communication
with the outer world of all that terrific
ry embraced in Northern Alabama,
East Tennessee, Western North Caro-.
lima, North Georgia and South Caro-
lima. Here all this vast section came
In wagons to trade.
II have been told by old citizens. who
saw with their own eyes, that in the
fall and winter 1t was not uncommon
to see our capacious Broad street 80
closely packed with wagons that one
might step from one to another for a
mile or moIe.
"This city is mentioned In contempo-
raneous history in 1740, five years after
the settlement was planted. as already
I'm state Of great prosperity, we'll
equipped for trade and conducting an
extensive traffic throughout the vast
and fruitful tributary country 1t was
here that Ell Whitney conducted his
experimental works and, in 1893, devel.
oped the cotton gin, one of the most
famous industrial Inventions of the
world, which immediately revolution
lied the agriculture of this section
from tobacco and indigo to cotton as
It's staple crop. In 1901, the whole cot.
ton crop of the South was thirty eight
bales. In 18OO.seven years after Whit.
| ney's gin appeared, Georgia alone ex-
ported over 1000 bales.
"We have here the oldest public jour.
| nal In the South, the Augusta Chropi-
BILE, established in 1856 and published
| continuously since that time. We have
the Oldest Incorporated educational iu.
stiCutiOn in the South, the Richmond
| Academy, established by act Of toe
Legislature of Georgia In 1888. We
have the second oldest completed rail
road in the country-the South Caro-
lima road, running from Charleston to
Augusta, and preceded only by the
Camden and Amboy railroad in New
jersey"
Foil wing Mayor Alexander, Hon
Joseph r. Lamar, president Of the
Yonng's Mems Business League of Au-
gus:a. which secured the convention for
this city, welcomed the congress. and
followed with more valuable facts con.
corning the Augusta Of today. Taking
simply the official census figures for
1880, he showed that Augu usta had In
creased In the number Of manufactu.
ring establishments in the past decade
6S3 per cent; In capital employed 275
per cent, and In wages paid of 30 per
per cent; and that 1t had spent more
money for public improvements than
any other city In the South, and had
the lowest death rate In the South.
Governor Northern welcomed the
congress on the part of Georgia, and
gave a glowing picture Of her progress
and thrift. He declared the readiness of
Georgia to welcome industrious immi-
grants, who came to cast their lot here.
Senator Patrick Walsh, whose home
is here. welcomed the congress and ex-
tended them the privileges of the Com.
mercial Club, Of which he Is president.
He said the assembling of thirteen
Southern States reminded him Of that
tirst convention Of the thirteen origi-
nal States to declare their iDdepend-
ence. The present movement is to for
mulate plans by which this most favor
ed section could enlarge It's citizenship
and work out It's material independ.
ence. He thought the occasion most
ausptcious and The outlook very bright
for the success Of the congress-.
Responses to the addresses Of well
come were made by Governor MacCor-
kle Of West Virginia, Governor Carr of
North Carolina and Governor Tillman
Of South Carolina. Governor Tiliman
people and capital from the outside,
and all that came would be welcome,
but for every dollar Of outside capital
the Southern people must expend ten
Of their own, IL they were in earnest
about desiring to build up the South.
The future Of this section, he said, de
ponds on the efforts Of our own peo.
pie, aud what the Southern farmers
need most Is an immigration Of ideas
and Intelligent agricultural methods.
Southern farmers would never prosper
as long as they spelt six months in
the year trying to kill the grass In their
| fields and the next six months In buy.
ing hay from Maine and Northern
States.
at the conclusion Of the address Of
welcome and the responses, President
Bryan addressed the convention. He
explained the need for immigration in
the Southern States by contrasting the
population per square mile of some of
the States al follows: Massachusetts
287. Kentucky,whicb is the most dense
ly populated Of the Southern States, 40;
Rhode Island, 264; Texas, s. He
showed the material advance which
has taken place in the South, and call
cd attention to the fact that education
al advantages we're keeping pace, the
increase having been 100 per cent In
the psf decade, in appropriations by
Southern States for this purpose, last
year being over 10000. The total val.
ne OF school property in the South is
$10,OO0,O00; number Of teachers, $4,000;
| pit., unniIo OnN nnn- nonro