Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-08-02
Facts Showing the Industrial Develop
meht of the south Since 1880.

A few days ago the Southern Exchange
association held a meeting at Baltimore,
at which r. III. Edmonds, editor of the
Manufacturers Record, made a speech on
THE Industrial Progress of the South
Since 1880" The speech so impressed the
association that the officers were instruct
ed to send copies of it to all Southern COM
mercial bodies, transportation bodies, i'm
migration companies, industrial organiza-
tons, and other corporations. Truly did
the South rise Phoenix-like from the
waste created by the war, a victory only
possible under protection.
The following interesting facts as to
what protection has done for the South
are taken from Mr.. Edmonds' speech:
1.-The North, stimulated into great activ-
ity by the war, found in the opening up of
the West a field for all its surplus capital
and energy, creating an era of develop
ment that up to that time had never been
eoualed in the worlds history. The vigor
with which the business was pushed may
be Judged from the fact that about one
sixth of all the S~candinayians in the
world, or 1000, 600 out of 100000, are
now living in the Northwest.
Under such conditions what has the
South accomplished? Is it able to show
one-half or even O%ne-fourth of the prog
ress made by the country at large? Not
only can it show this, but it "a prove
by census figures despite all these disad-
vantages, a rate of growth unequaled by
even the West. 1t has demonstrated to
the world that in iron, cotton n lumber
manufacture it is no longer a question as
to whether the South can compete with
other sections, but it is q question as to
whether other sections can hold their
own against the South. Southern cotton
mills practically m%onopOlize the coarse
goods trade, and are rapidly. pushing into
| the production of finer goods. Alabama
is today making iron at less than $3.50
per ton, and able experts nave lately re-
ported that the Carolinas can produce
| the best grades of Bessemer iron for steel
making at less than 50 q ton. In 1850
the South had total farm assets of ST.
| 314, 100000: by 1890 they had increased
to So. 1S2, OOO. 900. an increase of 81 per
increase in all other states and terri
tories was only 30 per cent. In 1890
the South's farm products were worth
S713, 100000, or a gross revenue of 24.1
per cent. on the capital. All other sec
tons combined had S12, 197, 100000 in
farm operations. and the product was
81, 6S7, 100000, or 1871 per cent. gross
ests yielded in the capital invested nearly
81 for every dollar yielded in other sec
tons.
Turning from agriculture to manu-
featuring we find that in 1880 the South
had a manufacturing capital of $257, 000,-
600, which by 1890 had increased to
$3.50, 900, a gain Of 1856 per cent,
while the gain in the entire country was
only 100 per cent. The value of the
South's manufacturing products rose
from $457, 0OO,0 900 in 1880 to $917 ,0OO,-
600 i'm 1890. The wages paid to factory
hands increased from $75 900 in 1880
to 5000, 900, 900 in 1890. The cottvn mills
of the South represented an t.eestmeut
in 1880 of $21, 300, 000. Now over $97,-
OOO, 900 is invested in Southern cotton
mills. AS late as 1856 Southern mills
consumed only one-fourth as much cot
ton as those of New England-now they
use one-half as much. Cotton seed was
a waste product fifteen years ago; now
nearly 800 %cottonseed oil mills represent
an investment of about $40, 100000. In
1880 the South mined 6,000,000 tons Of
coal. in 1890 nearly 100000 900 tons; y
1880 the South made 397 900 tons of p's
iron; in 1893 nearly 100000 tons.
1.-The same people who ten years ago
were producing $1,000, 100000 a year,
are now by reason of being more fully
employed able 10 turn out nearly $500
100000 a year more than they were then
doing