The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-10
DESTINY OF THE SOUTH.
.JyTEREsrTyG FACTS INDICATING
Future OF SOUTHERN STATES.
-, wh,,.beud, Comm 'ssionsr Of Agriesi-
ture. wsi,es the TrAde'""n RIO
phetie and Practical Article

ticley by Col. Thos. Nhitebc"e'
missioner of Agriculture OF Va, OH 'he
f,,ure of the southern states. 90.
pcfore 1861 what we called the SCUM
was strictly an agricultural sectioi'
bacco. cotton ana sugar we're inc man
money crops; wheat and rice tne n'oiSs
grain, Corn was produced mainly ioI t"e
stock and the common io0d OF 'no p.,
tation. oats and the forage 81 'n7 80
,orn,od The food Tor the horses ana Ca''e'
Iyervth,n, looked TO agriculture i"eio
,yas an abundance OF vegetaDIes' nv
Ions fruit poultry and daiIy P'oruS -
I'm, thcy Nere the a1Jincts OF lhc p'd'
tion-for use not for market ihe,V 49,,
a few cotton factories Tor yarns p"' ,n
hulk Of the crop went hofth ""S 80,
hsck IN manufactured products ioI '"e
paVn .' 80, a. or hands. Even the sugar
- ,.6ned and made into lodNes py Jul
,osnufscturing brethren north OF us 10
,."nc~. Uas manufactured in NTslhid'
HSar,,lapd and North Carolina, Dul inoo'
was shipped to Europe It's Proceeus Eo.',
tno through New York our wines anu
drI,cacies came from other cou"'i ieS'
The hides OF bceVes raised IN the SUN
went north and came back IN piosan. 10
sIaves and the wool from the planters
,n,tton and lamb locks followed the
.anoo track and came back in l!nseys ana
Lersovs for the same people, tnough lhe
wool now counts up 2I0JO.WO pounds.
The tariff OF 1876 built commerce Tor
the south White-wingcd NesSels wen
from southern ports with hour OF NlIsi"l"
and Carolina wheat 10 South Aiherica;
and returned with coffee and troplcai
fruits for southern importers. CharlV ,'.,
shipped rice and cotton. ana Ne" Va 'e% a.
sugar molasses and cotton. During ms
ora of upexampled prosperity IoI t"o
whole SOUTH mining and manu- l inS
we're overlooked. The results OF lht M az
nrotection Of 1872 were forgotten ~ th' M
tics Then land owning piaht'"S a az,
grazing was In the forefront ", .r,
spare dollar was invested III - r,orcb-
ambition of lawyers. doctors ana "e,o
a,ts vas 10 retire on large estates pam
and take part in public ahairS'
rHE PAPuLum.
T., ,b,s decade money was abundant IN
,ba south and land the safest investment
and as the most desirable property Inc
hnst security. The ownership OF lanu ~
Tho south as I'm England gave soclaI anu
political influence as we'll as large cic"i,
Land and slaves were the paouiun OF
southern credit and finance from i1'u''
lana to Virginia. ,,.oai,
An important fact-this basis OF cre1lt
was recognized and Acknowledged III 'he
manufacturing and commercial cilies Oh
Boston. New York and Philadelph'S d.
fully as at home. Short time Hio"es
couid he gotten more readily and lower on
slaves than on negotiable paper wen III
dorsed.
Even the building Of railroads appear
ed 10 be for the comfort and convenience
OF the local popula tons and their trade
and not for the development Of the min
eral and timber resources OF the states
nor for the encoura cement OF manuIac-
turing in the south. Travel not trane
passengers not freight, called Tor quick
Transportation. The southern people were
satisfied with their rivers and their boats
for the transportation of produce and
securing of manufactured supplies. LiV-
ing I'm ease and plenty, the southern
planter did not desire that his forests
should be dcnuded of timber, and MS es-
tate dtsembowelcd by mining coal copper
iron, lead or zinc. only gold MINING was
sufficient TO excite the planters OF the Az
Iantic states, and this died out in Fir-
ginia, North Carolina and Georgia on the
8covery OF the precious metal in cal-
lorna Beyond Doubt IIaom D6 to 1850
The stafsso7'Vfrelnia. North Cai1lula,
south Carolina, Georgia, Alabama MISS
issippi. Tennessee and Louisiana were
tho most absolutely agricultural states as
well as the most prosperous OF the mon
Their finances were SOUND ana the CiC-
dit. of most Of them undoubted.
~ announcement was given to min
d
.rol exploration or developments none 10
manufacturing. save in a permissive way
IN tobacco. and locally I'm wool ana cot
ton.
An ABLE SOUTH.
The local capital Of the south in the
lac decade of the slave holding states
was sufficient TO have opened ana deNtF
oped every mine and TO have utilZcu the
wonderful forests from the gun 10 INC
Potomac; TO have manufactured every
mound OF cotton ana tobacco Wool anu
icatber. and to have filled the continent
with the shreaks of its steam engines
and the hum OF its wheels. 1t was no' SO
- no The people did not desire this as
,urhance of their ease 1t required con
1.ulsion an upheaVal, an overthrow vi ''-'
whole industrial social ana hhanVla
evstem. a destruction of property easy
and comfort To turn the south Hilo ne"
channel. and in its ihablh'y 10 Ici'" ',,',.
tate the grand old plantation estates over
-, IA, var make IL look for the over
licked uncarcd for wealth of It's coal
,ron lead. copper. zinc, tin, magahes
ard cold. its marble and granite, It's Gays
nhosphatcs and sands. It's PINE oah' MN
orv and walnut. It's fisheries ana oSstS
shores for market, It's HOOKS anu "oiN
for dairyinS and export IT'S water pow
for furnaces, mills, factories ana dyha
mos its claws. not only for chimneys ant
bouses but for tile, pottery. earthehWare
,nrra Gotta. fire brick. crucibles ana pipes
t,e old field pine for nail kegs lrult AM
Try boxes and excelsior packing, IL
holly persimmon and dogwood for spoons
1vhirls and pulleys beech Tor plane stochf
walnut. chestnut. poplar, maple anu Sun
for furniture. white oak anu nlchoIS ~
vehicles. sweet gum for baskets cypress
and cedar for buckets and pals, locus
for ship nails and pins ana I'VE oaA ~
vessels.
LAND POOR.
,lanter with 1000 acres OF land an
10o slaves or more wakeI up 10 inc ia'
An 1865 that money. stock. impIemen'
and slaves were gone, ana that ne h"u
thousand or more acres OF lana thlt
cofld not cultivate oil handle. uhu y
which he must pay taxes. ne co"'
ni,her sell nor rent u for hall It's Nd'u
bis neichhors did not want ~, ana u
sormer laborers could not buy IL.
inst such estates all over me south on
y,urd coal another iron or Sillo' ma
ganese. lead, copper. gold 'ih' DIV.
barytes, marble granite, hme, h',cia
VERY mineral. Another found Wd'nu
bickory. POPLAR cherry, cypress hcI'
,ocT nine oaks. and even from the stuHl
age Of these he might get slaiN Vi
living IL was look. work ana hVe'
NOPE. rep.ne. grumble ana die'
THE descendants of those VINO scoIne
10 sell watermelonS ana saia"s vi o"o ~
and cabbage now form n part OF III
great array Of trucksters from inc su
northward who sell s50.0Oc.OOo annual
OF