New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-22
THE FAIROFTHENEW SOUTH
ArLANTAs SPLENDID ACHIEVEMENT


SOLUTION OF THE NEGRO PROBLEM
Atlanta. Sept. 2i-The most interesting exhibit
OF the Atlanta Exposition IL Atlanta itself It !"
a modern up-to-date, progressive town IL mas
large Ideas OF growth and progress and. what IN
better STILL the business sagacity ana pracuea'
good sense necessary TO convert its IDEAS '"'o
actual facts. II may be said that II does not de-
serve all the credit for the Exposition. that the
South generally turned In and helped IL, ana ,"a'
even the General Government came to Its AID
with substantial appropriation In measure
this Is true. and the business men Of Atlanta VIII
be found among the first 10 acknowledge II. bu'
TO Atlanta is due the credit Of seeing that the
time was ripe for snch an exposition long DeIore
any one else In the South saw 1t. When IL
broached tho scheme the wiseacres In the South
laughed I'm dersion The country was feelng
the first shock OF the business prostraton, ana
people said to the Atlanta business men, You are
mad 10 think OF such a thing" Some even made
sarcastic remarks about the folly OF little IN
terror town trying to get up one-horse 1air just
after the great Columbian Exposition.
But the little interior town knew what IL was
doing It had faith In Itself. and faith IN the
great South, whose Industries It desired to pro-
mote In the face Of advice and ridicule. ana III
the face OF the general prostration OK all 'nnus-
tries II went ahead. and the result mas proven
that It was right. The New South, the fouhs
South, the progressive South. was ready ana anx-
ious to make Itself known to the Nation, ana the
sapacious foresight a Atlanta in recognizing the
fact makes It to-day a leader in the industrial
and commercial progress Of the South.
NEW POLITICAL AND SOCIAL IDEALS.
There Is another reason why Atlanta 10 an In
terestng town to study just now. 1t represents
to a large degree the newer political and sociai
ideals that are striving to find an utterance In
the State Of Georgia and the South generally us
citizens are growing tired OF the old poiiticai
shibboleths that have so long held the South
aoos from the larger and fuller life OF the Nation
Its citizens are loyal sons OF the South, even
those Of them who are only sons by adoption
But they believe that the only true welfare or the
South Is to be found I'm dropping old, outworn Is
sues and addressing itself to the living questions
that concern not the South alone. but the whole
country.
was talking yesterday with an old Confeder-
ate colonel who said: I'VE are getting tired or
balot-box stuffng When II was question OF
negro domination, Just after the reconstruction OF
the Southern States We thought there was some
excuse for IT, and think 50 still. But now
that we are playing the trick on each other. We
going 10 put a stop 10 IT," This sentiment is
getting to be prevalent In the South. The young
men are becoming imbued with 1t. first. because
they believe fraudulent ballot can never be
right and, secondly. because they see that capital
will never come to the South while II Is believed
that its elections are unfair. SO far as Atlanta
Is concerned. there is no such thing as political
ostracism. A Northern man coming TO live here
may hold what political opinions he Will. All
that Is asked Of him Is that he shall do what he
can to advance the material interests Of Atlanta
In particular and OF the South In general.
AN ENTERPRIsING CITY.
And the city Of Atlanta is very good illustra-
ton Of the spirit that animates IT, 1t Is fairly
alive with business and enterprise 1t has a.the
modern appliances of frst-class city. 1t has
many handsome buildings and public institutions
It Is the seat of Clark University excellent
manual training school for negroes under the
auspices OF the Methodist Church. Atlanta Uni
verslty gives TO colored young men an excellent
collegiate training. The Atlanta Baptist Semi
nary prepares coored men for the ministry. Spei-
man Seminary is fine institution for colored
women and girls. Other frst-class colOred insti
tutione Of learning are Morris Brown College and
Cannon Theological Seminary. Besides these In
stutions there medical. law and dental col
leges. nineteen graded grammar schools and two
high schools with 5000 scholars and 1870 teachers
The city is on plateau about thousand feet
above the sea and IL singuarly free from epidemic
diseases. Its climate is mild and eQuable. and In
summer II IS cooler than many Northern cities lts
annual business amounts to about $lJOOOO0W, ex-
elusive OF s35 900 900 produced by its manufac-
tories. 1t has ifty-eght miles Of paved streets
Its principal residence street. Peachtree-st., IL
about two miles In length, and is lined on both
sides with beautiful detached houses with every
modern appliance OF comfort and luxury. 1t has
pure water supply equal TO the demands or l,O0O-
900 people 1t Is lighted throughout By electricity
and has one OF the most complete telephone sys-
TENS In the country. II has twenty banks and
more than hundred churches. with a seating
capacity OF $4,000 There are other religious and
phanthropic institutions In the city that TESTIFY
70 the zeal and public spirit OF the citizens. Its
growth has been marked In 1850 the population
1885, in 1870. 27SS; in $780, G518: In 1890 Co.
533 and the present time It's population Is esti-
ma ted at 10000. OF whom about forty thousand
are negroes. 1t has become one OF the great rail-
road centres OF the South: Is also the metropolis
Of rich agricultural region. 1t does not seem
extravaganza therefore, for Its citizens to expect
population Of 100 900 In the future and $780, 900
In the more distant, but not so much more distant
future.
MAKERS OF THE EXPOSITION.
Such IS the city that made the Cotton states and
International Exposition fact. word or two
may be said about the men upon whose shoulders
has rested the executive burden Of the Exposition
for about two years. First and foremost should
be mentioned Charles A. Collier the drector-gen-
eral and the president OF the board or directors
In that difficult and trying position he has dis
played executive ability OF the highest order good
sense and tact that have smoothed over innumer
able difficulties a capacity for working night and
day that IL truly wonderful. and business sa-
gac.ty and acumen that are rarely found, even
among business men. He has freely given two
years OF his life and thought to the Exposition
and much OF It's success must be credited TO him
But fortunately. he had able CO.. aborers. The
Executive Committee OF the board consisted OF
the following representative business men Of At
lanta: j. W. English, W. ID. Grant. A. j. West, K.
p. Chamberlain, H. T. Inman. Forrest Adair, NJ.
f. Amorous II. r. Wilson, Captain j. r. Wylie
F. p Rice. H. NJ Atkinson, s. NJ. Inman and Pres-
.lant CoIlar This committee met almost every