Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-03-13
PROGRESS OF THE SOUTH.
What a German Paper Says of Our
Recuperation.

What a German Paper Says of Our
Recuperation.
The Der AuiWanderer, or the Emf
grant, as it would be called in English,
is the title of very interesting Ger
man periodical published in New
York.
It has given much attention to the
south and has frequently expressed the
opinion that this is the most inviting
section of the country. In its last Is
sue this paper publishes statistics
showing the remarkable development
of the south.
The population of the states that
composed the Southern Confederacy-
namely Virginia (inclnding West Vir-
ginia), North Carolina, South Caro-
lima, Georgin, Florida, Alabama, Mis-
sissippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee
Arkansas-am ounted in 1850 to 8, ,103,-
929. In 1890 it had grown to to l6,-
499,069. Here is m increase OF 1885,
TAO, or, say 80 per cent. In the same
period the population of the North
Atlantic division, including New York,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, increas-
ed only "a per cent. This happened
in spite of the enormous waste OF life
in the south during the war and the
large immigration from the Confeder-
ate states Immediately following the
war.
In 1860 the taxable real estate in
the eleven states named was valued at
81, 1854, 913, $40. In 1870 this had
shrunk to S1,241,746,O6s, when re-
duced to gold valuation, reduction
necessary in order to compare it with
1860 or 1890. This showed shrink
age of s613, 167,675, due to the raw
ages of wsr, in the destruction OF
buildings, fences and the depreciation
of the land. II this loss seems too
small We have first to remember that
the taxed real estate was much less
than the total of this kind of property
and that the census was taken five
years after the war closed, during
which time the people of the defunct
Confedetacy had been making strenu-
GUS exertions to repair their broken
fortunes, though their efforts were
largely counteracted by the carpet
bag governments that had been set up
over them. Now in 1890 the value OF
taxed real estate in this section has
risen from S1,241, TAG, ,OGS in 1870 to
So, 26s, 790,613.
The assessed valuation of personal
property, liable to taxation, in the
states that seeded was $2, 47S, S44, 459.
This included 1851, ,110 slaves. The
Emigrant estimates the assessed yalue
of these at $1,551, ,344,55l, or $47o
per head. This seems rather high, but
the deductions are not essentially Of
fected by enis. In 1870 this property
was all gone, and the total assessed
value of personal property was re-
duced to $3.50, ,O60,246. In 1890 the
figures had risen to 81, 243, 046, 44S'
In other words, the increase of the as
sessment of personal property liable
to taxation between 1870 and 1890 was
about 100 per cent. The increase has
not been sufficient to cover the loss OF
The slaves, but in all other respects it
has been very great. When We note
the decrease of personal property as
sessed betM cen 1860 and 1870 was
about four ffths of the assessment OF
1890, the progress since 1870 is shown
to be phenomenal. We must note also
that the increase in the assessment OF
| real estate since 1870 has been nearly
| equal to the loss in personal property
since 1860.
While most of the states that seeded
have q smaller assessment of personal
property than in 1860 Including
slaves, there is one notable exception.
The assessment of personal property
in Texas rose from $155,316,S22 IN
1860 to S257, OO5, 5O7 in 1890. Every
one of these states increased its as
sessment of personally between 1851
and 1890, some of them 200 or 30Oper
cent, and Texas more than 500 per
cent.
In no other part of the world has
such a record of recuperation and
progress been made, and yet the south
has just begun to develop her immense
resources.