Washington telegraph., 1897-10-01

bic for the masses to keep pace witt
the rapid changes to which the broad
land of the republic is subject. The
report of new iron foundry establish
ed in Alabama or a new cotton mill in
Arkansas, does not seriously impress
the citizen of Wisconsin or New York
who happens to read it in the miscella.
neous items of news in his morning
paper. 1t is difficult, indeed, for the
average citizen to keep fully informed
as to the changes occurring in the state
in which he lives. For this reason
Many Industries in the South
have sprung into existance unknown
to the busy masses of northern and
eastern states. In Arkansas, II years
ago there were only 1904 manufactur
ing establishments, employing 5000 per-
sons, while seven years later they had
increased to 2,4o0, employing 10000.
| The capital invested in 1880 was s., ,000,-
900; in 1881 it was SIG, 900 900. Today it is
probably $4,000, ,ooG, though small COM
pared with the vast quantity of raw ma
| teria lying within the limits of the state
Farm products and real estate are
always lower where manufactures do
not exist, while interest on money is
higher. These facts were pressed upon
the attention of the people of Arkansas
many years ago. Bitter experience con-
vinced them that it is impossible to buy
manufactured articles of other states,
paying high prices for them with low
priced agricultural products, and at
the same time prosper in the same ratio
as the states which furnish the manu-
factured goods. The fact that cost of
production impoverishes the agricul-
turist in the proportion in which it en-
riches the manufacturers has set the
people of Arkansas, as well as those of
other southern states, to studying the
problem of how to utilize the raw
material and at the same time enhance
the value of lands. Farms and farm
lands in Arkansas are worth s3 to SIS
an acre, while the same quality of land
in either Wisconsin or Michigan is
worth $50 to $50. But greater dispar
ity exists in mineral lands. Take for
example those of Pennsylvania, rang
ing in value from $500 to $1,000 an acre,
while in Arkansas they can be bought
for $50 to S35 an acre. An increase of
railroads and manufactures will place
the lands of Arkansas at parity with
those of Pennsylvania, or at least
greatly reduce the disparity, and cause
an increase in mining activity. Unim
portant as the manufactures of Arkan
sas may seem to people of the east,
<,f, h, ,e
ending, glance over the field shows d
great aggregate of
Capital Invested in Mapuractories,
,use~ W in PsaIss"and large towns.
lly sep the@de and business mems
aos W Ilaokp special attention to mat
81 pertaining to improvement of local
shditions, have been instrumental in
Shracting men with capital to estab-
fish mills and factories. The people OF
Fort Smith have displayed ceaseless ac'
tivity in this respect and their efforts
have been crowned with success, while
other cities have not expended time and
money in vain in the same line of effort.
There are now in operation in Fort
Smith "a manufacturing plants, with
aggregate capital of s1,02S,0OO. The
total output from these in 1885 amount
ed to 81, ,67s, ,22O. They employ over 500
men, with a monthly payroll amount
ing to $4,000 Nearly all these estab-
lishments include in the list of stock
holders local capitalists, showing that
the citizens are eager to invest in such
enterprises and have unbounded conf
dence in the citys future. Little Rock,
too, has planning mills, barrel stave
factories, foundries, machine shops,
cotton gin and elevator shops, cotton
congresses, oil mills, etc, in addition
to lumber mills, supplying the home
market with many kinds of manufact-
ured goods, besides sending many pro
ducts both north and south. Other
cities and towns throughout the state
have manufacturing plants and in all
parts efforts are being made to increase
the number, but as yet the field is com
paratively unoccupied, when the uneX-
celled advantages are considered. Fuel
is cheap, water abundant, timbers and
mineralsin endless variety and exhaust
less quantity are available to different
kinds of manufactures, with facilities
for transportation fair, and prospect
of more railroads being added to those
now in operation. Local capital and
state influence, supported by popular
demand for more roads, have melted a
spirit of railroad building which will
not subside until hundreds of miles are
built. At present there are many lines
projected, besides old lines are to be
extended which lack but few links, as
| it were, to connect them with systems
having important terminals. Farm
territory alone invites, if it does not
indeed necessitate, the extension of old
lines and also the projection of new