The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1899-11-08
RAILROADS AND kEsOURCEs.

In an address before the real estate
convention of Arkansas, Mr.. hlexan-
Ter g. Hull, secretary of State, set
forth an elaborate statement Of the
possibilities in the zinc region of the
State. The address was practical
throughout, notably in these conclud-
ing sentences
Everyone knows that the future
success of the Arkansas zinc region
depends almost altogether on railroad
transportation. That the railroads are
going 10 traverse that country, and
that in the very near future, everyone
agrees. Then with that enterprise as
sured, just picture in your minds a
country Glowing with milk and hon
ey," fguratively speaking; a country
composed of five counties running
over with miners and investors, the
entire area a veritable mining camp,
thousands Of men busily engaged in
throwing out as many tons daily of $45
zinc ore, to furnish tonnage for the
railroads, and large profits to the mine
owners and good wages to the laborers,
and added to this, consider the great
amount of tonnage furnished by tho
importation of mining machinery of
every kind and nature, and supplies
for the miners, and the expectation of
the varied products of the country,
which, in addition to the zinc output,
probably consists in q greater variety
than that of any other country on the
continent. Again, with these condl-
tons, consider that the large area of
government lands there insures o dou.
BILE farming population, thousands Of
new homes inhabited by happy and
prosperous farmers, with a correspond
ing increase of cereal and livestock
productions, the establishment of man
ufacturing plants and industries, fur
nishing employment for thousands of
mechanics and laborers; new towns
and even cities s~pringing up las if by
magic; every avenue of trade and bus
mess, professional and otherwise,
, greatly stimulated, property values en-
:, HANGED, traffic of every kind doubled,
!, yes, quadrupled; in short, a country
teeming with wealth and prosperity,
, the effects of which will permeale ov-
cry nook and corner of our great State,
, and you have in a measure an idea of
what the future of "Arkansas zlnc''
means, because it has been left to the
, zinc product and its present partially
developed condition to start the ball in
p motion that to bling about this transi.
tion of activities by reason of the fact
that until the vast riches of zinc were
}, discovered The people had despaired OF
q getting railroads, and it is the rail
roads alone that will make all these
h other conditions possible"
n Supplemental to this speech is one Of
q the typical editorials of the Arkansas
Gazette of Little Rock urging the
4 prompt raising of a subscription Of
:, 300 900 to the railroad which is tt
- connect Little Rock with the minera
n in the Northern part of The
State, IN which the sequence is giver
4 as follows:
"The millions Of tons of fine ore il
North Arkansas is waiting for the
miner, the miner is waiting for the
rnilroad, The railroad is waiting on the
II Eastern capitalists, the Eastern CAPT
talists are waiting on the Eoard O
Trade committees, the committees arr
waiting on the property-owners of Lit
tic Rock"
IS The two %utterances are strong plea,
. for the construction of a single rail
If road line. Their chief significance
e however, appears in their demonstra
ton of the connection of railroad con
v struction generally with the develop
l. ment Of the natural resources of tn,
r South, and of a feeling friendly to sucl
Is undertakings. Without RAILROADS. il
this day of close competition and o
sharp economics in industrial opera
J. tons, the railroad 10 an absolute essen
70 tial to development of natural re
IS sources. The iron, the coal, the lime
r stone of Alabama and Virginia, tn,
IS phosphate rock of Florida, South Car
r DINA and Tennessee, the oil of Yves
l. Virginia and Texas, the marble O
Georgia have been in the ground TO
ages. The timber has stood in Texas
Louisiana, Mississippi and the Atlantic
coast States tor many years, increasing
annually in potential value. They al
,f would be today as nothing compare
q lively were it not for the railroads. A.
% these have advanced they have created
- industrial values, and as industrial
values have been developed agricul
>, ture has been given the opportunities
for improvement. Manufactures ant
agriculture have helped the railroads
q but 10 a greater degree have the rail
. roads helped agriculture and manufac
lures. And all three influences are
. working together for the good of the
y South as it prepares to find new anC
y wider markets for its products.