Washington sentinel., 1899-12-02
The South; Yesterday, Today, and
Tomorrow,


The advance OF the Empire {
the South has been one ofthe granc
est and most noteworthy move
ments in the industrial and con
mercial history OF the world.
has annulled he force OF the adagC
, Westward the course oi Empir
, takes its way" and has destroYe
for all time the theory Of politica
economists that emigration follow
isothermal lines.
Considered in general, the de
velopment of the South in al
avenues oil human activity has beer
coincident and parallel to th'
growth OF the country at large
When, however, this great regior
is considered by itself, or in con
nection with individual sections o.
the United States, basis of com.
parison is presented which brings
out with startling clearness and in
incontrovertible figures the maj
estY and rapidity OF its unparalleled
progress.
That the record OF its growth,
and the wholesome and stead" de.
velopment OF that portion OF the
South stretching from the Atlantic
on the east to the Mississippi on
the west, and bounded on the north
by the Ohio and the Potomac
rivers, and on the south bV the Gulf
OF Mexico, may be properly set
forth, is the yats0H detye of vol
ume recently issued by the South
ern Railway.
Taken as a whole. the States in.
cluded in this area form an empire
Of half million square miles. 1t
is four times greater than England,
Ireland and Scotland, and more
than seven times larger than the
combined area OF the New England
States. Within its borders could
be placed sixty-four States the size
OF Massachusetts, and FIVE hundred
the size OF Rhode Island. 1t has
so generous a supply OF natural
and material wealth that, il the
balance OF the world should be
swept out Of existence, it could
prosper and support itself through
the ages to come. Raw materials
exist or are successfully grown in
every part Of the South IN such
prodIgal abundance that transport
tation from mine and field to fac
tory is minor item. It has a sys-
tenn Of intercommunication and
connection with the outside world |
by water and rail which limits the
boundaries of its trade and COM
merce only as civilization is linn
tied. 1t has genial climate and |
prolific soil, and in all avenues, in
dustrial. commercial, agricultural
and intellectual. offers its own citi
zens, and those who may in the
future become such, every advan-
tage and inducement to be found
in any portion OF the United States.
The magnitude OF the South's
growth can best be told in compar-
ative figures. Between 1880 and
1890 the true valuation Of real and
personal property in the South in
creased from S6.484, ooo, 900 to
SO 62I, ,ooo, 900, a gain OF S3,I73,.
600, 900, or 81 per cent, while the
New England and Middle States
combined gained only S3 900, ,ooo,-
600, or an increase of but per
cent. The per capita wealth fthe
South increased during the sane
period ~ per cent, while the in
crease in New England for the
same period was but I.8 per cent,
and in the Middle States but 3 per
cent. The value Of farm property
in the South in 1880 was So, 2,3G4,-
600, 900; in 1890, S3,ISa, ,ooo, 900, a
gain Of 81 per cent. The increase
in farm lands in all other sections
was about 80 per cent. The total
value oil farm products in the South
in 1880 was $3.50, ,ooo, 900. againIt
SG,5So, 900, 900 for the remainder Of |
the country. In 1890 the South
produced S773. ooo, 900, a gain OF
II per cent, while the gain OF the
rest OF the country was only 9 per
cent. Comparison of these figures
discloses the TACT that in the South
there was a gross revenue Of "a. I
per cent. on the capital invested
in farm interests, while in all other
sections of the country the gross
revenue was IS. per cent. In 1880
the South had Sas7.a44,ooo in
vested in manufacturing. In 1890 |
she had S6s7 7aSS, 900, a gain OF
$50 per cent, while the gain Of the
entire countrv mas about -, ,or