The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-19
A NECESSITY
TO THE COUNTRY
Railroads Advance Guards of Civ
iIization and Progress.
OUR LATENT CAPABILITIES
Larger Lines Are Bending Their Ener-
gies Toward Bringing These Facts
Before the Public to Develop
Neglected Opportunities.
From Tri-state Farmer and Gardener.

From Tri-State Farmer and Gardener.
There are many people who, without
thinking of the subject properly, are in the
habit of speaking of railroads as being the
property OF, and operated by ''soulless cor
porations," and therefore a proper subject,
not only for abuse, but when possible of
beating them out of anything they can,
in any way that 1t can be done. This paper
does not purpose to set up any defense of
the tricks OF some men who have made
great fortunes by dishonest railroad manip-
ulation. There have been such men, but so
far as the railroads themselves are con-
cerned and the modes OF operating them as
commonly in use, there is no doubt they are
not only great convenience, but an abso-
lutte necessity to the country through which
they run. In fact, railroads are the advance
guards and promoters of civilization and
progress, and in the last few years are be-
coming the most powerful promoters of the
development of both farming and manufac-
turing in sections that need it. AS an ex-
ponent OF the work that is being done in
this line, We cite our readers to that very
| interesting paper, the Southern Field, pub
lished by the great Southern railway,
Washington, d. c.
Every well-wisher of the south who
knows the needs of this part of the country
wants to see an Improvement in the farm
Ing and general promotion of the manu-
featuring interests. There is no other way
to make the country generally prosperous
and Its people thrifty, prosperous and in
teilgent. Thoughtful people indorse most
heartily the efforts made by the Southern
railway well as those made by some
other lines to sell the superfluous farming
lands to good farmers from the north, and
to organize manufacturing enterprises in
every locality.
The south is full of unused opportunities
and latent capabilities. 1nere is no other
section on earth that possesses many
conditions that make 1t desirable to live in
and susceptible of prosperous Developments.
10 bring these facts before the pubic and
thus to develop our neglected resources, the
larger lines of railways have turned their
attention and bent their energies. If now
the people themselves will second these ef-
forts, it must result in great benefit to the
entire section.
Every northern farmer who casts in his
lot with the south and who applies to the
farming business the methods in common
use In the north, does untold good to the
community, by showing the people what
they, too, may do II they will. Every man.
nfactory that springs up and uses our raw
material and whose operations create a
good market for our products adds tremend-
ously to the welfare Of the whole communi-
,ty. In the promotion of these means OF
general prosperity, the railroads are now
not only the most prominent factors, but
are almost the only ones making any extern
sive efforts, and in this way they are almost
as much of benefactor to the country as
in the exercise of their functions as a COM
mon carrier.
The Southern railway runs through a
part of the country that is we'll adapted to
general farming-truck farming and fruit
farming. Moreover, the people all along the
line have awakened to the absolute necessi-
ty OF building up manufacturing interests,
and as result of this spirit, largely en-
gendered and promoted by the efforts of the
road, that entire section is dotted with sue
cessful cotton mills, whose owners get good
dividends and whose employees make a
splendid cash market for the produce of the
farms. AS a consequence, no other section
of the south wears such a look of thrift and
prosperity. But the railroads cannot do 1t
all. There Is strong need for the people to
second all such efforts. They should study
the question in all it's phases and acquire
some of the spirit of the population scatter
ed along the cotton mill belt of Virginia. the
Carolinas and Georgia. All will be gamers
by such development The local merchants,
the farmers who haYe land to sell or want
to supply produce to the mill operatives.
When any community really wakes up to
the DeneutS TO De derived from the presence
of mills in their midst and make their wants
known, many northern manufacturers who
know that the mills must come to the cot
ton fields, will be ready to make or to re-
ceive propositions lor bringing their plants
south.
AS farmers will be as great gamers as any
others from a movement of this kind, they
should not be backward, but take the in
itiative themselves. The very beginning of
cotton manufacturing in North Carolina,
which now has over 200 mills, was made by
a farmer. This was a small beginning, but
1t gave the start to the millions of spindles
now running in the south and will ultimate
ly bring the whole cotton manufacturing in
dustry to the states in which the cotton IL
grown. Getting up proper spirit ard max
ing determined beginning Is the main
thing; we hope many of the farmer readers
will feel moved to give their attention to IT,
No one is too humble or without influence TO
at least begin the agitation Of this subject
in his neighborhood and the land and indus
trial department of the Southern or some
other railroad company will Immediately
come to his aid.