The Press., 1900-11-01
A PROMINENT NEW ENGLANDER
CALLED SOUTH
To Assist in the Work of Building up
that Section.

For several years 1t has been known
that the Southe. section of the Union
was being rapidly pushed to the ont.but
few people of the North really know how
much enterprise, pluck and determination
those people have. Before the Civil war
between the States, their surroundings
and customs were different to ours. They
were as much different people as though
they lived In foreign country. They
were surrounded by slaves who did all the
work and it was not necessary for them
to exert themselves. The young men grew
up as large land owners with hundreds of
slaves. Each had as 1t were little king
dom of his own over which he prevailed.
They thought of nothing but cotton and
rice culture They made cotton to be
shipped to the Northern markets to be
made into cloth and reshipped back to the
South and elsewhere. They were farm
ers, we up here the manufacturers. But
the freeing of the negroes have changed
things. Every man was dependent upon
his own exertions. They were left with
out money and without means and for
thirty odd years 1t was hard struggle for
those people with nothing but the soil as
|
| that the Southern people are made out Of
the same material, with the same energy
of the Northern men all they need to de-
velop into first class business men was
the opportunity.
The climate Is not as many suppose,
the cause why the white people did not
work. The fact is they did not have to
work while they had slaves and even now
it Is so easy for any one to make money
down there, that they do not have to work
as hard as we do up here.
The Southern people are not slow to
catch on. They are not opposed to Yam
kee ways as some say, and this Is proven
by the fact that they are getting Northern
men and women to go down and teach
them the Northern way, and this shows
they are up to the times and ready to learr
, all they can.
: Among the foremost people In the work
of development are those along the grea
Seaboard Air Line Railway which trav
: erses what is known as the Piedmont sec
, ton from Portsmouth and Norfolk, Va.
through Virginia and the two Carolinas
into the heart of Georgia, Atlanta. II
guide people In the work of development
) the Seaboard Air Line has at considerable
expense secured the services Of a forme
citizen of New England a real live hust
ling Yankee, Mr.. E. St. John, native O
Connecticut who went West when younl
3 man and built up reputation as Rail
I road Manager and developer, far abov
y any other persons that had anything to d.
with the development of the great West
ern States. The fact that these peopl
are securing the services of such man
p positive evidence that they are not be
hind In the march of progress. Mr.. 4
st. John Is located at Portsmouth, Vii
ginia, and has been put at the head of tn
g Seaboard Air Line and he is inducin
:. many people from the North to go dow
South. He has opened offices in Bosto
at 300 Washington Street, in New Yor
It at 371 Broadway, in Philadelphia at
# South Third St., in Baltimore at 2O7 l
10 German St., In Washington at 1434 N.
Ave, and at each of these places NortheI
y men are employed to give information
7, those who desire to go South and durin
/. the last twelve months, more than fot
thousand persons have settled along ii
Seaboard Air Line, and those who thin
:. the Southern people are slow are bad
IL mistaken. The Seaboard Air Line
n owned by Southern men, and they al
m showing by their acts that they are goin
to have the territory developed In I'll
y most substantial way, and they are en-
I'd ploying competent Northern people
1T help them.
N For information about the South wri
J. T. Patrick, Pinebuff, N. c., Secreta
III of Southern Bureau of information.