The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-03-01

NEW YORK, Feb. 19.-Mr. Abner
Mckinley, brother of President Will
liam Mckinley, returned to-day from
a trip South, taken for the purpose of
looking into the industrial and eco
nomic conditions in that section.
Mr.. Mckinley was accompanied by
Mrs. Mckinley, his daughter, Miss
Mabel Mckinley, Miss Jarvis, all OF
New York City, and Mr.. w. H. Davis,
one of New York's capitalists. Mr..
Mckinley seemed to have not only
been deeply impressed, but even
enthusiastic in his observations upon
the Southern industrial situation.
He expressed great qualification at
the cordial reception accorded him by
the business men of Southern cities
in which he stopped, including Raj
eigh, N. c., Columbus, S. c., Atlanta,
Ga, and Charlotte, N. G.
ECONOMY OF LAND.
II suppose l might say that the
first impression made upon me-" said
MIR. Mckinley, "was the lack of what
l might call the economy of land in
the South. think in this connection
what is most needed in the South to-
day is what Minnesota and the North
west already have, namely, German,
Irish and Scandinavian farmers. l
mean small farmers, that is why l
use the expression economy of land.
l do not wish to be quoted here in
my political connection whatever, but
it is hard to speak of this phase Of
the situation without speaking further
of the obstacles which have thus far
prevented, and are now preventing,
perhaps, these small farmers from
coming South.
THE RACE PROBLEM.
"Whenever there has been a move
ment of the white element toward
that section, the cry has come that in
the field of labor they must be put
side by side with the negro. If these
people were treated as they are in
Ohio l do not believe that such a
question would arise. In Ohio, Tor
example, we choose our political
llOM UuC IuCCudulCS Ill thC
mandatory, and not, as in New
York, from gatherings at the Wal
dorf or Delmonico's at five dollars a
plate. These men should be taken
into the town meetings, made school
and church trustees, and be recog-
nized as citizens, and, should each
one be thus treated, doing his own
work as he does in other States, there
would result a diversifcation of agri-
cultural products which would soon
change the conditions at work in the
South. For example, there is no rea
son why, from all the section of the
country between the Piedmont region
and the sea, from Porthmouth through
Atlanta and Columbia to Florida,
there should not be sent up to the
North vegetables of all descriptions a
month or,over before we get them in
the North. The trucking feature has
been looked after with profit in the
sections of tidewater and Eastern
shore Virginia, and there is no rea-
son why such conditions should not
be put at work in sections further
| OOuGu. uC NOIUu 10 1ot Wills
early produce and eager to consume,
if the South would only ship it for
ward.
..But do not misunderstood me,
these must each one be a bread win
ner, and, in order to be a bread win
ner contentedly, each one must be
treated as a citizen in some such way
o,t1ipn1 Eox~o onI fn
not bring up the suggestion that he
is in any manner brought in contact
or competition with the negro.
CASE IN POINT.
Il recall now little town in Penn
sylvania of 5000 inhabitants, where
each man tills his own ground, where
each man has bank account. And,
would you believe it, in that little
town there are two national banks
only ten years old each, with $50, 200
capital each, with a surplus of $40, 200
each, paying a dividend of per cent.
per annum, with combined deposit
of over 100000.
Il need not speak OF the possibili-
ties of grape and other fruit culture,
but do wish to lay emphasis upon
the possibilities of sheep-raising. In
a mountain county in Pennsylvania
could point you to places where,
under hard conditions, men have
gone to work picking stones from the
fields, which were used as ballasts
for railroads, in order that there
might be grazing land for the sheep,
which are now proving greatly re-
munerative. You can make the ap-
plication yourself.
COTTON MANUFACTURING.
II observed with great interest the
development of cotton manufacture
ing in the two Carolinas, and l do
not hesitate to predict that in the
early future these mills will be doing
something else besides spinning cot
ton-they will be weaving cotton
cloths. There is no reason why they
should not be turning out lace cur.
tains and other finer fabrics. Under
the present trend of events, whereby
it is likely that thirteen to fourteen
millions Of people will be added to
this country, people of tropical eli
mates who wear almost exclusively
the product of the cotton factory
there will be demand for. this elias:
of goods which cannot be reasonably
calculated at present.
IMPROVED CONDITIONS.
"When l come to think OF this in
terest, coupled with other manufac
turing interests of the South, and o