The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1900-03-10
THE S0UTH'S GREAT TRANS
FORMATION.


South Carolina was now second 10
Massachusetts in the extent oil Its
cotton manufacture, and that by
the completion of the mills now un-
der construction, which would be
before the close Of the present year,
II would lead all the States IN this
particular.
The advances which have been
made in the Southern States in the
third Of century since the close
Of the war of Secession has been one
of the marvels of a marvellous age.
When John Jay was negotiating
the treaty with England, in 1894,
which bore his name, he appears
not TO have been aware that cotton
had a chance TO ever come an I'M
portant article OF export from the
limited States. The invention OF
Ell Whitneys cotton gin about the
sans time, but which had not yet
got Into operation, and by which
one man could, in the preparation
Of cotton for the market, do the
WORK previously done by hundred
N IN. ma lie a swift and sweeping
change in the conditions, and
ultimately converted the South To-
10 the field for production of cot.
tor for the world.
When John q. Calhoun in his
,eech on the compromise measures
of 1850, the speech which he chm
posed, but which he, not having
the strength 10 deliver II, gave TO
Mason OF Virginia. TO read to the
Senate. uttered his lamentations al
the caIamitous fate of the South,
which was. as he thought, con-
denied 10 lie ieis,er The newer OF
wood aud drawer Of water for thu
North. he voiced view wbich was
entertained by almost everyone al
tile time, in q North as we'll. as IN
the South. But the oncomlng YEAR,
have brought a change which no.
body could have fore e,n then.
The abolition Of slavery, which the
South franiically ioasht III congress
and on the battle field, opened that
stcsloa to h. capital aud enterprise
Of the world, replaced the slave
labor, which was IN reali'y lunous-
w dear, With The paid and lutelIi-
gent work of freemen. The South,s
magmticis nj natural resources have
been developed, aud by the Midas
touch u tie new forces which
have gone into that region, lthe
South's hills and va leYs have been
turned into gold.
Tire United States has, IN the
past two or three years gone fai
ahead oil Great Britain, which had
led the world hitherto, in iron pro.
Dlon, and The South, especially
States Of Georgia, Alabama
Tennessee, has contributed a
large part Of the coun.rys gain III
this departure nt Of activity. As
cotton factories have sprurg mp
beside tie cotton fields, SO fur
naces ard mills have been cree ed
at The mouths OF the mines all over
the South and the mines OF that
section are among the lichest aud
most extensive ia the United Status.
It's estimated that the deposits Of
iron ore IN thrcs Southern States
named are great enough to supply
the entire word for century OF
two If al the IN n 8 elsewhere were
10 close.
Here - a sonrre OF wealth to
the South which was never dream
ell Of BY its Statesmen and publ
shsss Of forty years aga, and whose
development, wanld have been i'm
ppss.bis under the slavery regime.
1--WE ara mistaken" exclaimed
tha Sou hesn sta.sstIclan and aboli-
tsoasst lister, DeBow alter The
" ar had eserthr5wn the South's pc
cul ar institution. "Slaye labor war
more rulnous 10 he South than
1t was Illuminating - tho slave
God has given the Ssasb q gloi-
ions heritage IN natural resources,
lei Us eel 70 work to utilize them.
We want legislation IN each stale
.J encourage immigration and The
,vsstmenl + capital. Then a hum