New-York tribune., 1900-12-10
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH At TIE SOUTH.


The movement for diversified industries in the
Southern States, which formerly were almost
exclusively agricultural has now attained wide
extent and shows no sign OF ceasing. Ii has
gone far beyond the iron region OF Alabama and
Tennessee, the cotton country Of the Carolnas
and the marble and other districts Of Georgia.
Every State has felt .ts impetus and is yielding
to its salutary sway Conspicuous among them
is Texas the one Southern State which promises
10 rival in population the great States of the
North. Originally it was a purely pastoral and
agricultural State. with great wealth in cattle,
horses mules, sheep, cotton, rice and sugar.
But IL sent its hides eisewhlther 10 be tanned
and manufactured. It's wool 10 be woven, its
cotton 10 be spun; and its people had 10 look 10
other States for their supplies Of their own
Products IN finished form. All that is now being
changed Factories and mills Of various kinds
are coming into existence in various parts OF
the State, and there seems To be a determination
10 keep on with the good work until, as The
San Antonio Express" puts f. Texas begins TO
manufacture the clothes the people wear, as
'weu as 10 can the fruits and vegetables they
"eat and 10 make at least some OF the things
"for which she furnishes the raw materials 10
factories and mills located In other States"
That is exactly as il should be. il is Of
course. a radical revolution for the South, which
in ants-bellum days was distinctively an agri-
cultural and pastoral country, and in agriculture
confined itself 10 a few staples. The people Of
those States used TO regard with some dlsdain
the indusrrialists OF the North as belonging 10 a
distinctly lower social grade than themselves.
Between the Mississippi planter and the Massa-
chusetts manufacturer there was a great gulf
fixed. The one was a gentleman, the other a
'mucsill" II might have been thought that
with their extreme ideas Of State sovereignty
men OF the South would have aimed 10 make
each OF their States a well developed. self-sufi-
Gent entity. with diversified products. industries
and commerce. But such was not the case In
the tremendous trial Of civil war they learned
how great a mistake they had made. Had their
industrial and commercial system been com
parable with that Of the North, their strength in
The war would have been far greater than IL
was. The lesson was learned however ana is
now being put into practice. with highly salts
factory results. That such practice NAV con.
niue and such results he vastly extended and
enlarged may well be the hope OF every patriotic
american, North as well as South
For not alone is the South thus growing. nor
II II doing 80 AZ the expense Of the North We
remember well that few years back. when
cotton mills began TO be opened on a large scale
IN North Carolina. Georgia and elsewhere. men
prophesieo the speedy decline OF the great min
cues of Aew-England- Read the answer I'm the
returns OF this years census. Conspicuous
1inons 'ne ciues which have gained in the last
.sn 9s.Is are ran River New-Bedford. Hart
Ioro' worcester Bridgeport and others In the
Se"-Ehsiano states. with increases in popula.
Ion OF from 30 TO 50 per cent, or more than