The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-04
THE INDUSTRIAL SOUTH.
CONTINUED from Eighth Page.)


not been doing and we want to find ont
what it is
Mr.. Tomplzins proceeded to demcstrate
that it was manufacturing that was the
something needed to bring about this re-
versal of conditions and that it is the
something which is doing this very thing,
after " hich he proceeded to demonstrate
that the Southern people are naturally an
Industrial people and that the South Is
an ideal Industrial section and that viii
the continuance of the present develop
ment 1t will in time regain its past su-
premacy.
I'm proportion as our ancestors bought
slaves from New England and brought
them down here" said Mr.. Tompkins,
our manufactures were transferred 10
that section. 1t was NOT desirable trans
fer. The agricultural slave-holding sys-
TEN was easy and attractive, especially to
a highly trained and highly educated peo-
pie like the Southern planters. 1t was
100 easy for the good Of our section. IL
was the institution of slavery that was
enervating and not the climate, 1t was
an institution which weakened the South
and ultimately brought on the Civil War.
The fortunes of the South were tied up
with an institution which was contrary
10 the instincts of nature, and in opposi-
ton to the principles Of an advanced civ
| ilzation. This institution was wiped out
by the war.
IF the institution of slavery was re-
sponsible for our lack of industries said
the speaker 1.-THE inquiry naturally fol-
lows why did we not begin our Industrial
upbuilding thirty-tive years ago? little
| thought will answer this It was not war
alone which brought on all our suffering
and deprivation. France recovered from
the Franco Prussian war IN six months.
The South was long time in building up
its great industrial system with slavery
as it's basis. When this system fell II
took US thirty-five years to recover. II
the Southern people had been left free to
deal with their main problem there was
no time in the last thirty-fve years that
they could not have settled the question
in two weeks time. But they were sub
| ject to the influence exerted by the domt-
nant section. The white people OF the
South were only able to make scant Dv-
| ing after the war. The white man worked
with one hand, and kept the other free to
defend his home and family.
| Then again all the laws en-
acted for the benefit of Industrial
| development of the country were in favor
| of the other section. There was no great
development of manufacturing in the
| North until after the war. The race diff
| Gully began in part to be settled ten or
| fifteen years ago. Just in proportion as
| the race question has been settled in the
| same proportion manufacturing has re-
! vived in the South. The success of the
people who have taken 1T up is astonish-
| ing and has been so complete as to thor-
oughly refute the charge that we are not
a manufacturing people. In the noun
tains of North Carolina people who have
never been outside of the state and who
| have never seen a cotton mill before have
built apd are successfully operating cot
ton mills. AS a manufacturing class our
people have proven peculiarly apt. The
climate is not enervating, but is pecu-
liarly we'll suited for manufacturing.
Savannah" said the speaker, "once
enjoyed a large and lucrative commerce.
She was the rival of Boston and Philadel-
phia. Her commerce is still large, but she
no longer occupies the position in the
commercial world of the cities named.
There is no reason why Savannah should
not enjoy the same important position to-
wards the manufacturing industry of the
South that Boston does toward that Of
the East 1t is too important city 70
confne its interests 10 manufacturing,
but ii should be a center for the manufac-
turing interests of the surrounding coun-
try, port through which their manufac-
cured products should seek all lands es-
pecially those to the south of us, and
when the Nicaragua canal is opened, to
the countries of the Orient"
In discussing the agricultural conditions
of the South the speaker pointed out that
during the decade after the war the South
raised about 2 $50 900 bales annually, which
il sold at an average price of "a cents
pound or $4,000 900. During the next de-
cade it raised on an average OF 5,OO0,OVO
bales per annum. which sold at an aver
age price of u cents pound, or $780,. 100000
per annum. During the last decade it has
raised an average of 100000 bales per
anpum which sold at an average price
of 6 cents a pound, gave the same result
of $4,000, 900 per annum. Apparently. he
said, the South has since tie war con-
Quoted an industry which required the
constant Increasing of its product without
any increase in the return. This is only
apparently true; $500 900 600 to-day means
a great deal mere now than II did thirty
years ago. 1t costs much less to produce
the crop, and a dollar buys much more to-
cay than it did then. Above all, it should
be remembered that the South has held
its supremacy as the cotton producing
country of The world. If the South had not
raised these 100000 bale crops, India
and Egypt would have raised them. Mr..
Tompkins called attention to the fact that
India's crop last year was 100000 bales
greater than the crcp of the South just
after the war.
'1The South controls the worlds supply
of cotton" said Mr.. Tompkins. 1T can
certainly be said Of us that we have con-
Quoted cotton farming better than any
peop,e in the world. AT the same time ii
is evident that we have reduced the cost
OF the product to the point where there
is no hing further to be hoped for in that
direction. We must now look to the other
end If we can take s., or 8 cents cotton
and turn II into product worth 10, r.
Is. 20. % and even so cents a pound we
are multiplying the value Of our product
and increasing the amount of money in
circulation. For illustrate n, take any av-
erage county in. Georgia, producing TO-
coo bales of cotton a year. At an average
price of $50 a bale, which is fair aver
age of prices for the last several years.
this crop will be worth 100000. Establish
cotton mills and turn this crop into the
ccmmonest Of white cotton cloth and its
value is Immediately increased to 81, 100000
In other words YOU will have 100000 more
money In circulation in that county than
you had before. Wherever money is i'm free
circulation 1t is The commercial points
which get the benefit of 1t. With a num-