The leader., 1900-04-25
THE NEW IMPETUS TO
SOUTHERN INDUSTRY.
Half . Century Of Preparation for
Development
Has Made q Foundation for Nest
Solid Growth,
And the Enterprise Which is Busy in
Dixie Land
Needs Only Wise Direction and En-
couragement 10 Achieve Mag
niflcent Victory for
Progress.

| A statement Of achievement of oui
| section should prove an attractive theme
| for the readers of the Picayuue. But
| especially should this be true when II
is Of our own crude product. cotton.
| Grand results are not the effect OF a
| haphszard and unguided exploiture, moi
| of accidental occurrence, but are the
| fruits OF high aspirations to attain a
noble goal. Brilliant careers are but
| the blooming Of the flower which has
undergone proper periods of preparation
first In the cultivation and enrichment
Of the soil, the planting Of the seed
or the tiny shrub, and Its nourishment
by q trained and possibly loving hand.
timely moisture, adequate supply Of sun
heat aud guarding against plant enc
| niles. These. with time, will bring re
| ward to the toilers after the beautiful
blooming rose. Human efforts TO i'm
prove personal or local welfare require
| periods Of preparation and CESSATION TO
attain an approximate perfection.
For half a century the cotton grow
ing states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas,
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the
two CaFOlin8S have been undergoing q
preparation for home development. In
the early part OF the century the
wealth of these states was brilliant,
while Louisiana, in 1860, was the
wealthiest per capita state in the United
states. But the somber picture OF trials
and fluctuations Of the last thirty tive
years have changed the constituents of
the south In thinking and living.
Like Paul, the south has drained the
cup when it was filed with the rich
aroma OF plenty and luxury, and also
when II was empty, and is. now pre-
pared by the lessons Of endurance TO
battle for new lease of power in com
merce and matchmaking.
When the battle Of brothers, between
our fathers began, in 1860. the south
ern states, which grew the cotton
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Caro-
line and Texas-had an assessed wealth
Of $3,225, 311,I21. representing 20 3-4 per
cent of the assessed wealth of the ma
tlon. These eight states had 10 per cent
OF the white population In thirty-seyen
states. and % "a per cent of the taxable
wealth. The per capita wealth averaged
IN these eight states but little under
S275 each.
Ten years later, when an internecine
struggle had ended. these eight states
had only $1,7S6, 695, 533 of wealth, be
sides having suffered great loss on the
battle field of stalwart young manhood.
Practically half of the wealth had been
| destroyed in four years, while the
wealth of the nation had increased 100
per cent. and thus southern values rep.
resented only 8 per cent of the national
taxable wealth. against % "a ten years
prior
In 1880 the national taxable wealth
had decreased Is IA per cent, while the
southern cotton growing states had in
creased about 30 per cent, which bore
the relation Of Q IL per cent 70 the
entire taxable wealth of the United
States.
During this period these states con
trlbuted a share of the $4,000, 900, 900
paid for pensions, but little of which
came back to their limits. Besides this
these contributed a large
amount, approxinating $1O0,000,o00, 70
educate the colored race, who were gen
orally not taxpayers and own less than
D per cent Of the southern tax values.
In addition to these very large drains
upon the sectional wealth, the extraordi-
nary shrinkage in net cash returns 10
these states for the cotton crop was
enormous, as the large crop of 1898 and
market of IL cents per pound, yielded
total cash return Of s246,000,000
which was 500 000,000 less than the
much smaller crop of 1890 sold for, and
smaller crop Of 1850 sold for; SIS, 900, 900
less than the 10 per cent smaller crop
Of 1870 sold for. These combined losses
and drains were such as to exhaust,
less natural resources, and with q peo-
pie Of less courage and character. To
recover and forge ahead again Is indeed
an achievement IN which every loyal
Up 10 1860 these states were strictly
agricultural Except nearly everything
consumed on the plantation was made
there, including clothing, shoes, plows
not be felled for lack of transportation
facilities, while the iron and coal mines
were unavailable for the same reasons,
The cotton manufacturing Industry was
of that industry in the United States
located on southern soil, as there were
but 100000 splndles in operation in the
cotton states.
In 1870 the capital in this industry In
the south had increased and there were
100 cotton mills in these eight cotton
growing states. as follows: Alabama 13,
Arkansas O. Georgia 81 Louisiass 4,
Carolina II and Texas =.
These mills averaged Szs,1s1 65 each In
IN 1850 the capital in cotton mills had
spindles. n 1890 these plants, by
Georgia 53. Louisiana 3, Mississippi 8,
North Carolina 81 and South Carolina "a.
states. were Alabama 40. Arkansas 3,
Georgia 81, Louisiana 5. Mississippi 10,
North Carolina 1855, South Carolina "a
and Texas Z.
A YEARS ACHIEVEMENT.
Up to September, 1899, the Increased
number of new mills in, actual operation
over those of September, 1898, were
Alabamq I, Georgia IA. North Carolina
%, South Carolina and Texas !, making
80 in actual operation. in eight months
and If the same ratio was cont nue6
for the other four months would give
| total OF 90 new mills actually put Int
operation in one year. and II these were
| capitalized at 100000 each, would rep
resent dn6 from January 70 January, So,
| ming, with IL many more new mills or
| ganized, chartered and to be In cours
| Of construction in the nearby future
besides a very large addition In capita
and spindles in established mills.
| The Tradesman, of Chattanooga, n
| ported sixty-six new mills up to Sept.
Colonel Hester secretary of the Ne,
| Orleans Cotton Exchange, who annual
| receives confidential returns from a
american cotton mills, IN his last se|P t n9
spindles have been added in establishe
mills, and S23, 354 are being put In OH
Idle and new mills, representing In yes
an aggregate increase of 1,142, $50 spIl
states were as follows: Alabama. 151, 46'
Georgia, 152,97s; Louisiana, 5000; Nj
sissiPpi, 5ls4: North Carolina, 23o, 16
600; Texas, ss44; making a total in ne
mills of S23.3o4, sgainst PSI .345 the We.
| previous, and 2S7, 40 the two years pr
vious. He says this does not represel
mills which had not ordered machiner
He says spindles operated in 1898 We
1890, 646, against %,925, 092 up to Sept.
| 1890. If the same ratio had been cont
ued and we know 1t TO have exceed,
| that ratio since September, there won
have been in round numbers by the list
January. 1900. $4,000 spindles in oper
ton. This would not include any OF Il
twenty-five mills in course of organic
| tion in Mississippi: the twenty i've
fifty in Texas; the three in Arkansa
with possibly nifty In the Carolina