The Washington times., 1901-07-21
The south.

That portion Of the United States
which is known as "the South con-
tains an area of more than a million
square miles. 1t is larger thar all of
the great Powers of Europe combined,
excluding Russia, and it is but little
smaller than the great East Indian de-
pendency of the United Kingdom.
which dependency contains a popula-
ton Of about three hundred million
souls. Probably no equal compact area
of the earth's surface contains either a
greater variety or greater aggregate Of
natural resources than does our own
sunny South. 1t has an abundance of
coal and iron vast stretches of valua
BILE timber, a fair supply of water
power, soil of great productive ca
pacity, fine harbors, and long navigab!e
rivers, all combined with climate
which, while favorable to the culture
of food products, makes the section the
natural home of some of the worlds
leading commercial staples, the most
important being cotton. To this should
be added that in the economies of do
mestic life, the mildness of the climate
and the shortness of the winter season
are factors of no small moment, lower
ing az they do the household expenses
and lessening the cost of raising and
maintaining stock.
Viewed from the standpoint of nat
ural advantages alone, the South
should be the most advanced and pro-
gressive section of the country, and
richer than any other equal area lying
in solid mass within the boundaries of
the American Republic. But the South
is not in the lead. On the contrary, it
is far behind the North in industrial
development. in population, and in ac-
cumulated wealth. Why is this? The
question is not difficult to answer, al
though the complete answer is not
found In any one fact but rather in
peculiar combination of circumstances.
In the South, as in many other rich
sections OF the earth's surface, the
very bounteousness of nature has ex-
ercised a retarding influence by reduc-
ing the sum total of the human effort
required for a comfortable livelihood.
The comparative ease with which a
man could supply himself and family
with the necessaries of life tended to
check his industrial energy, and turn
his ambition into other channels-say
political or military. 1t is a fact well
known that up to a comparatively re-
cent date the best intellect of the South
sought the political field, the army, or
some of the learned professions, rather
than merchandising, manufacturing, or
commerce.
The circumstance that in the South
the great staples, cotton and tobacco
could be so easily raised by slave labor
also held the region in check. Instead
of large number of small farms care
fully titled by their owners the agri-
cultural feature of the section was a
few large plantations, spread over a
wide extent of country, and affording
wealth on a moderate scale to compar-
atively small numbers OF people. Slave
labor was in its crude form unsuitable
for high class work, and consequently
was employed in the production of raw
material
No country can sustain dense popu-
lation upon a high plane of prosperity
solely by the production of raw ma
terial. A country which produces raw
material only must either be sparsely
settled. as In some Of our own States.