The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-11
THE SOUTH'S FUTURE
HON. HOKE SMITHS ADDRESS IN
CHICAGO LAST NIGHT.
SPOKE TO REAL ESTATE MEN.
ITS COMMERCIAL PROGRESS AND
ITS GLOWING PROSPECTS.

! IN the south-TO state What the
New Century Has I'm store Would
sound Like "a Fairy TaIe-The De-
Velopment of Manufacturing and
of the Iron and Coal Industries
Chicago, Jan. 1O.-Hon. Hoke Smith of
Georgia was one of the principal speak
ers at the annual banquet of the Chicago
Real Estate Board last night
Mr.. Smith discussed the history OF the
South for a century, showing how rapid
had been its growth up to the Civil War
but said that its resources were not de-
veloped during that time as they might
have been under a different system of
labor. He maintained that slave labor
created three classes-the very rich, the
poor and the slaves and as the first class
were contented with their enormously
profitable agricultural pursuits, and the
poor class unable to undertake any de-
velopment that mining, manufacturing
and other commercial pursuits were ne
elected
Mr.. Smith told of the progress of the
South commercially after the close of the
Civil War to 1880. during which time he
said the resources of the Southern states
had hardly been touched From 1880 to
1890, he said. was a period of prosperity
and progress, but in the first few years
of the decade from 1890 to 1900 he CON
tended there was less development. owing
to the financial panic which existed.
Mr., Smith said in part
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen: I wish
to thank the business men of this won
derful city for giving me an opportunity
to speak to them upon a subject near to
| my heart, but We're / to describe what 1
see the early years of the present cen
| tury have in store for the South com
mercially 1t would sound like a fairy
tale. Never before have material inter-
ests so attracted the attention Of our
people. Never before has such confidence
been felt as to the future Never be-
fore has there been such cause for conf
dence.
OF the resources of the South It was
truthfully said by Judge Kelly, Of Penn
syivania: This is a section upon whiSh
the Almighty has with lavish hand be-
slowed His richest material gifts" The
fruitful soil yields a lucrative return for
ne cultivation OF almost every product
wheat corn, rice, potatoes, tobacco aud
fruits of all kinds there offer the farmer
a reward for industry equally with any
section of the states, but cotton distinc-
lively belongs to the South.
Tbis wonderful crop has sold I'm the last
one hundred years for fifteen billion dol
lars. The United States has received for
the export Of cotton during the same
period eleven billion dollars The crop of
the present year alone will bring to the
farmers five hundred million dollars. and
still not more than one-thrd of the agri-
| cultural lands of the South are under
| Ea
| IS growing with remarkable rapidity
| Modern machinery has made It possible
| Tor cotton manufactured goods to out
| strip all rivals The rivals ara goods
made from wool, flax and silk If we
seek the reason for the success which has
! attended the increased use Of cotton
| goods we can readily find it, The price
at which lint cotton can be raised and
proftably sold, coupled with the de-
| velopment OF machinery suited for its
manufacture, has led to the production OF
| goods made from cotton which rival in
warmth those made from wool which are
! as cool as those made from fax, and
which are more beautiful than those
made from silk.
Fifty years ago the manufactures of the
world used $500. 600 bales of cotton Last
| year they used nearly 1S00eO 900 bales. thus
| making the enormous increase of con-
| sumption In ffty years of 700 per cent
ne tDFlOu HtiOS OF the 6OQIn furnish 10
| per cent. of the lint cotton used by the
manufactures of the world Edward At
! kinson estimated in 1895 that it would re-
! quire at that time an annual crop of a.
| 100000 bales to raise the WorId's 8 .consunp-
! tion OF cotton manufactured goods to the
| highest standard. With the progress OF
| civilization, with the DEVELOPMENT OF south
| America, with the opening of Eastern en-
pires. the demand of the world will soon
| call for an enormously increased supply
| of lint cotton from the South.
In 1900 we exported 5000 bales. In 1860
| the crop reached 4S24,000 bales In 1900
the crop of over 100000 bales is selling
for 10 cents a pound, and long before the
middle of the present century 25,O000O0
bales Of cotton will bring to the Southern
| farmers over 81, 600 each year.
1t has been said that the South has
sent a challenge to the spinners of New
| England, and has put them upon notice
| that they cannot hope to continue to ac-
| 2umulate their millions by shipping South
ern lint cotton fifteen hundred miles and
then manufacturing 1t into cloth to ship
| the manufactured cotton South again. /
| do not regard the competition with New
! England In the manufacture of lint cot
| ton as a true destiny for the South. All
| Of our states do not together manufacture
| 30 per cent Of the lint cotton raised in the
South. / am opposed 10 struggles between
| parts Of our own country. The challenge
the South should send is not to a part of
our sister states. but II should be a chal-
| lenge by the South and by all Of America
| TO the manufacturers Of the lint cotton of
| the world, and II should let them know
| that America will. in the South, where
| the best opportunities in the world are
! offered for the manufacture Of lint cot
| ton, prepare for clothing the lint cotton
Of America raised IN the South. and ship
II manufactured throughout the word
The strength Of the South as a producer
| Of pig iron has been conceded for a num-
Der OF years past. Carroll d. Wright has
! shown I'm a statement Of the comparative
| cost between districts in the United
| States that there is an advantage Of 50
per ton dn favor OF the South. The price
Of pig iron IN Europe and America to-
day is fixed by Southern furnaces.
The coal fields of the South cover six
ty thousand square miles. Seven times
as large as those of Great Britain. More
than those Of Russia, Great Britain
France Germany and Belgium combined
The standing timber OF the South Is
about equal in value TO that Of the ball
ance Of the Union,
Where then can the manufacturer turn
TO seek conditions more propltious? The
three great raw materials for manufac-
ture: cotton. iron and lumber are At