The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-05-18
..Shiftlessness of the South. ;,
From the Baltimore Sun.

From the Baltimore Sun.
Some Northern newspapers have recently
INDUCED in editorial reflections upon whai
they term the s'shiftlessness of the South
This shiftlessness is manifested by the poverty
of the Southern people as compared with the
opuent population OF the North. A casual
consideration of the reason why the South is
net so wealthy as the North would have pre-
vented our esteemed contemporaries from
making assertions so absolutely unjust and
without foundation.
The South emerged from the Civil War 36
years ago utterly broken and bankrupt. More
than one-tenth of the entire white adult male
population had persisted in battle, in prisons
or in the hospitals. The labor system was
destroyed, thousands Of homes had been burn.
ed, and everywhere tpere was mourning and
desolation. Practically little was left in a rich
and prosperous country except the land, and
the means to cultivate that were wanting.
The cost of the war in money to the Southern
States is hard to estimate.
The decrease in the assessment OF property
between 1860 and 1870 was 81, 200, 000, 600,
and that represents only portion of the loss.
Then following upon deselation of war came
the reconstruction era, compared with which
the war itself has been termed mereilul visit
alton of Providence. OF the carpetbaggers
Judge Jeremiah S. Black said that they not
only stole everything in sight, but by their
devilish ingenuity they succeeded in running
their ielonious fingers into the pockets OF
posterity To satisfy the greed of these vul-
lures the State treasures we're looted, school
funds squandered, taxes levied SO high upon
people unable to pay anything that general
system of confscation ensued. In addition
to this bonded debts were put upon the several
States by the mixed Legislatures of negroes
and white earpetbaggers from the North which
aggregated over $500, 100000. In shcrt time
the Legislature of North Carolina incurred an
Indebtedness of $38, 600, 900, nearly a third as
much as the total valuation of all the property
in the State, and taxation was doubled. The
debt of Alabama was increased over SIS, O0O,-
600. In South Carolina taxes were increased
from S400, 900 a year to 81, 00e, 900. The debt
of Georgia was increased S12, 0O0, 600, and so
with all the States, Louisiana suffering worst
of all with an increase of $40, 000,0 900 in her
debt and SAC, 900, 900 squandered and nothing
to show for it.
The political troubles which began in 1861
ended in 1876, but the fnancial troubles of the
South were not ended. After having borne
the crushlag burden of their own side IN the
contest they began to pay large share of the
cost of conquerng themselves in payment of
the war debt ofthe United States. In addition
to this the South has had to pay in pensions
to Union soldiers since the close OF the war
sum not much less than the indemnity levied
by Germany upon France after the war of
1870, a sum estimated at over $500, 900, 600.
Then, too, the South has been burdened with
the cost of educating the negro population,
which has contributed little or nothing for
that purpose: the tariff tax has borne more
heavily upon the South than upon the North.
not only in the increased cost of manufactured
articles il has bought, but in the decreased
price Of the agricultural products it has sold.
While the South was being impoverished
aud desolated by the war the North was grow
ing rich. All the vast sums expended IN mil
itary and civil operations were flowing into
her Golfers Army and navy contractors were
fattening, and manufacturers were growing
rich During the war decade, while the South
lost in assessment valuation over 81, 600, OO0,-
600, the North gained 81, $40, 600, 900. Dur
ing the years since the war the North has paid
its share of pensions, butt has all come back,
besides the greater part of what has been levied
upon the South, and the North has been equal
ly fortunate i'll gathering in the money ex
pended by the Federal Government for rivers
and harbors, for public buildings and for in
terest on the public debt.
Now let us see what the South has accom-
plished i'll the way OF recuperation from the
ruin winch had overwhelmed her IN 1871
The census of 1880 showed that in the assess
ment of property she had gained nearly S.
900 ,000,0 900. In the next ten years she gained
so per cent, while the New England and
Middle States gnined oniy % per cent, and
since $50 The production cotton has doubled
and manufactures have increased in far
greater proportion. The capital invested in
cotton manufacturing has increased over ten
fold in Ten years. In fifteen years rs, 900 miles
of railroad were built and billion dollars ex
pended upon them. In fifteen years the pro-
duction Of pig iron increased from 397, 900
tons TO l, 300, 600 tons, and in the same time
the coal products increased fyefold. These
figures are given only as indicating the pro-
gress made. In various lines of manufacturing
the South has suddenly taken an important
position. 1t produces its own food supply IN
stead of sending money to the West to buy it.
1t is true that a great deal of the capital for
the Southern enterprises comes from the
North, but the greater part represents the saw
ings of the Southern people themselves.
There may be shiftlessness in the South, but
the Southern people are doing right well not
withstanding. History does not furnish any
parallel TO this recovery of "a people from alb
so1ute ruin.