The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-08
THE NEGLECTED SOUTH.
Northern Men DO Not Seek Personal
knowledge of 1t.

Charleston News and Courier.
On their way home from the exposition
at Charleston the New York delegation
from the Merchants Association, Chamber
of Commerce and Cotton Exchange stopped
in Washington and paid their respects to
President Roosevelt at the White House.
They were very pleasantly received. and
with William F.. King. chairman of the
delegation, acting as spokesman. told the
President how much his visit to Charleston
had been appreciated and that the mem
bers of the delegation were deeply touched
by the many cordial expressions towards
the President which they heard on all sides
during their stay. The President, in his
turn, said that he had been most deeply
touched by his reception in Charleston.
and added: Il feed in the strongest way
that nothing can be more important than
the building up Of the great industrial inter-
ests of the South through just such organi-
cations as you represent here to-day"
The President would probably have been
surprised to know that some OF the delega-
ton representing the three greatest COM
merclal organizations in the country had
never been south before their trip 10
C-arleston, and that most OF them had
never been in Charleston. They have done
business with the South, some Of them
have large investments in the South, they
handle the raw material and manufactured
products of the South and are in a way in
terested in the development of the South.
but they do not know the South. One OF
the visitors had never been further south
than Washington. He could tell you all
about the mills at Manchester, England,
but he knew nothing about the largest cot
ton mill in the world at Columbia, s.. c.; he
could quote poetry about the mountains in
Switzerland, but he was ignorant of the
Southern Alps IN western North Carolina;
he could tell all about the Suez canal and
the Mediterranean, but knew nothing about
the Jetty channel at Charleston and the
broad Atlantic seven miles away; he was
familiar with Balaklava, but had never
seen Fort Sumter.
We submit to the President that 1.-THE
building up of the great industrial interests
NOTED If the organizations which his Wis
itors represented would only acquire a more
intimate acquaintance with the South and
its opportunities.
Congressman Tongue, of Oregon, made
a very Thoughtful address at the eXposl-
ton last Saturday. He said that the bet
ter and more intimate acquaintance be-
tween the people of all parts of the coun-
try brought about by their association at
the exposition would far outlast the mere
physical features of the great fair, and
we may hope that our New York friends
Will come back again and again. They need
education. They are so impressed witt
their own bigness that they run the risk
of taking it for granted that New York
is THE whole thing" And II comes very
near being so. But, really. there Is more
territory outside of New York than in New
York, and at least 10000 900 people in the
United States who do not enjoy the heaV-
emily bliss of living in New York 1t is
sad. but it is trve. "A short time ago"
said the Oregon orator on Saturday. in
travelling from New Orleans to Wash
lngton city, / encountered an intelligent
looking business mar from the city Of
New York. Upon learning that l was
from Oregon he wanted TO know what
part of New York that was Think OF
that. Mr. King, "An Misunderstanding
business man from the city OF New York
asking what part OF New York oregon
was-a State Of the American Union which
contains an area larger than all of the six
New England States and South Carolina
combined, a State with a far less per-
centage of illiteracy than the Empire Stale
itself
There are many reasons besides the COM
missions on to-day's business why the New
York business organizations ought 10 en-
courage the building up of the great in
dustrial interests OF the South. This is
/. after all the most conservative part Of
the country. 1t is slow TO adopt new ideas In
politics or business. 1t holds 10 old and ap-
proved economic policies, but II is impetu-
Gus after it gets a-going 1t did not
originate any of the wild theories of
finance and government which have given
the commercial organizations OF New York
so much concern in the last few years. IL
went after them. we are sorry TO say. be-
cause there did not appear TO be anything
else 10 do at the time. il could have been
kept in the right paths If the business or
ganizatiOns and moneyed men of New
York and the East had taken an active in
terest in the development OF this part of
the country. The political unrest OF the
last few years started in Kansas. in the
West. where hundreds OF millions of
Northern capital have gone for investment.
The neglected South cannot be very much
blamed for putting its faith in Kansas when
New York capitalists lave put their for
tunes there. We believe that the New York
visitors went home with "A clearer appre-
hensipn OF the true business situation In the
South. and we are prepared down this way
for the strenuous life In industrial affairs.