The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-02-23
SOUTHERN PROGRESS



eBaltimore. Feb. a.-(special.)-A strik-
Ing feature. Of this weeks issue Of The
Manufacturer Record, it, twentieth an
niversary number, u the unanimity Of
the views expressed In 1t BY authorities
In divers fields - to the wonderful future
Of the South. These contributors include
ofncials Of the scientific departments Of
the United States Government. men Of
national standing - experts In finance
and transportation, others who have
made prolonged study OF Southern condi-
lions and others who have long been
prophets Of Southern development and
have participated therein by actual in
vestment, or through, publicity In the un-
dertakings which have made the South
Of today. Their views must have q
world wide influence In Strengthening the
upward movement Of the south's mate
rial interests.
Prominent among these contributors
Ii Mr.. J. Stephen Jeans Of London. Sec
rotary Of the British Iron Trade Asgo-
citation. who 10 convinced by a close obser-
walton of Southern endeavor that he
knows Of no section In the United States.
with Its cup of blessings fresh from
Natures hands. so overlooking as the
Southern States" He does not believe
that the South Ii doing all 1t could do,
especially in iron and steel. measured
by its advantages. But after pointing
out some Of the difficulties which have
delayed its advancement. he says, refer
ring to iron and coal matters: There
are not many Aiabamas in the world:
there is no other In the United States.
In some degree the same remark ap-
plies. mutatis mutandis. to other iron
making centers OF the South. II were
seeking an investment for my children
and myself, II had been o young man.
think / would vary Horace Greeley's
Injunction and go South
This view has, confirmation from Mr..
James M. Swank. General Manager Of
the American Iron and Steel Association,
who writes: 1.-THE resources Of the South
for the continued production Of pig iron
on a large scale are ample. Taking the
South as q whole there In no scarcity OF
either iron ore or Of good cooking coal.
Until recently It has been supposed that
the South could never become a great
steel producer. a. 1t possesses but little
iron ore that will make pig-iron suitable
for conversion into acid Bessemer steel.
which is the only kind Of Bessemer steel
that is now made In the United States.
Such pig iron Of this quality as 10 now
used in Baltimore. Wheeling and Ash
land is made wholly from imported ores
or from Lake Superior ores. but the rapid
development in late years Of the basic
open hearth steel industry in this country
has not only furnished a market for large
quantities of Southern basic pig-iron. for
the manufacture Of which large deposits
of Southern orc are especially adapted,
but It has encouraged the embarkation OF
capital In the manufacture In The 6suth
Of basic open-hearth steel itself. the best
fruits of which important innovation We
now see at Enslsy, Ala. All In ALI the
out look for tie IRON ma tteefF ip4netrfes
Of the South is remarkably bright The
critical period Of experiment. doubt and
poverty Of capital has passed"
The passing Of this poverty 10 noted
by Mr.. James H. Eckles Of Chicago. ex-
Con ptroller OF the Currency. who frds
gre alter bankable wealth and Increased
banking facilities the feature of which
Is that II IL Southern wealth developed
in the South. and largely owned by South
ern men, which Is doing this thing"
Independence of the South for its sup
ply of iron ore coal and lumber, the
great foundations OF manufacture. 10 the
idea dominant in the review made by Mr..
Theodore C. Search. President Of the Ma
tional Association OF Manufactures. in
which he says: This Is peculiarly .
Southern condition. New England. the
oldest. busiest and most advanced manu-
featuring section of the country, pro-
duces but little of the materials con-
sumed in her Industries, but must 30 to
Pennsylvania for iron and coal. and TO
the South for cotton and for much OF the
lumber that IL required. The South,
therefore. enjoys peculiar advantage In
finding at home all the materials for her
industries, and It is seif-evident that the
utilization of these vast resources at
home is immeasurably more advantageous
than the sale of materials to manufacture
in other sections of the country
Figures tracing the wonderful progress
In Southern railroads during the past
twenty-five years are reinforced by the
opinion of Mr.. NJ e. ingalls,. President
of the Cleveland. Cincinnati. Chicago and
St Louis Railroad, that IF there Is any
thing on earth that represents the new
South today, 1t is the railways of the
Southeastern country. In physical con-
dition, in management. in facilities for
the public. they compare favorably with
any section of the country. Ten years
ago they were, in many cases, a broken
down and disjointed lot, unable to serve
the public or themselves" Mr.. James
McCrea, First Vice-President of the Penn
sylvania lines west of Pittsburg. In a re-
cent trip South, found the railways shar-
ing the general prosperity. and Mr.. w.
W. Finley Second Vlce-President of the
Southern Railway. and Mr.. J. T. Hara~
han Second Vice-President of the Illinois
Central Railroad, tell OF the causes OF
that prosperity and Of the great future
ahead of this section.
Colonel Alfred B. Shepperson. the noted
cotton statistician of New York, quotes
the expert opinion OF Mr.. Thomas ELL
son of Liverpool, that 1T looks as II the
South will very shortly consume more
cotton than the North" and adds him
self, 81 heartily agree with him that 1t
is only a question of time when the
Southern mills will undoubtedly use more
cotton than those OF the Northern
States In spite of the revolution
wrought in the cotton mill industry, based
upon the congratulated Southern sta
pie Secretary James Wilson OF the United
States Department of Agriculture does
not think that the South will be much
longer known and thought of primarily as
the land of cotton. He says: with the
great industrial progress of the South
ern States and the development OF
their wonderful mineral and manufacture
ing resources comes the best of all mar
kets for the farmer-the great home mar
ket. More and more l hope TO see the
agriculture of the South diversified as
the cotton crop continue to increase in
total production, but let its growth be
rather by higher average per acre than
a very large extension of the area under
this crop. Let Southern farmers keep the
plant food at home, and send the pro-
Of manufactured articles manufactured
on the farm by natures processes) rath-
er than in the form Of raw material. Let
them grade up their fiocks and herds.