The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-15
PROSPERITY OF THE SOUTH.
How Lectures on the Negro "Pro-
 plem" May Hamper It,

How Lectures on the Negro "Pro-
 Dlem" May Hamper It.
 Atlanta, Ga. Editorial Correspondence
 Manufacturers Record.
 | Just now the South is raising a paean oi praise of w. P. Brown and his associate: Feet of their work has been to awaken the world to the actual shortage in cotton the realization of which insures high prices to the planters for this years crop But for Browns work 1t is quite proba- ble that. as has often happened before, there would have been no advance Tn price until the crop. was out of the hands of the farmers, and then the speculators and the mills, instead of the growers, 1 would have made the big profits from the advance. Brown did not destroy a single where 1t cannot be had. The shutting down of mills is due to the actual short age in the cotton supply, and the bull op- orators only brought the condition to pub: lie knowledge. Even though they had never been heard of. there would not have been cotton enough to go around. and many mills would have had to close down Some mills tempted by high prices, sold their cotton rather than manufacture 1t, and this cotton has been resold by Brown to other mills. So great is the influence of the cotton mills of Europe and New England that all possible pressure has been brought against high prices. for the cotton manufacturer is necessarily a bear on pTlceS. LOW DElCeS TOT the raw SIdDIe mean larger profits for the mill. and Flu rope and New England which consume 80 per cent of the South's cotton crop, hold ing no interest in this section other than to buy cotton at the lowest price, fill the world with exaggerated reports about the danger of cotton-growing in other coun- tries. about the prospects of large crops and of production exceeding the demand. years to the great loss of the South. For once, however Southern Elen have met the bears of Europe and America, and in the greatest cotton battle of the worlds history have come out victorious. The South at least does not begrudge them the vast profits which rumor says they have reaped for their work has made it quite certain that this years cotton, in- tion more than $10O. 000 in excess of the largest amount ever received for a single crop. It is conservative to estimate that the growers of cotton will receive not less than $6OO,0OO,O GOO for this years crop, while as late as 1898. unde rthe exceedingly low prices then prevailing. the value of the crop. including seed was less than $350,- O0O,UO0. That was the lowest point reach ed, and then came a gradual increase ! which made the average of the last three years about $500, 100000 to be followed now by record-hreaker of $eoo OOo. .oot and pos sibly more. Estimating this crop at s6OO,- 100000. the total value of the last four crops. seed included, has been about B. OO010,OOO, while the total value of the AOuT pTeCculllR CTOpS, Se4Q lHClQQeQ, was about $1, 600 OOO,OOO. Let us take this years crop at $60,000 ,0O0. Of this the South will consume in Its own mills over 2,O00, 900 bales. and in doing so will add to the value of the raw staple about $200, GOO O0O the value of the votton seed mill products will add another $10O OOO,O0O so the South will this year have poured into 1t entire ly from other sections and other coun- tries for cotton products alone about $900,- | 00O 900.
 Moreover. added to this magnificent showing for cotton is the grain crop, which likewise promises to be the best found sections where grain has not done we'll but for the whole South the yield will be surprising to the most sanguine. whether in New York, which is crowded with them. or at home. the talk is of uni- versal prosperity. eve are going to have so much money We will hardly know what to do with it' is the substance of what has been heard from many leading South ern men during the last few days. The value of agricultural products In the 100000 this year, or total to the credft of the work of Southern farmers of $1. .500- 0C00oo, against $600,OoO,000 in 1880. Since 1880 the South has increased its popula- creased the value of it's agricultural pro- ducts by 15O per cent. During the same period 1t has developed the value of its manufactured and mineral products from
 
 of 25S per cent. Taking agriculture, min erals and manufactures together, and the gain has been from $1 ,074 GOO to $3.2OO,- GOO 900, Or 1sS per cent, against 50 per cent increase in population. And yet some southern people-just a few-talk about the South not making much progress.
 At Chicago the other day John Temple Graves of Atlanta; editor of The Atlanta
 statesman: orator and publicist." a heavy combination for any poor mortal to stagger under. painted a gruesome pie lessness throughout the South. "Orating" as statesman and publicist and Journal ist on his hobby of the separation of the races. he must perforee give reasons therefor, and his fundamental reasons were that because of the presence of the negro the South could not thrive Clothed in the choicest English of which he Is master. with glowing oratorical flights, his speech might charm the ear but fortunately for the South. his pre- mises were all wrong. Referring to what he calls the negro problem" MT. Graves said:
 "To the white men of the South the problem hampers it's material develop ment. It halts our growth. By the rec ords of the census it frightens immigra- negro. It largely deters capital from in vestment in the shadow of an unsolved problem. It makes a standard of labor that prejudices all our Southern poor
 
 depresses agriculture on the farms and property in the suburbs and drives all who can afford the change to the safety afforded by proximity and police .protec- equslled Tn the four great basic raw ma terials of coal. iron. cotton and lumber And yet while H00,0J0.OO0 of our money goes yearly 10 Europe at 4 per cent, these great fields are scantily developed. And thus. while one great section of our coun- try iS halted in development the free movement of men and money in all sec tions is hindered toward the inviting field of opportunity"
 How often must the story of the South's amazing progress be told? How often must the facts be given to show a redemption from the poverty following the wreck and ruin of the war, unparai- leled in history? In agriculture and man. ufactures the South. despite all It's bur dens. all it's false teachers, has in twenty years made a greater percentage of prog reSs than the country at large. Since spndles, 1t has increased Its cotton mills L.. over 6 100000 spndles, giving it now a total of S.250000 spindles, while during the same period England added only 1650, GOO to its 45,00g0 GOO spindes, and New England added only 1SO0OOO spindles to it's i3. 250,- GOO. England and the North combined had in 1891 5S,000,o00 spindles, which they have since increased by 3 BOG, 900. while the South had less than 100000 spindles which it has since increased by 6500 GOO
 What has been done in cotton has to a considerable extent been done in lumber coal and iron. Since 1880 the South has Increased lnC req its pig ron production from a9L0n tons to over 5000 GOO tons reaching this year probably about $500 GOO tons; it has increased it's coal output from q. GOO UOo tons to over 60,010,0O0 tons; its exports rom S26l o O,O0O to $510 0O0, 900. In 1880 it a naa 2o,@M o miles of railroad. now it has about 6oo3o miles; then it had $23. .5OO, ,OO0 capital invested in lumber oDera4ions now