The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-09-21
PROBLEM SOLVING
AND PROSPERITY.
Orchard Fl. Edmonds in The Manufac-
Jurors Record

| Orchard H. Edmonds in The Manufac-
turers' Record)
| Referring to what he calls the negro
! problem Mr.. Graves said:
ITO the white men OF the south the
| problem hampers It's material develop
/ ment. 1t halts our growth. by the rec
| ordS of the census ii frightens lmmlsrd-
| ton from industrial competition with the
negro. 1t largely deterS capital from IN
vestment in the shadow OF an unsolVeo
| problem. 1t makes standard OIL lapoi
| mat prejudices all our southern poor
against mental but honorable service. 1t
| depresseS agriculture on the farms anu
| property in the suburbs, and drives an
who can afford the change to the safety
afforded by proximity and ponce protec-
| ton in the cities. The south is UNI
| equaled in the four great basic raw ma
| terials of coal, iron. cotton and lumper.
! And yet, while 500 900 600 Of our money
| goes yearly to Europe at per cent, these
| great fields are scantily developed Ana
| thus while one great section of our coun-
| try is halted in development, the free
| movement Of men and money in all sec
| tons is hindered toward the inviting held
| 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 re-
demption from the poverty following the
wreck and ruin of the war, unparalleled
lures the south, despite all its burdens.
all it's false teachers, has i'll twenty years
made a greater percentage Of progress
than the country at large. Since 1891.
when it had less than 100000 cotton
spindles, it has increased its cotton mills
by over 100000 spinoles, giving 1t now
Il total OF $3.50, 900 spindles, while dur
ing the same period England added only
$50 600 to its as 600, 600 spindles, and
New England added only 800 600 spin.
dies to It's 3,25o,ooo. England and the
north combined had in 1911 So 900 COG
spindIes. which they have since increased
by $500 900, while the south mad less
than 100000 spindes, which it has
since increased by $500, 900.
What has been done in cotton has to a
considerable extent been done in lumber,
coal ana iron. Since 1880 the south mas
Increased IT'S pig iron production from
1871 900 tons 10 over 100000 tons,
reaching this year probably about $780,
coo tons; it has increased its coal Out
put from 5000, 600 tons TO over so, ooo,-
900 tons; its exports from S26i 600, 900
| TO $50 600 900. In 1880 it had 20, 800
miles of railroad, now it has about Co.
900 mics; then it had S23 500 600 capital
invested in lumber operations, now it has
$751; 700 ooo and the value of its lumber
products increased from $50 900, 900 in
$50 TO Si69 900 900 in 900. And yet
Mr. Graves talks about the south not
progressing.
In the light of such figures, which are
open TO the world, how utterly absurd
seem the statements made by Mr.. Graves.
The fact is. starting with his false pre-
misses on the industrial line, he has large
ly overdrawn the conditions. He has
painted a picture of the south which Is
not true, but 1t is a picture which will be
distributed by northern and western
railroads seeking to keep immigration
from the south by the hundreds of thou
sands of copies if not by millions. Eu-
rope. the north and the west will be
Hooded With it to prove that white peo-
pie must not go south. His speech will
counterfeit the good work OF a hundred
railroad immigration agents, for. false
though it be. ii viii be distributed
as the views of southern man. From
beginning to end Mir, Graves new things
are not true things, and his true things
are not new things.