The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-25
BLACK BELT IS
 POLITICAL TERM How AIabama's Favored Section
 Got Its Name. DEM0POLlS AS A CENTER It Is the Commercial Capital of a Wealthy Section of WestsAIabama and Does Large Business
 During the Year.
DEM0POLIS AS A CENTER


 During the Year.
 BY FRANK V. EVANS.
 Demopolis, February 24.-(speeiaL)- Why it is that we call this the 'black belt is unknown to most people in the state. The land is not totally black, for here in this territory are both clay and sand, and the soil Is black only in spots; but rieh-so very rich--in it's natural state
 The 'hlaek belt is political term, and was highly significant before the white man resumed control of this strip of country to which his fathers gave him fair title It is political or division term, not an agricultural, geological or geo. graphical one. and the people of Alabama often wonder why this should be termed the black belt"
 White Predominance.
 Once upon time, years ago, the whites did not predominate here, but they do now. and in a most wonderful way. They dictate terms political as well as social. and in a business way, and this is why both the white and the black races pros per in the so-called "back belt of Ala pama.
 What a gloriously rich country this is! From one to two bales of cotton per acre are easily produced, under the touch of real work; and corn, the smaller grains and the grasses are grown in abundance. No wonder then that the agriculturalist seeks the fertile lands of the so-called black belt'
 The Center.
 
 much of the black belt' as of Demopo- lis, the center not geographically, but In a business way of this naturally wealthy section of West Alabama Today one deeply interested in the progress of Ala bama said to the writer: "Demopolis Is the biggest and the strongest town in the state, according to it's populations" and 1 verify believe this to be true. You ask me why.
 Demopolis has a population of only about 5000. She has only, 1t Is true, one railroads; but she has river navigation nearly all the year round. and this latter fact defends her against a monopoly. Her river trade is immense and even without the Southern Railway her steamboat line would make her independent of all the inland towns of the state.
 Large Cotton Receipts.
 This season Demopolis has received about 6OooO bales of cotton. She has her own compress, besides a great number of manufacturing concerns, and her own in- dustrial enterprises keep the town fairly apace with the world at all seasons of the year.
 Demopolis is in the midst of the larg- est and richest deposits of cement rock, and the clays which are so essential to proper admixture in the state. Hence there is here established on the river bank cement works which employ eapt- tai of $5O0,0OO and over two hundred men The product of these works Is shipped mostly by river to Mobile, thence ex- ported to foreign lands. Then Demopolis has a large cotton compress, two oil mills, immense coperage works, a flour ishing cotton factory, machine shops and an ice factory
 Farmers Financially Easy.
 The writer has been informed that the farmers of this section have been relieved of all financial pressure this season by the high price of cotton and the fact that they made an abundant corn crop and neglected none of the foods crops, Whlch so bountifully respond to industrious la bor in this richly endowed section. There fore, the merchants, bankers and pro- fesisona1 men of Demopolis are enjoying with their agricultural neighbors the rich- ness of the section, and all things here seem bright and cheerful
 The work of the United States gov ernment here in river improvement-the building of the locks at a cost or about s7Oo. .0o0-is also proving of immediate bene- fit and financial profit to the people oi Demopois The pay-rolls Tor eight or nine months in the year. when the water is low enough to permit progress pour much ready cash into this highly 1aVored town and greatly supplement- the normal trade of the merchants.
 We'll Situated.
 Demopolis Is happily situated as municipality The city is governed Dy board of mayor and councilmen. lion. Morris Ely is the mayor and the mem bers of the council are Col. N. G. Wlnn' J. c. Webb, Jr., J B. Merriwether, Will liam Morris, w. M Tucker and l.. Mayer. That the city is well governed is evil denced by the fact that the tax rate is only one-half of one per cent for all pur- noses. The tax valuation or assessment is about s1, ,5O0000. The city has most excellent public school system. It owns its water works, which are supplied by health-giving artesian water rom number of flowing deep wells within the city limits The city Is well lighted by electricity, and has all modern public utilities Just now the fire department is undergoing reorganization and is to be placed upon part-pay basis, and thus made thoroughly efficient
 Demopolis is not dry town, nor Is 1t under the rule of the dispensary idea, yet these people justly boast that there is not a more orderly city in all this land. As evidence of this 1t may here be stated that one policeman in the day time and two at night afford ample protee don to this peaceful community.
 All of the protestant churches are rep resented in Demopolis. The buildings are modern and this is a church- going peo- pie.
 Two weekly newspaper-The Express and The Dispatch-journaist repre- sent the people in local way. Mir w. M. Tucker. the proprietor of The Dis patch. and his young editor, Mir. Eugene Hassel, contemplate an improvement at an early date which promises to be of wonderful advantage to Demopolis in a newspaper way.
 Sewerage System.
 Just now the city authorities are con structing a sewerage system at cost of S25.O00 as a beginning. To accomplish this task they were enabled to issue five per cent long time bonds. and the principal and interest of these bonds Is to be paic out of the general fund without increased tax-rate or assessment against property thus improved. The total bonded debt of H. Chairsell, 2l10 Morris ave, dealer in choice feed, just received a lot of poultry food,