The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-16
The South to the Front.

when It Is recalled that the South lost
ssenn,rally one hundred million dollars from
1sa1 to 1899 through tho depression In the
@ prioe of cotton, 1t is not dithcnlt 70 se' e
what a vital difference It makes IN ti1e
welfare Of that entire sec'don to nave
~ cotton sold at price that gives q FAR
remuneration to the farnrer. This year year
5 the COTTON crop will be worth SIX nun
dred and fifty million dollars, which Is
only ten million dollars less than the
~ +otal value OF all the agricultural pro-
ducts OF the South in 1850. Iaso year the the
$s cation crop, including tho seed, was
worth six hundred and sixty and one
Mali million dollars. In 1850 all the south
fern products Of agriculture did not ex-
sf ceed seven hundred and seventy three
million dollars, while this year the
product Will BIO more than one thousand a'''''1
sevtsn hundred million dollars 50 Huch
b for the raw material. ii
3sss In manufacturing Industries, the South's
ii progress has been equally remarkable.
SSin 1879 the South had twenty-one million
/ dollars invested in cotton manufac aur1lg
u Of two hundred and twenty-five thousand
bales, while to-day two hundred millions
s. of capital are so invested, and tho con-
Sumption is two million bales The growth
$of this Industry is being fostered by the;
N cheap labor, the freedom from strikes
and the proximity to The source of the
production OF raw material. The future
af,p0 Ia hrrht
and the opening Of the Panama canal,
with the conseauem. opportunities of trade,
E@in the Orient where cotton goods are so
necessary and SO desired. should give a
further impetus to this field for South
crn energy. ss
SsSS Somn idea of the value OF the manufac-s
lures Of the South is gained from the
figures, which show that the total value
of all manufactures at present Is sixteen
8 hundred million, while in 1890 it was nine
hundred and seventeen millions, and in
1850 little more 1slan four hundred and
y tiliy millions. In iron and steel and coal
gl,le South has been equally progressive.
rhe total output Of pig iron for the
South last year was 100000, coo tons.
while quarter of a century ago the
total output for America was only 100000
Il ions greater. :.
Hand in hand witll.tlae growth Of this
industry has gone that Of the mining Of
coal. In 1850 only 100000 tons Of coal
\ were mined, and last year the output from
ahis source alone In the South was &c.
60, 900 tons. Again, the Manufacturers
Record, which has prepared the interest
ing article from which we are quoting.
points to tho trucking industry OF The
South, which Is capable of almost I'M
limited development. This field Of labor
3 has one advantage over the large plan
y tation. In that it does not require such
great numbers Of lnborers, the small
farmers being able to compete SUCCESS
fully with their larger neighbors. It
would seem that the certainly Of profit In
st this field would attract Northern farmers,
and in view of an article in The Times
Dispatch recently published, on the In
creased immigration Of desirable Euro
.peans 10 tho Southern States. we have
4 no reason 10 doubt hut that this occu-
patton will commend Itself more and
moro to the Europeans seeking agrlcul-
firal pursuits in America. Certainly the
4 prosperity Of The Atlantic Coast Line
Railway would seem to show shat the
struck farin.ts arc as profitable and
:; valuable producers of freight as any other
class. The effect OF all this has bcen TO
increase the spirit of confidence through
out the soYtl and to dispace a pess-
$lnisnl whifliS,Nad been developed BY a
long period Of depression and hard times.
IN the place of this attitude the South
To-day is expectant. confident and pre-
spared TO meet and develop great pros
peri.y which the future must hold for it.
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