The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-23
THE SOUTH PRODUCES WORKERS

THE SOUTH PRODUCES WORKERS
! The Baltimore Sun takes the Phila-
delphia Telegraph severely to task for
saying: eff the white men of the
| South were able and willing to work
steadily and persistently, as do the
white men of the North, their section
of the country would be abundanIly
rich and prosperous to-day.
! Whether it is climate or heredity or
the tradition of slavery times, the
fact remains that the men of the
| like to work and will not work if they
| can avoid it,"
The Sun says that if the Telegraph
had studied the figures in the
! Twelfth Census, it would have found
| that the South is not backward in
contributing to the prosperity of the
| United States. But it uses as it's
| strongest argument against the Tele-
graphs assertions quotations from the
speech of Raleigh's eminent banker,
Mr.. Joseph G. Brown. The Sun says:
IF our Philadelphia contemporary
really wishes to be honest and fair IN
it's discussion of economic conditions
in the South, it might study, with adj
vantage to itself and to it's readers, an
address made at the meeting of the
New York State Bankers meeting on
July 14th last by Mr.. Joseph G..
Brown, president of the Citizens Ma
uonal Bank of Raleigh, n. G. Mr..
Brown showed that last year the value
of the cotton crop was we'll in excess
of $500, 1000, 900; that the value of the
corn crop was $370,136,327 of wheat
$69,763,596, and of oats, $29, 790,163.
The total production of corn, wheat,
oats, Irish potatoes, rye and hay in
1904 was $542,121 900, to which should
be added. according to the North Car
DINA banker, other products estimated
at $550,000,000 making the value Of
the South's agricultural products in
Guiding cotton, $1,7O0, 600, 600. The
manufactured products of the South
last year were valued at $500, OOO,-
900. The mining, manufacturing and
agricultural production of the South
last year was estimated $500, 100000.
Since 1880 the South's coal production
has increased from 100000 tons to-
sc 900, 900 tons i'm 1904. The South arn
States make as much pig iron today
as the whole country produced %
years ago. In 1880 the capital invest
ed in cotton mills was $21,00000
Today the mills operated in South
represent $200,000,000 of capital. The
lumber product last year was $780,
000, 900. The railroad mileage has
grown from 10000 in 1880 to $4,000
in 1904.
Are these the achievements of men
who are neither able nor willing 20
work steadily and persistently'? Could
L. h 20 70 hall no cfn III
ard of energy and industry prevailing
i'm the North have accomplished sucn
extraordinary results? The fact is the
South, by its own energy, is such al
prosperous section of the country 70
day that Philadelphia. along with
New York and Western cities, is max
ing persistent efforts to secure a part
of it's trade. If the Southern people
were lazy and shiftless they would
have no money and their trade would
not be desired. 1t is we'll that they
should know, however, how they are
disparaged, by an organ of public opin-
ion in Philadelphia; that they should
learn who are their friends and who
are hostile to them. 1t is improbable,
then, that they would care to have
trade relations with a city in which
are represented to be idlers and 'ne'er-
do-wells'."
AS to idlers and "ne'er- do wells"
the Sun remarks:
There is no section of this country
without it's proportion of idle and
shiftless and lazy men. These 'ne'er-
do-welf and ne'er-do-anything' class |
es are to be found in Philadelphia 3
well as in New Orleans, in Boston as
well as in Charleston. They are not
the product of climate, tradition or
heredity, any more than the political
corruption and rascality for which |
Philadelphia has long been noted are
the results of heredity and tradition IN
the Quaker City. AS far back as his |
tory goes in the United States there |
have been men in every community
who were averse to making their
bread by the sweat of the brow. Hence
the large number of persons who live
by their wits, the green goods, bunco |
men, confidence men and 'get-rlch- |
quick rascals who abound in the large
cities of the North: hence the hangers
on of the political machine in Phila-
delphia-men who never did an honest
days work in their lives, but subsiSt
on the crumbs which are thrown to
them by party bosses. There is no
question of heredity, tradition or
climate involved in the worthlessness
of these unspeakable creatures. NO
sane person thinks of judging the non
est, industrious and worthy men or
the North by these shiftless, degraded
ond dishonest -