The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-08-10

years England's iron and coal gave to
that country its proud pre-eminence in
commerce and trade, and Pennsyl
vania's vast wealth created out of
iron and steel gives some hint of the
value of this industry to country
The South is blessed with resources
which give it advantages for cheap
production of iron and steel not equaled
elsewhere in the world. Five years
ago few people accepted the state
ment that the South would become as
important in steel production as in
iron. Today Alabama steel rails are
accepted as the best made In the Uni
ted States, and, on account of quality,
command 81 ton more than the Uni
ted States Steel Corporation is receiv-
ing for it's rails. The steady depletion
of the iron-ore resources of the Lake
Superior district-at present the basis
of the vast steel industry of Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and Illinois-is every year
adding to the intrinsic value of South
ern ores. 1t is quite certain that we
can safely estimate that the South
has at least one-half of the known iron
ore supplies of the United States.
] We have, therefore, in our iron ores
a foundation for an industry exceed
ing that of the entire country at present.
We have in our Goals a source of sup
ply more than twice as great as that
of Great Britain, Germany and Penn
sylvania combined. These countries
are now mining 7OO,OOO,OOO tons year,
and the South 100000 tons. One
half of the oil produced in the United
States comes from Southern wells.
Through its Louisiana sulphur depos-
its this section now controls the sui
phur trade of the world, as it does'the
phosphate industry.
i It would, however, be a waste of
your time to undertake an enumera-
tion in detail of the natural resources
with which nature has favored this
section-a combination not duplicated
elsewhere on earth-for in addition to
our coal and iron and cotton and tim
Der and oil and sulphur and phosphate
rock, we have our marbles, granite,
clays and many other things out of
which to create wealth. In truth, we
may apply to the South description
found in the book of Deuteronomy, in
which the inspired writer, seeming to
have had this section in mind, said:
"A good land, land of brooks of
water, of fountains and depths that
spring out of valleys and hills; land
of wheat, and of barley, and vines, and
fig trees and pomegranates; a land of
oil, olive and honey; land wherein
thou shalt eat bread without scarce
ness; thou shalt not lack anything in
/ it. a land whose stones are iron and
, out of whose hills thou mayest dig
brass"
Cotton, the South's priceless heri-
tage, the most remarkable agricultural
product ever given by benehcent
Creator to any country, a crop which
in itself is enough to enrich an en-
pire, is prominently, and, so far as
human judgment can see, forever a
monopoly of the South. Measure its
Importance in the simple fact that had
every dollar of gold and silver mined
on earth in the last five years been
sent to the South, it would still have
been nearly $400,000,000 short of pay
, ing the South's bill against the world
for its cotton. The total value of the
cotton crop for these five years was
! so, 974, 100000, while the worlds pro-
duction of gold and silver was $2,57S,-
$4,000. Think not this Is tempo
rary condition. The prices which have
prevailed for the last five years are
but the normal prices and are less
than the average for the last 100
years. So mighty Is the influence of
cotton in the enrichment of the South
that between 1850 and 1860 the actual
increase in the South's wealth was
greater by $1,000. 100000 than the in
crease in New England and the Mid
die States combined. 1t was cotton
! that saved the South from utter hope
less BANKRUPTCY after war which has
no parallel in human history, followed,
as it was, by the immigration from the
South after 1865 of 100000 South
ern-born whites.
Greater by far than the loss of pow
erty, great as that was, the loss by
death on the battlefield, by perma-
nent invalidism and by this emigra-
ton, exceeded by far the losses of
money and of property. Man counts
for more than material resources, and
III we put upon the men lost to the
South by death in war and the emf
grafton following it the economic value
to a country which political econo-