The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-09
Richard H. Edmonds Discusses
Prosperity and Prospects
DEVELOPMENT ONLY BEGUN
income From Five Years of High
Price Cotton Used To Wipe Out
Old Debts And Establish FL
nanciaI independence.

making tour of the south arrived here
from New Orleans Saturday night He
will remain in the Birmingham district
until Wednesday
Wherever one goes in the south. said
Mr. Edmonds at the Hotel Hillman last
night, "he must of necessity be Impress
ed with the general prosperity prevailing
The activity seen In the Birmingham
district finds its counterpart all over this
section. 1t must not be imagined that
because there Is so much progress here
That this city is concentrating In itself
all the activity of the south Moreover
If such a condition were possible it would
be most unfortunate even for Birming-
ham itself, for the development of this
city must go hand In hand with the
development of the whole south.
viii Be Felt Here.
Every new factory built. every enter
prise Started. using machinery of any
kind, every house constructed from yir-
ginia to Texas Is of value to Birming-
ham" continued Mr.. Edmonds, land
strengthens the iron interests of this dis
triet The Alabama iron situation is a
unique one. Southern iron and steel
makers have an absolute monopoly beyond
the possibility of outside competition.
of the whole south and they can at the
same time invade northern and western
markets, whereas outside iron makers
can never enter this territory.
"Thus every enterprise started in the
south which adds a single ton to the
consumption of pig iron or steel rails. OF
nails is building up a greater home mar
ket which the lion makers of this section
forever dominate as to pig iron and which
they must sooher or later dominate as
to all the finished products of steel.
Last Year Or Two.
within the last year or two the south
has entered upon an entirely new era il
| its material affairs. Doubt and uncer.
| tainty have passed away. Southern
| planters working in connection with
| southern bankers have won a victory Of
worldwide Importance. That the south
holds an absolute monopoly of the world
| cotton production admits of no question
For three-quarters of a century Europe
has striven I'd develop cotton growing II
other lands that it might be less depend
ent upon the south. England's vast wealth
is largely staked on cotton manufacture
ing and has been for nearly a century.
ut is claimed that nearly l0,000.0o0 peo
| pie in Great Britain are directly or in
directly dependent upon the cotton indus
| try Manchester is the center of a cottor
region. having nearly 50,000,0OO spndles
| or more than twice as many as we have II
| the United States. In fact Manehestel
| built last year new mills with eapaeit,
/ of 5000 600 spindles. thus adding IN on
year to the industry more than half az
| many spindles as the@ whole south mas
| No wonder therefore that England ma
led in the efforts which all Europe ha
! made to grow cotton elsewhere but ate
! three-ouarters of a century of such worl
the south's monopoly is more firmly fixet
than ever before. Under the low prices
prevailing from 1892 to 1898 Europe paiC
us in some years but little more thar
| 5000 600 600 a year for our cotton. Now
with better prices, Europe pays us abou
| s400 100000 a year.
Regarding Old Debts.
! For the last five years the vast in
| come from cotton, the total value o.
! the crop averaging over $GO0,0O0,0o0 an
| nually has gone to pay old debts, to pu
! the south on its feet financially and now
| with a clear balance sheet, With some
| capital accumulated with a wealth OF eX
| perience worth all that ii has cost, TN
south has learned how to dominate to Z
fair extent the prize and the marketing
| of cotton just as It dominates It's pro
duction. There is no reason why thu
| south cannot so control the situation al
to secure a fairly regular price of a
| least 10 cents a pound, and this woult
be less than the average for the last hun
bred years
Holds the Key.
.'With this MONOPOLY of the world
most valuable crop, added to its coal ant
iron and timber, its water powers, etc.
It's agricultural capabilities, its phos
| pilates, its oils, its sulphur and othe
| things. the south holds the key to
world domination in the whole range o
vast industries upon which civilization
| itself rests That we see today in iron
! and steel development In Alabama, II
| vast railroad undertakings in the who'll
| territory from the Potomac to the Ri
| Grande in sulphur mining In Louisiana
! which now controls the worlds sulphu
trade. in oil in Texas. Louisiana ant
| West Virginia, in the utilization of waite
| mowers aggregating 100000 horsepowe
now going on in the earolinas, Georgia
| Tennessee and elsewhere Is but the frs
step in the south's material advance
| ment
Hardly Begun.
Let no one imagine that we are near
ing the climax. We have hardly begun
lSThe wealth of today is but a bagatelle al
| compared with the soIths wealth fiv'
| or ten years hence. The hardest worl
has been DONE We have as the saying il
| "made good" We have proved our abil
! ity to compete with Pennsylvania in iron
! and steel; with 1nglani and New Eng
| land in cotton manufacturing. we havi
| solved our hardest problem and hence
forth our work will be as child's pla,
compared with the giant task of thos'
who for % years have led the soutl
through the wilderness INTO the sight o
! the promised land.
Men and money will now crowd upon
us. No longer will we have to prove on
| advantages. These the world now full!
realizes and already is turning this way
| and 1t is now only a question whethe
| the people of the south themselves viii
| rise with this swelling tide Of prosperity
| and dominate ii or whether they will b.
! dominated by these new conditions. II
| this lies our chief problem now and III
| solution must largely depend upon hoq
| fully and rapidly we develop our tech
| meal and agricultural schools and how
| broadly we carry on along correct line
1 our general educational work.
Notice.
! All members Of Farrar lodge No. s. A
| f. & A. NJ, are requested to meet at thef
hall. i'm Elyton at $3.50 o'clock today to at
tend the funeral of Brother George w