The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-11
THE BRIGHT LAND
OF OPPORTUNITY
Epic Of Twentieth Century Will
Be the Development Of the
South.

In an article in the Worlds Work on
the present and future development Of
thu Southern States. this striking cX-
preston occurs:
Tile ln"t fifty yeass have seen the
making OF a dozen new Common-
wru!ths beyond the Mississippi: the
next fifty years will sec the rcmaking |
OF u dozen old Commonwealth below
Mason and DtSon's line. The energies
OF these people, for generations trag-
ically pent-up or misdirected. are now
turned at last into their natural chan
nels Of development, From 1900 to!
1850 the Soutlrs Mill be the Land of
Opportunity. AZ our epic Of the mine
tcenth con fury was the Winning OF the
West, SO our epic OF the twentieth will
be the Development Of the South"
Az Others See Us al
Commenting on the above the New
Orleans Picayune says:
Probably outsiders see the grandeur
OF our future more clearly than do our
own people. and particularly those in
| the semi-tropical South. Tor the two
| centuries during which the lower South
/ has been Inhabited by white men the
country has been devoted to agricul-
| tnre The people were content to dig
| their bread out of, the fertile soil to
| raise upon its largely spontaneous pro-
ducts cattle and hogs enough to furnish
/ meat, and their surplus energy was
given to growing cotton and tobacco.
which were sold for cash and carried
away to be manufactured
The fact that our mountains in Ten
nessee and Alabama were rich in coal
and iron cut no figure. 1t is true that
a relative of the writer ee-quarters
OF century ago removed from a
i Northern State, settled in the neighbor4
hood of Talladega, Ala, and discovering
rich deposits Of iron ore smelted ii
with charcoal and manufactured It into
an excellent article. which was uscC
in the surrounding country for all pur
poses by the local blacksmths. hui
: no special notice was taken OF It, 70,
, the Southern people Of that period de.
voted their entire attention to agri
culture and preferred to purchase al
: manufactured articles OF CONSUMPTION
from foreign countries and from New
1 England.
Since then coal and many other i'm.
I. portant mineral products have beer
2 discovered In the South, and manu-.
featuring Is being developed witt
: great activity. The Manufacture Of
t Southern cotton in the States wher,
1T was grown has become one of the
most important Industries in som,
parts of this section, The entire hill
. country of the South Is rich in hard
wood forests of the greatest value
! while the coast region furnishes thu
g choicest pine and cypress lumber
! This material is being extensively GU
: and shipped. and the day will com,
o when the various manufacturers o
n wood instead of sending away tn
n rough lumber. will be sources o
t great wealth to this region.
u ia, n,{i MT
d ordinary wealth OF the South in ray
: material. one of It's most valuable as
S sets yet but little developed Is it
extraordinary endowment in waite
d power. IN every State. with the ex
= cepton, perhaps, Of Florida, there ar
ID numerous rivers and streams. grea
n. and small, breaking out Of the noun
st tains and bills only ready TO be use
G to turn the wheels of innumerabl
10 factories and mills Of all sorts. /
Il climate where these streams ai
seldom if ever. checked by ice, ther
! are millions of horsepower waitln
- - to be utilized.
ty An Unwisc Cutlery.
o. The older and fully developed con
~ munities have been driven to max
- war on the railroad by the necessitit
I for cheaper transportation, while w
needing all tho railway expansion ar
facilities which our vast material d.
Ivelopment requires, have nevertheless
unwisely Joined in the cutlery again
these corporations.
Seeing that the future OF the Sout
is to be one strenuous compettio
with the North In every material II
terest and, knowing that there
nothing sectional In capital and ente
prise but that they seek opportunit
: wherever 1t can be found, und
proper conditions. we of this part
the country should awaks to our ou
interests and not follow In the les
of people whose interests are antal
onistic to ours, Our people are II
fully aroused to the value OF the
-! own resources. 3sa