The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-03-12

a curse which fcttercd rhc white man
while it civilized the black man. Tho
development by the south 0etw n
1900 and 1860 OF the worlds dominant
industry was the greatest business
work Of any country during the nine
teenth century. Had the south 20
compliShed nothing else, il would /. W
demonstrated the business ability q
its leaders. This, however. was ,gu-
allied by Civilizing during the aAm.
period several million ~ blacks. maav
or them fresh from the junxlee OF At
RIGA and he Ch~riStianiZing Of 80 nslnv
OF them no other country ON eaEih .aH
show in the same length Of time more
10 It's credit in work fOC kamapil1
than this record OF the Old aputh
Great as was the curse % slavery 20
I'll" south, rejoicing as every adhsr
southern mar must do that IL has
passed away. ii is, nevertheless. a
fact that before 1860 the sousB did
more for the enlightenment and hst-
terment OF the African race dian ali
PNOPA~ VA CT III hdNS @0Mb 40
10 the preSent time.
But let us turn 10 material thinHe
again. While developing its svsaA
cotton industry. the old south HRevIss
established Il highly diversisss nyri-
culture. In 1860, in addition ~ eoktos. Y
1t raised all of the sugar and rts.
ncaTIY all OF the tobacco ~pTcdusel
tn" United States, and A per cent q
the corn crop. or the total live stuck
IN the country in that time, The sOnth
had 40 per cent The value Of far IN.
in the United States was SO. 63s .eOS.
600; OF this the south had 81, zoe boz.
900, or more than One-third. Phe
history Of tn" sOuth's industrial activi- -
ties before 1860 is at direct var ance
with the general belief Of the people
north, as well as many Uf our sOutkcrn
Industrial activity il q ner-
ally said TO be a new thing In the
south. We are told that the ~ suith
was an agricultural oligIrchy aeeRs-
ing The smoke and dit or rictJrI life.
II IS said that we have no inher it1d
traits TO lead rs into manufacturing
interests. that Industrial development
IS a new grOwth-a growth fron tho
outside rather than a development
within. On the contrary, the :
trend Of thought in colonial days and '
after the revolution was largely Of an
character Many e The
'orcmosJ men Of colonial days w-re
Interested in iron and kindred enter
JriSes.
Between 1920 aud 1910 there was
'ery 0nsiderabI" lrrlvlty In building
furnaces. rolling mills and nail fac
in both North and South Care
ina, and one u these eDunap,.w
$25".g"O capital inv-stah. Al
he beginning Of the nineteeAth cen
ury the industrial interests Of The
Duth exceeded those Of New England
lad there been no change In eshaI-
ions, he centre Of industrial thought
nd ACTIVITY would have developed
Instead Of in the north. But the
aY"ntlon OF the saw-gin, making IL
0asib!e for the south 10 supply The
ord with cDttOn. wrought a sudden
evolution. In this, as in mnss saaes
development Of an industry c-saI-
d a market for its product Ia I7ss
south raised 1000 bales II sosApa-
n 1895 the saw-gln was invcnteS.
nd five years later, or in 1905, 0e
outh supplied the world with ss,eSe
ales Of cotton. BY 1910 the crop hR
10 100000 bales, and by 162e
} over 3O0, 900 bales. For forty a
1900 10 1899 cotton averaeea
bout 16 OF II n a pound, having
/ one year averaged as high m a
ents. The profits at such prices nee
ssarily caused capital, brains aaa
rawn TO be concentrated upon ooAtpn
aising, resulting in an arrested fnans-
rnaa Development By 1870 sstDOa
rnHlnHA i'm had EAR nAnnA