The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-13
From the Boston Transcript.

HN ASrAhD Ii. EDMONDS, editor " and manager of the Manufactur-
 ers' Record of Baltimore, is vis- iting in Boston In an interview with transcript representative he spoke with enthusiasm about the achievements and prospects of the south. He said:
 'The value of the souths agricultural products this year will be about $2,250OO0,- GOO to s2.5OO, ,OOO,OOO In 1880 the total value of all the agricultural products of tha United States, with population at that time of 5O,0Oo,oOo. was s2.212, ,OO, 900, and as late as 1890 the value of the agricultural products of the whole country was s24O0,- OO0,0OO. In other words, the south today, with population of about 26, ,O0O.00O, is turning out larger value of agricultural products than did the entire country, the south included in 1880. and very nearly as much as the whole country did In 1890. In this remarkable fact is found an ndi- cation of why the south Is increasing so rapidly in wealth. It is likewise an indi- cation of the great advance which is be- Ing made throughout the entire country, for all sections are likewise sharing in this development.
 More remarkable however, than the souths increase in agriculture, is its gain in manufactures. It Is true that the value of manufactured products does not make quite so great showing in comparison with the entire country as the agricul- tural figures do, but the rate of growth, so far as the south is concerned. is even greater In 1880 the value of the south's agricultural products was $650. .000, 900; last year 1t was s225O, 900. and this year it promises to run very considerably ahead of these figures. But in 1880 the value of the manufactured products of the south was about s45O,OOOOOO. whereas now 1t is about $2, ,5OO,OOO,OOO This Is nearly one-half as much as the total for the entire coun- try in 1880, when the value of manufac- tured products was S5, 300 OO0, 900. Temper arily halted by the financial and indus trial depression of the last seven or eight months, now fortunately rapidly passing away, the manufacturing interests of the south are in better shape for great devel- opment and more rapid growth than ever before. The purchase, last winter, by the United States Steel corporation of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad
 
 which that corporation is now doing in the expansion of steel making in Ala bama, give assurance to the world that for the first time in the history of the state iron and steel making in Alabama will now be pushed with ample capital and with the highest technical skill to be found in this country or abroad.
 "The Steel corporation people fully real ize the marvellous iron and steelmaking potentialities of Alabama. Men who had been sceptics, and who had said if Ala bama possesses the iron and steel-making advantages which have been claimed for it. why does not the Steel corporation so into that state, can longer ask this question. The Steel corporation by an in- vestment in the purchase of the proper ty including the bonds on it and the out lays being made in enlargement of its plant of over $5O,OO 900. has given to the world it's testimony to the unequalled ad- vantages of that district. Many of the leading iron and steel people of Pennsyl- vania and the west who until the Steel corporation went into Alabama had never personally visited or studied that district now freely admit that Alabama holds the key to the future iron production of this country The conditions now prevailing practically assure a development in Ala bama rivalling that of Pittsburg and the west during the last ten years. With the rapid swing of the pendulum in the south away from the radicalism of demagogic agitators to the natural position of the south of soundness and sanity and con- servatism, in protection to property inter- ests, there must soon come about far greater influx of capital into that section, and far greater industrial development than 1t has yet seen.
 "The fact that it is naturally the most
 richly endowed country in the world, that it has greater resources for the support
 of a dense population and the creation of vast wealth, is so well known as scarcely to need reiteration.. In many directions there are indications or the coming of this development, and many
 signs of the increasing wealth of the south Among the most notable signs are the great increase in the building or fine homes through the entire south' even out to the borders of Texas; the improve ment in roads and streets, the building of costly schools and churches, and in municipal Improvements of every kind. If is o,te safe to say that municipal improvements. such as public buildings, street paving, sewerage systems and waterworks. and kindred things now un- der way or definitely decided on in the