The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1908-03-20

IAOA- 'ilCGuCl NAS pun PNoC ID
woke the return of prosperity by aid
ing in the restoration OF business In
tegrity and public confidence, or to re-
cali some OF the basic factors existing
in the South which make for pros
perity, is immaterial. No trouble ever
came TO tire individual or to the coun-
tly which Justified pesSimism or de-
spair. The wise man will keenly an
>lyze the cause of trouble and apply
the pruning knife. He will seek TO
restore those methods and principles
of action dictated by sanity and NOR
ality. Yet, at the same time, he will
keep his face toward the light, and
with courage, confidence and hope he
will talk of better days to come.
Whatever OF progress has blessed
the South IN the past has been pri-
marily due to the development and
products of her soil. The first ray
of hope out of the shattered past Of a
generation ago., and the first substan-
tial rewards from industry came from
the soil. From that day to the present
her growth has been marvellous
and the record of the past e shows
q elimination in its steady climb OF
development and production. Taking
the seven crops of the South (Which
are common to the whole country
that is to say, corn, hay, wheat, to
bacco, oats, irish potatoes and rye,
the value of the same for 1907 was
! 1864, los, 900. This is an increase of
500, 900 900 over the previous year,
and an increase of 1896, 900, 90 over
the year 1900 This great sum repre-
senting the value of the seven general
crops did not, however, equal in value
the cotton crop in 1907, including the
seed, which amounted to SITS, 600, 900.
The value Of the other Southern crops,
such as rice, sugar. fruits and vege-
tables, was $500, 600, 900. Thus the
total agricultural output of the South
for last year amounts to S2,269, 0OO,-
900. This is a sum greater than the
farm products of the whole country in
| 1880.
The South holds a practical monOp-
! oily in the cotton production Of the
world, and it may be we'll to quote a
recent comparison OF this great crop,
the comparative value and potential
| ity of which is generally unknown to
ether sections, and scarcely realized
by the people Of the South. During
the past six years our exports OF cot
ton t Europe have annually exceeded
in value the total gold production OF
the world.
Comparing the value of raw cotton
exported from the South with the
worlds production OF gold, it will De
seen that, if, during the last six years
Europe could nave gathered together
every dollar of gold produced in all
mines of the earth and shipped it
to the South it would still have fallen
5000, 0O0, 900 short of paying it's debt to
the South for raw cotton" To this
must be added many millions, as he
value of exports of cotton seed prod
uets and manufactured cotton. If
every dollar Of gold annually produced
In the world were brought TO the
South it would not pay the yearly in
dehtness OF Europe to the South for
it's cotton. Is it any wonder that the
South has ~prospered ? Is it not per-
fectly natural that the eyes of the
world should be turned toward the
South ?
But it must be remembered that
the law of progress is the life of Wig
lance. There is no condition Of man
So happy Or self-satisfying, there Is no
prosperity in any section so great
when it can safely rest upon it's au-
els. The world in every line of en-
deavor is constantly moving forward.
The average of intelligence is so high
and so universal, and the spirit of in
vestigation so prevalent that meth
eds and processes of today may be
superseded by others tomorrow. In
Il fhiC cOnnoofinn If NAV hn cfafoH that
the average yield of staple crops of
4 the South per acre, n the average
value of the product of farm laborers,
is not SO high as it is some sections,
and as it should be in the South. This
would indicate the necessity Of more
accurate knowledge of soil utilization
and skill in the cultivation OF the
crops and the necessity for a higher
average of intelligence in the man who
tills the soil.
With all our marvellous agricultural
progress, we AVE simply scratched
the surface of its possibilities. As the
total value of our farm products is
greater now than that of the whole
country in 1880, so at the end of the
next decade. / confidentially predict
that they will have reached a valua-
ton greater than that Of the whole
country in 1907.
While u triumphs in agriculture
form a basis for a most entertaining
exposition of one of the elemental fac
tors which makes for prosperity in
the south, | beg your attention brief
" to a co-relative subject. Lord Ba-
con wisely said:
There be three things which make
a nation great and prosperous-a fer
tile soil, busy workshops and easy con.
1veyances for men and commodities
from one place to another"
We have the fertile soil, the busy
workshops are multiplying In every
section, and we are not lacking In
methods OF ~conveyances for our prod
ucts, yet, In many respects transpor.
tafion La the complex ncohIem Of thu