The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-23
FUTURE OF SOUTH
J.. WILLETT OF ANNISTON SPEAKS IN NEW YORK.
Says south Has Problems Hut Its Inc dustriaI and Commercial PrOs- perity is Not One
 of Them

Chicago, Feb. 22--J. J. willett, o ] Admission, Alabama, was speaker a
 the Washington birthday celebratit
 of the Union League Club tonight I Mir. Willett, in his address. discusse
 the future of the South.
 The South," said he. has. problem
 to solve. as has every portion Of ou
 common country. but its industrial am commercial prosperity and greatness not one of them. That has alread,
 been accomplished and what has beel
 done is but an earnest of what is t follow. There is one problem however
 which weighs upon it more heavil!
 than upon other portions of the coun try. How shall We without sacrific Ing our own race, discharge the full
 measure of our duty towards that in ferior and unfortunate race who are il our midst without fault on their part
 to whom this country has so long beer
 a home, and who were falsely taugh for So many years, they were wards
 of the government? This Is oui
 greatest problem and nothing but time patience and a steadfast determination | to do justice to ourselves and them can solve 1t. In this effort. we expect the generous sympathy of our friends everywhere. who to know us and to help us, must understand and ap- preciate our ideals and aspirations" In beginning his address, Mir. Will lett said: While Washington was a true type of the South, his fame does not belong to her alone, nor does she So claim him. His part and her part in the Revolution would have been of no avail but for what was so glorious . ly done in council and in arms by brothers in the middle and New Eng land colonies. Nor does his fame be- long to any nation or age. Wherever human beings throughout the world have built homes and set up a govern ment dedicated to liberty regulated by law. these may claim Washington for their countryman. The majestic story of that life, whether told in the pages of history, or in the verses of Lowell and Byron, never grows old and will never cease to claim the attention of the sons of men.
 The South's Part.
 ''The South played by far the largest part In the formation and settlement of our great country. in furnishing leaders, and in acquiring and settling territory. The Southern men were the ones who went as prisoners into the West and the great West is the true daughter of the South. The times have somewhat reversed things however and we now see our President elect himself son of the West going South among the benighted savages of op- posing political faith, to do some blaz- ing and missionary work. He has eaten of our 'possum and has drunk of our 'simmon beer, local substitutes for the oriental salt. and Is now Is one of us. By his genial frankness and holeheartedness, he has shown us that he understands our ideals and aspirations and personally, has won our hearts. Whether our President elect has won the hearts of the South whether he will change its politics. is another question, and depends upon so many considerations we will not discuss them here. The brains of the South which were once through self defense In politics, trying to preserve it's vested interests. are now engaged in business. They are building rail- roads. cotton factories. iron indus tries and all othes kinds of manufacturing establishments. In complete control of it's own affairs at home. the South is not caring very much who are hold ing the offices at Washington. deem ing 1t best that her sons be more profitably employed in building up the home and developing its matchless re- sources. than being mere office hold CTS All we ask Is that our President elect will stand by his generous ex- pression of friendship uttered at Augusta and Atlanta, and give us clean. honest and high class men to hold offices under him. and men for whom we have respect and confidence We are entitled to this and we ask for nothing else"
 The south's Future.
 As to the future of the South. Mir Willett said:
 Tt was apparent to every thought full man, even before the decision of the United States to dig the Panama Canal, that cheaper labor, cheaper raw material. unrivaled resources, and a God given climate would soon give, if they had not already given. the su- premacy in manufacturing. to the South, But with the Panama Canal decided upon and partly completed. with every important railroad system pushing to our gulf ports to secure the enormous tonnage soon to be carried to and fro, 1t needs no imagination whatever to see that the Gulf of Mexico will shortly equal if not ex- ceed In importance the Mediterranean In its shipping and commerce. It was the South, and almost the South alone which saved our country less than two years ago. from the results of what would have been the most dis astrous panic this country has ever seen. It was our ability to sell bills all over the world against the cotton crop which was then being gathered and marketed and brought hundreds of millions of foreign money to this coun- try and stayed the course of the panic If we had been compelled to sacrifice our securities which were then tum- bling to get this money which we had to have, there Is no telling where 1t would have ended or who would have been solvent in the end. Who then can set any limits to the future growth and wealth of the South? Who shall say where its commercial and indus trial greatness shall stop?"
 MT Willett then discussed the prob lem of the South as quoted the begin hing. and continued: "As In the past so In the future, the South inheriting this trait from its English ancestry. will remain conservative. This con however. Is not antagonistic to but Is the true hand maid of sub stantial progress. and does not cause IS to disregard newly acquired obliga- 1 ions or to close our eyes to newly discovered opportunities.
 One Great Country.
 But why do I take up your time ' alking about the South? There is no