The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-05-05
Mr.. FINLEY PAINTS
VIVID WORD PICTURE
The South Is Immensely Rich in All
the Natural Resources That Go to
Develop Commercial Supremacy Of
a Section.
Mr.. Toastmaster and Gentlemen:


In his essay on Resources" RALPH
Waldo Emerson, speaking of the
United States, said:
Here is bread, and wealth, and
power, and education for every man
who has the heart to use his oppor
tunity."
A New Highlander, and writing with
in a decade after the close of civil
war, Emerson probably had in mind
especially the North and the West. In
these early years of the Twentieth
Century his language applies with par
ticular force to the South-preemin-
emily the land of present-day oppor-
tunity. l am here this evening, Mr..
Toastmaster, to invite you to look to
the South-its industrial and trans
portation systems-to consider the ex.
tent and variety of it's resources, it's
economic strength, its splendid record
or accomplishment, and the opportun-
tiles which it offers to men of indus
try and enterprise
; When Emerson wrote, the extent
richness of the natural resources of
the South were not fully known even
to our Southern people. It's industrial
potentialties were almost universally
underestimate. By far the greater
proportion of its cotton and other
principal products were being shipped
to other sections of the United States
and to foreign countries to be manu-
featured.
At that time, the vast store of
wealth contained in Southern forests
was but little appreciated. Wood
working Industries on any considerable
scale did not exist in the South. The
centers of the heaviest lumber produc.
ton ana of woodworking industries
Were IN the Northeastern section of
the United States. The timber sup
plies Of the United States were looked |
upon as exhaustible. Wasteful meth.
DDS of forestry were practiced through
out the North, and, owing to the rap
ldlay increasing scarcity of suitable
timber in the Northeastern states the
last twenty years have witnessed a
1ecline in the relative Importance of
furniture manufacturing and other
woodworking industries in that section
Ind their relatively rapid growth in
he South, Northwest, and the far
Vest. In other words, these industries
n that section are following the rapid
y receding forests. Fortunately for
ur section, large areas of forest land
n the South remained practically I'M T
ouched, until, as a result of wasteful /
utting in other sections, the country ,
'as brought to a realization of the S
act that unless conservative policy r
18th respect to the remaining forests T
hould be adopted the timber supplv c
the United States would be exhaust h
in comparatively few years. The n
estruction of the forests In other Sec n
ons has enormously increased the if
alue of those remaing in the South. n
. profitting by the experience of the W
asst, we adopt scientific methods of in
rest management, our woodlands can n,
profitably used in the present and OF
eserved as a source of future wealth h,
First and foremost among the nat FIR
al assets of the South is the cotton d,
ant II gives to our cotton almost te
monopoly in the production of a he
xtiie fibre in demand wherever hui in
IN beings live, and brings all the wi
rid to our Southern markets. When e7r
nerson wrote, the annual production sl5
cotton in the United States was less to
IN 100000 bales. OF this amount the
more than 100000 bales or only and
tut two per cent of the total produc. sou
!, was consumed in Southern cotton ctht
IS. There was generally prevail. Of
opinion that cotton goods could the
be successfully manufactured In of "
South, and about ninety-eight perl I'll
OF the raw cotton was shipped Sout
the South to mills in the North on h
'tates and in Europe. There arelof So