The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1909-09-03
The south's Opportunity is Here.
Sow Orleans Picaynne.

New Orleans Picayune.
The present development of our
country is in the new rich States of
the Southwest, where the natural
resources are richest and have been
less exploited. This lack of devel-
opment is seen in the sparseness of
population.
For instance, while Ohio has 102
inhabitants to the square mile. In
diana has 20 and Illinois Sc, Ala
bama has 50. Mississippi 33, Louis
lana 30 and Texas II. These States
are capable of supporting as dense
populations as do those of the North
and Middle West mentioned, and
to-day it is seen that there is already
great grayitation of population
and activity Southwark to the lower
tiers of States of the Mississippi
Valley
The Manufacturers Record, look
ing over the field and basing its cal
culations on what has been done in
like past period, says:
During the last twenty-fiv years
considerably more than 100, COO
miles of railroad was built. During
the coming twenty-five we should
very largely exceed that. An aver
age increase of 1000 miles a year
would not begin To measure up to
the necessities of the country. In
the next twenty-five years we will
add probably 30, 900, 900 to our pop
ulation, and by reason of the in
creasing productive power of men
and the fact that business grows
/ with much greater rapidity than
population, the $4,000, 900 or more
increase in the next quarter of a
century will have a potentiality
probably much greater than that of
the $1,000, 900 of to-day. The
. 140, 900, 900 or 145, ,000,0 people
who will inhabit this country TWEEN
ty-fve years hence will probably do
]
work as would an equal mum ber un-
der present conditions. 1t is not
alone that population is increasing
so rapidly-that is the smallest fac
tor. Modern methods of doing busi-
ness, improved machinery, improv-
ed transportation by better roads,
by better railroad facilities, the won.
derful growth of the gas and gaso..
line engine and the influence Of
the telephone and other aids tC
industry and commerce will make
the growth of the last twenty-fv,
s years seem very small as compared
to what the next twenty-five viii
show, unless, perchance, our natu
raj growth is halted by the made
quate transportation facilities of tn
country. If conditions are such tha
S it cannot be made possible to brinj
about period of great railroad ex
pansion commensurate with the op
portunities of the day, our whol
country will greatly suffer If th'
J demagogue is to mislead the peOpl
s and continue the hostility between
the public and the railroads, if rail
5 road managers are to continue a
! many of them have in the past
I shortsighted in their grasp of tn
2 situation and more or less indiffer
- ent to the just complaints Of tn
- public, then both railroads and peo
pie will have to pay the penalty.
This is looking to the future o
five or ten years hence. So far a
the present is concerned, it is easil
seen that within the next year o
two the growth of the traffic vii
oyertax the railroads of the land
By the time the next two decade
shall have passed away the grea
improvements projected in the va
terways of the Mississippi Vale
will be well under way to compile
ton. There will be a great trans
portation traffic on the rivers, an
1t will be working in harmony wit
the railroads and exercising a cor
servative restraint upon them. Til
increase of population and the dt
velopment of the Valley will hay
made great progress, and the Mic
die Southwest, as distinguished fror
the South Atlantic States. will ha,
made vast advances.
Our time Is coming, and is ne;
at hand, and if our people shall ia
to take prompt advantage Of the
opportunities somebody else will {
- IL - IL. .-l.-R L. q o.