The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-08-19

bread to eat, but little else. Hope,
courage, determination, and patient
endurance were left, and a mighty
and knightly race ofpeople were there
men who had governed men and
knew how to govern, and who deter
mined by the help OF God, that they
| would govern. The bayonet, the re-
| construction laws, no power of earth,
| could prevent them from coming into
their own and rebuilding their own
States. 1t was their home, the home
of their ancestors To them that soil
| was sacred, and, without sympathy
or encouragement from abroad, suf-
fering for a time under the yoke OF
oppression, they at last brought or
der out OF chaos and gave peace and
good government.
These men and their sons struggled
onward through great tribulations.
They rebuilded their homes, their
churches, and their school houses.
What amidst all these trials they
have accomplished in forty years, Mr..
President, has been the admiration
and wonder of the world. To-day, if
the flag of our country was insulted
or our honor at stake, the sons of
these heroes could and would wage
as great war for the Union as their
fathers did for the rights of theS tates
in the sixties
When war was declared with Spain,
her young men volunteered by thou
sands and rallied around the old flag.
1t was d Southern man, North Car
Gilman, who was first to shed his
blood in behalf OF his country when
young Worth Bagley gave his life to
his country on board the Wins
low. 1t was the gallant Shipp, an
other North Carolinian, who was
killed while gallantly leading a negro
regiment up San Juan Heights.
The South to-day, Mr.. President, is
richer by far than the whole country
was before the war More money in
its banks, more miles of railroads,
more iron and coal mines, more cot
ton mills, than were in the entire
country prior to 1861. We are hom-
Ogeneous people and have less foreign
population than any other section.
Her population has increased 63 per
cent. since 1880. Since that time her
capital in manufacturing Industries
has increased ZIG per cent; cotton
mills, 1,169 per cent; cottonseed
oil mills, 2,26S per cent; iron, 7G9
per cent; farming products, 469 per
cent; bank deposits, 769 per cent.
With her great cotton crOp-Of
which she has natural monopoly
she has added annually to the wealth
of the country more than $6OO,OOO-
600. She brings from foreign coun-
tries more than $4OO,OOO,OOO, in
gold, giving US the balance of trade
each year. She furnishes a great
basis for our foreign exchange; fur
nishes most OF the means to purchase
imports and supply revenue, max
ing bond OF peace with foreign ma
tions constituting a stronger preven-
tive of war than armies and navies;
furnishes raw material abroad for
foreign capital and wages of thous-
ands Ofthe working class, all Of whom
would be injured by any distress
growing out of the state of war Ofthe
direct and adequate supply of raw
uted her proportion of the many,
many millions of dollars which is sent
to the North and West to pension the
widows of soldiers and has received
but little in return. No section of
our country is prospering more. She
is growing great without any aid
from the general government. She
is prosperous in spite of your high
protective tariff laws She is not
here asking favors or special privi-
leges.
All the South asks is that she be
given Justice, be treated fairly, and
not Disseminated against. She has
no monopolies, no "robber barons,"
plutOcrats, or aristocrat bosses. They
will not live in that climate. 1t is
unhealthy for them. With her Won
derful natural resources, her unopened
mines, her undeveloped lands await
ing the plough of the husbandman,
her possibilities and her potentiali-
ties cannot be measured. She is al
ready "blossoming like a rose," and
her prosperity is no longer a prob
lem. This land of sunshine and song,
of heroes and heroines, is to be one
of the fairest and most prosperous
sections, protection orno protection.
What constitutes a State?
Not high-raised battlements or labor
ed mound
Not cities proud with spires and tur-
rets crowned,
= r
No; Men, high-minded men,
Men who their duties know,
But know their rights, and, knowing,
DANA ,,,ointa;,