Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-06
Wants Correct Valuation Upon
Dixie as Region of Opportunity.
INAUGURATION OF INTERESTS
Organization Of Business Men in
Session Today at the New
willard Hotel.

two-day session. The congress has an
nOunced that it has two objects-to has
ten a clearer self-knowledge throughout
the whole south and to compel the rest
Of the United States and OF the world to
set correct valuation upon the south as
a region Of opportunity.
The stake involved is declared to be the
greatest In the commercial history Of the
United States. and it will be the purpose
Of the congress to amalgamate all in
terests and to inculcate into the minds of
the representatives from the southern
states the great Importance Of harmo-
NOUS action, that the opportunities for
profitable investment in the south may be
brought to the notice OF the whole world
Special attention Is called to the south
ward rush that is expected to follow the
opening of the Panama canal and to the
Importance Of preparedness for the south
ward swing of commerce.
Secretary Nagel Presides.
The opening session this morning was
presided over by Secretary Nagel OF the
Department of Commerce and Labor. In
addition to Mr.. Nagel the speakers were
the British ambassador, Mr.. Bryce: the
French ambassador, NJ. Jusserand; the
president, of the congress, John NJ
Parker Of New Orleans. and Thomas L.
Field OF London, who represents Amer
lean shipping interests abroad. The in
vocation was pronounced by the Rev. U.
G. B. Pierce of All Souls Church
Secretary Nagel spoke of the growth of
the government work during the past
twenty years and its relationship to in
dividual effort. In that time, he said,
the government had grown from the
passive to the active state.
While I do not advocate the kind Of
Capitalization some people appear to
want" he said. Il hope southern enter
prise and endeavor will help the work OF
my department. Domestic commerce will
no longer suffice. We must compete for
commerce abroad and the government
must provide aid. But the government
cannot do 1t all and the central thought
must come from individuals.
States Should Exert Power.
TT Is time that the states availed them
selves OF all their own power before COM
ing to the government. But when they
have exhausted their resources, let us
be frank and admit that there are some
things so large and Of such great national
Importance that It takes the government
to handle them.
In recent visit to the south 1 heard
the cry for government aid everywhere.
They wanted river and harbor improve
ments, immigration stations and many
other things. At times I have thought
that perhaps the south has not had all it
Is entitled to. No section can be retarded
without suffering to the entire country.
Let the south get in the game / am
for you and will do all 1 can to help
President Parker's Address.
Following Secretary Nagel, John NJ.
Parker, president Of the congress, spoke
on the work and future of the organiza-
ton.
THE Southern Commercial Congress"
said Mr.. Parker. lis the outgrowth of the
appreciation on the part of thinking
southern men that the development OF
this section can be most certainly and
rapidly secured by the concentrated eff
forts of representative men from all parts
of this territory.
Combined effort will produce results
which individual or scattered effort can
never hope to achieve and can produce
those results much more rapidly and eff
fectively.
THE Southern Commercial Congress is
composed of patriotic men with patriotic
purpose in View. 1t Is also composed OF
business men with business purpose in
view. It proposes to authoritatively state
the resources Of the south and the opor-
tunities offered the investor and the
homeseeker.
What It Proposes to Foster.
1T proposes to foster an intelligent ap-
probation of its wonderful resources and
opportunities among southern men, south
ern women and southern children. to en-
courage them to devote their energy and
their effort to upbuilding the section
where they live and thereby add to the
prosperity of the entire nation. 1t hopes
to do this not by extravagant or mislead d.
ing statements but by conservative state
ments of actual facts. by carefully direct
ed effort, by combined work and by wise
and wide publicity which the press of the
country has given and which we believe
1t will continue to give even more heartily
when 1T knows the sincerity Of our mo-
tives and the earnestness of our work.
The Southern Commercial Congress pro-
poses to conduct this work from the cIty
where all the information and data OBJ
tanned by the government for over 100
years is instantly available, where the
ambassadors and representatives of for
can be seen and conferred with; where all
local jealousies as between different
southern cities will be eliminated, and the
widest and most effective publicity can be
secured
Ambassador Bryce Interested.
In a speech. in which he showed a won
derful knowledge of American affairs in
general and southern affairs in particu-
lar, Ambassador Bryce said he had been
keenly interested in the development Of
the south since 1881, when he paid his
first visit to that section.
I'm manufactures, transportation and
agriculture the south is making rapid
strides said Ambassador Bryce. The
growth OF cities in country depending
upon agriculture is always a sure index
to the development of such a section.
The southern cities are growing rapidly,
but their growth is solid, not ephemeral.
have noticed, think, a better under
standing between the railroads and the
farmers in the south, which Nforetells q
greater development In transportation.
the south are lifted, and there appears
to me to be no chance whatever for a re-
turn to those painful conditions that ex-
listed Immediately after the war. Your
future is in your own hands and your
course Is open to you. politically as well
as economically. I note. also, intangible
evidences Of hope, pride and joy on the
argues nightly for its future"
The three problems the south has to
devote herself to, Mr.. Bryce said, are
transportation, the application of science
to agriculture and general education.
French Claim to Friendship.
Ambassador Jusserand said that France
has as great q claim to the friendship of
the south as Great Britain, since the
greatest French population in this coun-
=