The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-08-31
THE souTH's PROGRESS.

There are two points In Colonel
Roosevelt's letter in response to an
invitation to address the Southern
Commercial congress in Atlanta in the
spring of 1911 that are entitled to spe.
cial notice. They are found in the
following extract from it.
Il firmly believe that the time has
now come when the South's influence
again will be felt, not only in con
structive craftsmanship, but in the
enormous field of constructive endeav-
or No part of our country has seen
such progress as the South has made
in the last twenty years along ma
terial lines, and | believe the next
twenty years will see greater prog
ress. For long years the eyes of the
nation have been set steadily west
ward to watch its great typical growth.
From now on | think the South Will
share with the west in rapidity of
growth. This leadership will be has
tened by the completion of the Pana-
ma canal: the East has the Atlanta
and the West the Pacific; the South
even more than the East and West,
will have the Panama canal, and will,
therefore, stand at the distributing
point of all the great oceans of the
world"
From the foregoing it appears that
Colonel Roosevelt Is of the opinion
that the South's influence is to be
profoundly felt throughout the nation
in the near future not only in con-
structive craftsmanship, but also in
the field of constructive endeavor H9
also believes that from now on me
South Is to share with the West in
rapidity of growth. .
We have been insisting for Il mum.
Der of years that the South is making
a mistake in keeping in the back
ground In natior&i affairs The demo
cratic party should nominate South
ern man FOR president for the reason
that a Southern man would stand a
better chance of being elected than
IA Northern man. The country would
rally to Southern man with more
enthusiasm than to a Northern man.
There are no longer good reasons for
the often expressed belief that there
still exists sectional feeling in the
North to an extent that would make
the election of a Southern man an
impossibility. That this is the view
entertained in Texas is shown by the
fact that the recent democratic state
convention indorsed Senator Bailey
for the democratic nomination for
president in 1912. II Colonel Roose
Welt. who has just announced himself
as a progressive republican SO far
as New York politics is concerned, is
of the opinion that the time has come
for Southern statesmen to take a more
prominent part in national affairs
there is no reason why Southern men
should think the time hasn't yet come
TO name 4 Southern man for presi-
dent.
Colonel Roosevelt isn't mistaken In
assuming that the South is showing
wonderful progress and that she is
soon to rival the West in growth. We
don't know what the census that has
just been taken will show, but 1t is
certain that the SOuth's progress dur
ing the last ten years has been very
great 1t will not be surprising if the
census figures furnish evidence that
it has been almost as great as that
of the west If it hasn't been as great
in the last ten years, Il is a safe pre-
diction that il will be as great in the
next ten. In the past year, for in
stance. tax values in Georgia have in
creased $50,000,0O0. II is fair to as
sumo that the increase has been as
great in most, II not all, OF the other
Southern states.
And Colonel Roosevelt sees as Col |
onel Finley, president of the Southern
railway. and others see. that the Pan /.
anna canal is going to be OF great |
benefit 10 the South. We have been |
urging VSavannah to get ready for the |
opening of the canal, TO begin now TO /