The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-08-31

lions. In this l. do not include those
who went from the Central South to
Texas and to Arkansas, numbering
about 100000 more. The Central
South from Virginia to Mississippi was
thus drained Of over 100000 of it's
best people, all things considered, the
greatest drain which any country in
modern times has had to stand. This
mighty loss in population drained the
South Of many of it's strongest and
best men, old, middle-aged and young
Out of it's weakness and poverty it
gave it's best life blood to the enrich
ment and upbuilding of other sections
This loss was far greater than the
actual loss by the war. 1t weakened
the virility of the South, weakened
it's ability to develop it's business in
terest, weakened it's ability to main
tain conservatism in politics, and thus
threw upon those who remained
at home a greater burden than
any people in modern times
was ever called upon to face
Those left behind had to re-
construct governments, re-establish
business, reorganize their labor sys-
tenn, while burdened beyond any
thing that could be realized by those
who did not pass through the war
and the days following.
Under these conditions wnar the
South has accomplished is really a
marvel. 1t Is one of the most dra-
matte things in human history.
Henceforth it IS not to suffer from
the emigration of it's own people, AMI
1t Is to be enriched in every phase Of
its life by the incoming of many thous-
ands from the North and West. and
eventually from Europe. If it had
been possible in 1900 to make a
schedule Of its assets and liabilities
and to show the net results since
1855. the profit side would have
shown a very great increase in rail-
roads. in manufacturing industries,
and some advance in agriculture.
But there would have been on tha
other side a depreciation in the loss
of men which If rightly figured would
doubtless have entirely offset the ad-
vance shown in the statistics Of its
material growth. The loss of g.
100000 Of its best white people was
in the aggregate greater than the
profit shown in the increase in the
investm ents Of railroads and manu-
featuring enterprises. 1t is only with
in the last 10 years, or since 1900,
when the emigration practically
ceased, that the real development Of
the South has commenced. In that
period it's national banking resour-
ces have grown from $4,000, 900 to
81, 100000. The individual de-
posts In its national banks in the
SAM time advanced from s264.9OO,-
600 to 100000. This is a great
er percentage of gain in resources
and in new deposits than was made
by the rest of the country during the
same period. The resources and the
deposits in State banks and trust
companies in the decade 19OO-191O
was equally as remarkable. 1t was
during that period that the South
made its greatest advance in indus
trial development as we'll as in agri-
culture. In 1900 the value Of the
agricultural products of the South
was about $1.2OO,O0o,OOO; last year
it was $2,500, 100000. The South last
year produced Of agricultural out
put more than the whole United
States did in 1890. OF this remark
able increase three or four hundred
million dollars was due to the in
crease In cotton, the balance to di-
versifed agriculture. Tha+ section is
now raising over S00,00O,00O bushels
of grain a year. 1t Is becoming the
market garden and the orchard for
the entire couktry. AS illustrating the
growth in trucking it may be said
that the Norfolk district during the
present year will handle about $751;
100000 worth of fruits and vegetables
raised around that city. The busi-
ness is so vast that the daily shipments
are running from 10000 to 10000
packages (barrels and boxes per day)
requiring daily steamships to New
York and Baltimore, and steamers
nearly every day to Providence, Bos-
ton and elsewhere, to handle the
water borne stuff, while the railroad
shipments of trucking are so heavy
that about week or 10 days ago one
railroad carried north from Norfolk
nearly 900 carsloads in one day. Ev