The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1910-12-21
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Three railway syStems-the South
ern the Seaboard, and the Atlantic
Coast Line-are dependent for fu-
ture prosperity upon the growth in
reputation ind industrial and asri
cultural development of the five South
Atlantic States from Virginia to Flor
ida. 1t would be difficult for family
to move into the territory embracing
those States, particularly into tn,
Carolinas. or to make a shipment of
goods to market. without benefiting
one or another of these systems 1t
would be almost impossible to bring
about an industrial development in
the Carolinas, Georgia or Florida
without directly contributing to the
profits of one of those railroads.
glance at the census may illus
trated in The State yesterday shows
that with the exception OF Florida
which gained Through being adver-
tised upwards of fifty per centum
in population in ten years. the States
upon which those railway systems de-
pend made next to the lowest Access
sion to population-betwee 10 and
20 per cent. South Carolina was the
lowest in that group.
That some of the highly developed
and thickly settled mid-Western states
made no larger gains is readily under,
stood when the census may is inspect
ed. immigration to States where
land costs from fifty dollars to two
hundred dollars an acre has ceased
and thousands of the natural increase
becoming tvowdCd, have moved 10 9TH
er sections. Whore haze they gone?
come tO tie territory iraversed by
the three railway systems we have
mentioned, which is close to great
markets. which is productive and
ten and twenty dollars an acre They
have moved farther west, and eleven
of those States show gains in popula-
tion of more than fifty per centum, and
iiI't pNltIS btlMCtIl ~ ana OU per
cent
Why have Indiana and Iowa farm
crs moved TO New Mexico and Wyo-
ming? Why have Illinois farmers
gone to Canada? Because they were
crowded at home and New Mexico,
Wyoming, and Manitoba were adver-
tised they were told about the op-
pcr;uIi,i@s there offered. Why did
not the Carolinas appeal to them Be
cause they have less information and
NOR" mis-information aGout this part
of the country than about Alaska or
Puerto Rico Most OF the people in
the West think of tropical heat ma
laria and race antagonism when they
hear of South Carolina. They need
facts, ard for South Carolina's good
facts should be put before them and
kept there until they gain true un-
derstanding Of conditions here.
Several months ago The State sug-
gestcd that the interested railroads
and the state of South Carolina join
W 'u supervising campaign TO extend
over period of not less than three
years We renew that suggestion and
h"ge the Southern railway. whose in
terest is larger than either of the
other roads, to take the initiative.
\ continuous publicity campaign,
with money TO spend on advertising
in the East and middle West iii those
mediums that reach the peaple, is
needed ror success. Twenty-Five
thousand dollars year for three
years would do the work. Suppose
these roads named propose to the leg
islature to contribute $4,000 or $15,-
600 OF that amount if the state appro-
pirate tie remainder; the money to
D" devoted exclusively to advertising
South Cardinals advantages, and TO
he expended upder the direction of a
Joint commission--drawing no salaries