East Mississippi times. (Starkville, Miss.) 19??-1926, 1910-03-18
MISSISSIPPI IS
FAVORED LAND
and BEATS THE BOOMING WEST
GOD OPENED HIS CORNUCOPIA
OVER THE MAGNOLIA STATE.
Former Distinguished Citizen Of Thai
State, Now Living in the Far West,
Writes Back Home That He Has
Not Found Golconda.

The following choice article was
written for the Commercial Appeal
by former distinguished citizen
OF Mississippi. who has moved to
the West to reside:
There are not a few restless
souls among your readers who turn
their eyes eagerly Westward, fan
cying that so the star of empire
still takes its way. Let one whose
heart tenderly turns back to the
homeland and whose Judgment be-
lieves it to be the only true land of
opportunity of America today.
speak a word which may quiet
such uneasy spirits and contribute
somewhat toward making such sat
isfed in the nearest approach to
Canaan to be found in this coun-
try,
I speak boldly, perhaps, but
not without investigation. OF my
travels l shall not boast, but 4
have seen little of these United
States, North, East and West. |
have kept my ears and eyes open,
and at frequent intervals have
opened my mouth, sometime in
amazement but more frequently in
inquiry. While my observations
haye been somewhat cursory and
superficial, yet | think they war;
rant me in declaring, which | do
without reservation that Mississipa
pi holds more attractive opportu-
mites to her residents and settlers
than any other state in the Union,
everything considered.
Il anu quite aware of the fact
that it is almost wholly an agricul-
tural community. That it has no
wealth of mineral resources. a
small showing Of manufacturing
enterprises, no great cities, is very
true. But these conditions are
simply the result of the fact that
the Creator kindly endowed the
grand old commonwealth with SUI
perb pastoral resources, and des-
tined it to be a vast garden, out of
which should come the food, the
clothing and the iuxuries which
should supply the toilers in ada
cent states. 1t will bea happy day
for our people, and to my mind it
is sure to come, when the vast
area of the state is cut up into
small farms and ranches, upon
which honorable and chival1ous
men and cultured and beautiful
women shall lived an work and Ii xt
uriate amid surroundings calcutta
ted to develop race the like Of
which the world has rarely seen.
Favorably Situated.
I'VE are most lavorably situated.
No matter what developments this
and the next century may bring,
a i'd they are going to be many and
radical wherever the great markets
of the world are going to be situa.
ted, and this no man can know,
we shall be in a favored position.
We have great north and south
trunk lines, which with their ram
ifications, gridlron the state, while
ON our western border rolls the
great inland sea, capable of bear
ing upon its bosom the commerce
of a nation. Our ports, which will
be developed. are near to and in di.
rect line with the Panama canal.
When the great ditch is completed
we shall have ready access to the
ports of the Pacific. 1t is the CON
sensus of the worlds opinion that
the Pacific will be the arena upon
which the battle of the worlds
commerce will be fought in the
coming years. Teeming millions
inhabit the countries supon its
banks, with their multitudinous
demands awaiting our supply.
Those who compare the fertile
loan and prairie soils of our sec
ton with the rugged and rock
bound wastes of the Pacific region
will smile when they are assured
that the Mississippi valley will
eventually be supplanted a.
"a supply base by the
country bordering upon the West
ern ocean. The cotton, the grain
the lumber, the foodstuffs, the ne
cessities. are destined to pas
through the slit in the continent
But to speak definitely of som