The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1914-05-01
AS to This Great
Southland Of Ours

here and there opened up its coal
mines, its marble and granite quar-
rieS, and its iron.making resources.
It has only commenced within the
last few years TO get back to that
agricultural condition which existed
prior to the war, when there was a
well-rounded agricultural diversity.
It is only within the last few years
that the Central South, from Mary
land to the Mississippi river, has
been raising as much corn and live
stock as It did in 1850. when the
population Of the section was one
third Of what it now is.
For forty years or more the South
was passing through a wilderness.
Its people had lost by virture Of the
war the ability to carry on the we'll
rounded diversified agriculture which
existed prior to 1860. The capital
was lacking for reviving the indus
trial activities which between 1850
and 1869 caused a more rapid per-
centage Of growth in every line Of
manufacturing in the South than in
the rest Of the country. The amaz-
ing agricultural and industrial prog
resS Of the decade ended with 1860
is indicated in the fact that during
that period the increase in the wealth
Of the South exceeded by more than
one billion dollars the aggregate in
crease Of wealth Of the New England
and Middle States.
The engineering and industrial
trails, which from Colonial days
down to the time when the invention
Of the cotton gin fastened slavery
around the necks Of the people Of
the South, were beginning to reas-
Sert themselves between 1880 and
1860. This industrial and engineer
ing trend Of the people Of the South
has again during the last twenty
five years been reasserting itself, and
it is to the re-brth Of this inherited
trait Of character that the tremendous
momentum of this section is due.
The statement soemtimes heard that
the great development Of the last
twenty-five years Is mainly due to
an infusion OF outside blood and
capital seriously misrepresented the
facts. No man who has that i'm
preston can rightly forecast the prog
ress Of the coming years, because
/ he is viewing the situation from an
erroneous standpoint.
Since 1865 the Central South has
sent beyond its borders by emIgra-
ton into other sections more than
$500, 900 Of its white people and
more than 100000 in Texas and
Oklahoma. The comparatively few
| persons from other sections who have
come into the South, when given
the fullest measure of credit for what
i they have achieved, cannot in the
smallest degree offset the tremendou:
loss Of energy and power Of the
100000 people that went out o.
the Central South by reason Of the
poverty Of opportunity following the
war and the days Of reconstruction
Now the trend is back to the
/, South. Men who have made a sue
| cess in other sections are hearing th'
come home" call Of their native
! land andmany Of them are returning
: Many from other sections are begin
ming tllelr southward nharch.iH-orde
to Snare III il tie amazing develop
ment which they see is to com
} about in this section. They want t
t be a part and parcel Of it, and to zeal
S some of the harvest. Thus tn
Y whole condition has completely
: changed. And instead Of having t
t make a heroic effort to keep its owl
g people at home and to draw me-
and money from other sections, a
/ was the case for twenty-five Q
Y thirty years, the South now find
: abundant employment at home fo
T its own people. It finds tens
! thousands from the North and We: