The farmer and mechanic., 1914-03-03

the United States had population of
50.00O.000. At that time, and very
justly so, the United States was re-
garded as one OF the greatest and
richest nations of the world. The
South Of today. with 33,000,000 peo-
pie. Is in many respects very far
ahead of the United States of 1880.
with 50,000.00O.
The people of the South have $780,
600, 900 more in individual deposits in |
the banks and trust companies Of |
this section than the people OF the |
United States had in similar institu- |
tions in 1880.
The South is mining almost twice |
a. much coal as the United States |
then mined. 1t is producing four
times as much petroleum. its output
last year having been 100. 100000 bar
rels, against 26.00O,000 barrels for
the United States in 1880.
The South has 800. 100000 more
capital invested in manufacturing
than the United States had in 1880,
and the value Of it's agricultural out
put exceeds by some hundreds OF mil
lions of dollars the total agricultural
out OF the United States in 1880.
The South has far more capital in
vested in cotton manufacturing then
the United States than had, nd~is
consuming in it's own mills about
twice as much cotton as was then
consumed in the mills of the coun-
try.
The value Of exports from South
ern ports is only a few million dollars
less than the total export trade Of the
United States in 1880.
The South expended last year upon
the maintenance Of its public schools
$90,00O,00O. or $4,000, 900 more than
the United States with it's $4,000, 900
people expended upon public educa-
ton in lSS.
General Situation Indicated.
Comparison of this kind showing
how far ahead the South is in many
respects of the United States in 1880
could be given almost without limit.
These are sufficient to indicate the
general situation. 1t is a little diff
cult for us sometimes to quite grasp
the fact that in bank deposits. in in
dustrial pursuits and in agriculture
as well as in public education the
South Of today ranks SO far ahead
of the United States in 1880. The
total wealth of the South of to-
day is less than that of the United
States in 1880, because the South has
not yet had time to accumulate vast
wealth out of it's achievements ir
industry and agriculture Of recent
years. 1t is, however. rapidly piline
up. wealth which, within the next few
years, will amaze the country by its
magnitude.
In studying the future of the Soutf
and planning for financial and rail
road operations in connection there
with, it would be we'll for these fact.
to be borne in mind. But these sta
tistics, amazing as they are, are no
half 50 interesting for the story the!
tell OF what has been done as for tn,
light they throw upon the future
Every careful student of the materia
resources and development Of tn
South knows that this section. not
withstanding the progress made ha
scarcely begun it's development whel
compared with the growth which will
be seen within the next ten or fifteel
years. All that has been done ha
been really merely the clearing of tn
land and the sowing Of the seed 70
the great harvest which this sectio
Is now preparing to reap.
The South has only begun to ulti
ize it's raw materials. 1t has only her
and there opened up it's coal mine:
It's marble and granite quarries an
It's iron-making resources. 1t ha
only commenced within the last fe,
years to get back to that agriculture
condition which existed prior to tn
war. when there was well-rounde
agricultural diversity. 1t is only with
in the last few years that the Centre
South, from Maryland to the Mississ
ippi river has been raising as muc
corn ana 1--we stock as it did in 1861
when the population of this sectio
was only one-third as large as
now is.
For forty years or more the Sout
was passing through a wilderness. I
people had lost by viytue of the W.
the ability to carry on the weli-roun(
ed diversified agriculture which G,
listed prior TO 1850. The capital w;
lacking for reviving the industrial az
tivities which between 1850 and 1St
caused more rapid percentage
growth in every line Of manufacture
in the South than in the rest of IL
country. The amazing agricultur
and industrial progress Of the deca,
ended with 1860 is indicated in Il
fact that during that period the i
crease in the wealth of tffa South G
cceded by more than one billion dc
lars the aggregate increase of veal
OF the New England and Midd
States.