Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-05-18
MARVELLOUS GROWTH OF TIE
sol TIL.

MAUN EbOtS GNONTH OF TIE
SOUTH.
At the bright, growing city of KearncN,
Nebraska. a sign grects the traveller
"Kearncy, l733 miles to Boston and to
San Francisco It's big country, and
it's growing, especially the South and the
Pacific coast. The farm crops of the
United states last year were valued at
SEQ Is. 10000 ofwhich $500 oo9.c0D belongs to
the South OF the gain OF over $4,000
over tho value of the crops of 19ii the
South had 60 per cent, This is growing
some" down in Dixie.
Twenty-Five years ago made the same
swing around the circle from New York
to Los Angeles and then t, San Francis
90 and back to New York that I took last
March. Amazing is tho justiriable word
in describing the change that has taken
place in the brief interval Atlanta has
grown from an interior, struggling town
to a city Of first rank. New orleans IS
a queen among the throhbing commercial
centers of the United States.
Before the great European war Liver
pool made the price of cotton for the
world, which always seemed strange, as
the United States is the worlds greatest
producer Of cotton, but Liverpool does so
no longer I doubt if it ever will again.
| Tho price of cotton will he made in the
! United States by the exchanges in New
| York, New Orleans, Memphis. and Gal
! weston With comprehensive grasp OF
| the situation the New Orleans association
| of commerce is pcrfecting plans to have
experts on traffic industry. commerce,
| publicity. finance. education and Gill;
cheney. develop the commercial, indus
trial, and civic economy not only of
New Orleans. but of Louisiana
and tho Mississippi Valley. -Four hum
bred and fifty young business mon, NOM
| bers of the association. are in training
for this far-reaching work.
| The American dollar Is now TAKING the
| place of the English crown sterling as the
| sis of exchange. in former times. if an
American merchant bought cargo OF
coffee in Brazil and landed it at New
Orleans. he had to pay for it in pounds
sterling by making draft on London.
Now he pays in American dollars. With
the surplus funds Of Great Britain. Ger
many and France now needed Tor war
purposes, the financing of great CONNER
! cal enterprises in South and tentra'
America must he done by American mon
ey and this means in American dollars. as
near neighbors as these republics arc. 1t
would seem natural that they should have
traded with us before, but our surplus
was required for the financing of our
own enterprises. Our banks are now
opening branches in Central and South
America and reapng where the Euro
peans sowcd. This generation will wit
ness remarkable change in the CONNER
! cial relations Of South and Central Ancrl-
ca with tho United States. The peorl"
Of New Orleans and Louisiana realize
this and are preparing to get their share
of the incoming tide of commerce. They
are in earnest in asking for such improve
ments of the mississippi river as snail
guarantee safety for the vast commerce
borne upon its bosom. and which can be
indefinitely increased by the adoption al
a far-reaching plan instead of the spas
modic appropriations that have beer
made from time to time and wastefully
expended.
The South is accused sometimes of be
ing to slow to seize its opportunities. Its
business men are said to be less alcr
than those of the North, but 1t visit e
the great cities OF the South dLipels thi!
Illusion. The breaking down Of the sec
tional line, by the intcrminGling of bust
ness men of the North and South, thu
closer relationship socially established b,
intermarriagcs and the announcement
of good fellowship by the bankers an'
business men of the great cities of TIN
North and South have revived the spir'
Of American patriotism throughout th
land and obliteratcd the Mason-piXoi
line. Even the state Of Mississippi, whicl
has been so conspicuous in passing drls
tic and ant-corporaton laws, is yieldin'
to the new public sentiment which ha
spread all over the South.
Texas, so often regarded as out OF tn
line of progress, has progressed in a nos
: astonishing manner. Its faith In tn
= future of it's gulf ports as gatcways o
= commerce IL abundantly justified, 10
: day Galveston leads in cotton exports
Houston has developed as n railroad cen
ter and Is reaching to the gulf for cXpOr
trade. Its growth has been prodigiou
and shows no sign of abatement. Nov
e Orleans leads all other American port
: except New York in the volume and vain
of it's exports. The smaller gulf port
Of Texas have shared in the upwar
trend of things, notably Corpus Christ
Twenty-Five years ago IL was little sea-
o with fish and game. Now it is a statel
- city of 20 900 inhabitants, with half-mi
lion dollar hotel, The Nueces, the prd
:, Of the gulf ports.-John \. SleiCher in lie!
, lies.