Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-16


Its industry is natIOnHlized.
TT WAS the member of German tribe who
L protested against the narrowness of his
neighbors by reminding them that "There are
men also beyond the mountains"
RMS protest against provncialsm needs to
be uttered periodically in all the large cities
| The interests of a great community are so
absorbing that Philadelphians, New Workers.
! especially New Yorkers-and Chlcagoans
! forget that there Is anything worth while in
| the United States beyond the boundaries Of
their towns. The provincialism of the me-
tropolis is greater than the provinclalism of
the country.
The country has produced by far the largest
number of political leaders, beginning with
washington, who was a farmer living far
from the towns. The leaders in Congress are
from the rural districts or from the small
cities. Mckinley lived in Canton Nelson
Dingley, his successor as chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee came from
Lewiston, with about $4,000 population. Mr..
cannon lives in Danville, with less than
10000 inhabitants. Claude Kitchin, the pres
ent floor leader of the Democracy in the |
House, has his home in Scotland Neck, N. c.,
which boasts 1926 residents. James G. Blaine
lived in Augusta, which is about half the
size of Norristown. Henry Clay was a resi-
dent of Lexington, Ky, which today has
only $4,000 population and in his time was
much smaller. Country lawyers have been
promoted to the Supreme Court bench more
frequently than the lawyers from the great
towns. The captains of industry have usually
received their training in the small commu-
mites before they were put III command in
the commercial centres
The election of r. Goodwin Rhett of
Charleston. s c. n &c |
United States Chamber of Commerce is in
line with precedent 1t ought to be useful in
broadening the vision of those of us who are
daZHed by the lights of vast community
There are big men in Charleston as well as
in Philadelphia The South is full of them
and the West has produced it's proportion
The South, however, has only begun to
emerge from the commercial depression that
followed the Civil War. Charleston itself is
booming. 1t had only $4,000 population in
1890 and it gained only 1000 in the next twenty
years, but it is estimated today that 70 600
people are included within the city limits, a
gain of "a per cent in five years. In the four
ears from 1908 to 1912 the foreign trade of
he port increased from $1,000, 900 to $17,4OO 0OO
me business of other Southern ports is grow
hS In ike manner The foreign trade of
savannah Ca, increased in the same period
rom S63OOO,OO0 to 100000, 900 and that of
galveston from $166,7OO,OOO to seq, 100000.
There is new South beside which that de-
cribed by Henry W. Grady was small and
significant. The South is slowly being
from agricultural community
} community in which the raw materials
nat exist there in abundance are being man
factured Along with the introduction of
manufactures has come a diversiication OF
'ops on the farms. Tennessee, Alabama and
Mississippi produce more corn than Pennsyl- hi
ania, and Louisiana's corn crop is almost as
rye as that of Michigan.
1t is apparently easier for the man from .
outh Carolina to think In terms Of national e,r
'mmerce than 1t is for the man from PhiIa tn
'lphia or New York. At any rate, the mem in
RS of the United States Chamber of Com al
cree are persuaded that Mr.. Rhett is big tn
ough to lead it in its efforts to persuade to
e business men of the nation to co-operate st'
the extension of American trade and In the t
aiming of legislation to make that extension &C
sy The Chamber, as those who have fol- wa
we'd Its history are aware, is a clearing %9dh
use for local commercial bodies 1t Is JUS sci
ying its existence by the activity in as rie
milling information on the state of opinion fol
long business men for the guidance Of COZ CO..
ngress It's referendum on the Admins neI
.tion's ship purchase plan was enlighten cot
= and 1t ought to induce the advocates of OF OF,
} plan to hesitate a long time before str
nching the Government in an enterprise me
It does not commend itself to the senti- pro
Mt of business cororoupitias Ian
= -, - -, Xii
~ o'e as ''e NH"IipeT remains a business age
untainted by partisan politics aga
will perform a useful service II 90 Iir,I syl
: ite noy, ,,ra.i5o,,. III, - - -i' par
~ FI''' "'li oppose any at Fra
apt to make 1t an agent of any party, and v
hold II true TO the purposes for which n Coy
s founded sue
49, aIt.t, .,,, vld
80 P''-H' seS''ohahsHl cannot survive car
naturalization of industry. When peI
tion's business interests are national it's ann
tics are national Business, not politics say sstg
DiSdh up the Sond SOUTH" pro-
Uvo