The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-24
E FACING
 WONDERFUL ERA
C. Lee Cook Of Louisville One Of Nations Remark
 able Men
By .. c. FORBES

By .. c. FORBES
 The south is moulting her feath- CTS for an epoch of prosperity now new south"
 So declares c. Lee Cook of Louis vile, one of the most remarkable men @of America, who is now on visit to New York. Most of us have found it difficult enough to make headway in the world with the possession of all our faculties. This man, although he has never been able to walk step in his life, and has to be wheeled about in an extraordinarily cleverly devised vehicle, designed by himself, has built up large and successful engineering and manufacturing business and has won distinction as a scholar, an orator, a painter, authority on ancient and modern history or constitutional law, etc. once wrote a magazine article about his career and as recall he re- ceived almost 10000 letters, mostly congratulating him on his successful fight against such heavy odds.
 Mir. Cook is here to go into import ant matters with his New York office and to make several addresses. I inter- viewed him chiefly on conditions and prospects in the south. He replied as already quoted. Under further ques- tioning elicited these interesting, au- thOriative statements:
 'As you know, the supreme product of the farm peculiar to the south is cotton and that this supremacy has n inc hn hnl weevil has long been a pest in i'm creasing destructiveness to cotton crops. The cause of this has been rather difficult to define, but it seems after all related to two very definite things:
 "One, the difficulties and scarcity of interested and competent labor and the other the phenomenon of thought less but progressive annihilation of bird life, especially the quail. Science, however, in it's wonted faith, vigilance and skill, is achieving, the assurance of an adequate remedy against cotton's persistent form
 There has been also a disturbing exodus of the negro to new homes in other sections on the promise always fulfilled and this problem is correcting itself. The south is providing excellent educational media and better penal service laws.
 '"There is also a gradually increas- ing cause for a new spirit of hope and aspiration of the negro in the south, and which undoubtedly will result in his increasing we'll being and good citi- zenship. It is the recognition by the representative classes in the whole southland that the negro must have an equitable share in the protection and the execution of the law and of com mon opportunity.
 "These potent forces are turning the pilgrimage of the negro back to his southern home.
 Furthermore, the south is holding not only its own in modern state pro- gress, but in the case of North Caro- lima, Georgia and Florida, is setting an example for new highway construc- tion, which will draw productive at- tention to the resources of the south on the part of thousands of investors.
 ''The commonwealth of Kentucky is about to vote upon $75,000,00 bond issue for the purpose of better educa- tion, especially the enlargement of the university; for plan of cardinal high ways; $50, 100000 of this sum will be for roads and the interest and liqui- dation of the entire issue will be fund.- ed by mild sales tax on gasoline. This plan is indorsed by the great majority of motor owners.
 Florida is fast becoming the perma- nent home of substantial people from all over the United States as we'll as the leading winter resort of America and really of the world. This is pour ing millions, into that state.
 "The present railroad facilities, new highways, the increasing importance of the several southern seaports and the admitted boise of water power and in- land water navigation, on which the government is already spending huge sums, must ultimately augment the in- dustrial promise and power of the south.
 'I must emphasize the subject of agriculture. The southern farmer is learning that his land will raise about anything that can be produced in any other section, and he is coming to see that scientific farming, involving the use of modern machinery and other labor saving commodities as we'll as the rotation of crops, is the guarantee of his prosperity. He is discovering that the south can be the food preserve and feeder of the north during the winter months. Some of the Everglades of Florida are now conspicuous examples of this great sectional asset.
 'There is another factor, very en- couraging, and that is that enterprising capital, looking ever for new fields to develop, is invading the south.
 Improved financial facilities in the south, among them less burdensome rates of interest, less arbitrary limits on the kind and character of security. are awakening more wholesome faith in the minds of many of the south te develop their property.
 f'Finally, the south has been less af- fected by revolutionary notions of gov ernment than any other lart of Amer ica. The reason is that most of the south's representative people are still the children of colonial and first gov ernmental stock, and so are strongly and conservatively patriotic. We have the striking paradox that. though the south once rebelled against the consti- tuition of the United States, it is now