Document: Deep South; The challenge of a changing South

A document deep south Los fields of cotton forests and factories in the heart of Dixie. A revealing story of progress in the area documented with on the spot recordings and produced by the radio broadcasting service extension division. University of Alabama. For the next 30 minutes you will make a transcribed trip through the Deep South. You will see the significance of a new industrial south a changing South. You will see how determined people are nature's plenty into prosperity a move that more than ever is making itself felt in our nation's economy. Challenge like changing South.

We're going. You're now standing looking down along the aisle at the dimly lit altar that you're standing in men's magnificent Gothic greatness echoes organ music music Reverend radiant reverberating within these walls of good to aspire and you turn away amazed at the beauty outside inhale breathe deeply. Pause and consider

this chapel is a center of a university that tobacco built tobacco produced in the Piedmont on the coastal plains of the Carolinas and institution of learning. Conceived of a lesson I lesson that reveals great things can be financed with faith in the soil. You heard of the new solve the changing south the southwest today tops national averages and rate of growth expansion promise. And so you are curious. You come here here to Duke University to find out what when and why are you climbing stairs right now. The stairs that lead to the Library Tower and you hope to the office of one of the South's leading economist Dr. B you Ratchford. He collaborated with Dr. Calvin Hoover on the writing of a book about the South's economic rise you remember the doctor who being

the head of the Department of Economics at Duke and an outstanding authority on Southern economic life at the top at his door you know. Dr Ratchford is a heavyset individual obviously a sound serious thinker. You introduce yourself. You ask him if he really thinks the South has a fabulous future. Some people have predicted. I think I can say I was fairly optimistic about the prospects of us out. I think the rest of the country has discovered that it is I think it's quite likely that this will again. Dr rat you out tales of prosperity or once existed the nation's number one economic problem. And as he talks of today's Southland you mentally turned back the pages of history to a time of grandeur

and good times topped with shivering in the shimmering sights of moonlight Magno a music from lighted mansion with songs in the level of carbon wells and Southern women in silks and satins plantations blend rich meals and riotous spending of lavish comfort leisure. The first shot fired in Fort Sumter. A call to arms. The courage the confidence and rank the boys in gray the boys in blood their years of doubt. Destruction and defeat. Yes that's where your story begins in defeat in the empty aftermath of the war ravaged land. The beaten broken remains referred to hopefully as they are a reconstruction in a land where Gaya D gave way to gutted ruins and got to this people were always lost but the pain of a lingering memory of those after the

civil law or the law between the state of South Carolina was prostrate King copy was dead and there was a period of readjustment in South Carolina in Georgia. In all the southern states the Harkness task of charting a long course back and it would take time so to say in my own he said you know they have they took us from 1860 to bed 1940 to get back to where we were in 1860. It would take time and by tradition in the seven to turn to the soil plough to furrow he hoped would lead to a former life. A farmer that would someday harvest him dignity. It would take time. After the war it was a struggle for survival then to 8 to

900 times were alternately good and bad. In 1910 the southern farmer with fifty years of financial despair behind him ended a rosier. But then came World War One and cotton prices collapsed. Undaunted he laid off a new phone of hope. And in 1999 harvested a new high and cotton wealth fully expecting the next year to be even better. He threw caution to the wind even went deeper into debt to invest heavily in the hopes of once again regaining Antebellum knees. But the next year the bottom fell out and stead of 45 cent cotton farmers were faced with 10 and 12 cents. And on top of that the boll weevil. Well that just about did it for 10 years to follow our farmers plow would cut a pretty shallow forall hope on me to have it even then. On Earth a country is the veriest economic depression.

Even as late as 1936 college graduates of the South had to seek their opportunities elsewhere. Some of course stayed on for the struggle. And among those was one who was destined to become governor of his state. Herman Talmadge of Georgia Governor Tom Ridge made a speech recently and you were there. You remember his bitter recollection right. Born This Way I remember the shoeless south and who could deny it. Who could deny that the South was anything more than a sharecropper shanty is a poverty ridden

populace with backwards ways to realize the new South. You must recognize the old to understand the zenith. Start with zero. Boris can call well dilapidated Dixie did exist and so did a persisting pride that is common among southerners. Pride that has weathered war and peace. Depression and War witness the Confederate statue on the courthouse lawn. Witness the antebellum home anyways. I am so afraid you would like to see you are you sure. It was based EST. Yeah when I hear who built my grand

picture he was he was they broke up. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. Pride in family and fortune was rich and romantic and past pride in the culture the customs the color of countless generations pride preserved in the gilded frame in antique furniture and architecture and afar of age on the old man's brow and the fame of a fighting regiment in friendly hospitality and feel as a child forever. This memory must is the last remnant her mind his living the rebellious past be destroyed in the face of a future must tradition turn on about face to this new industrial Dixie. There's much talk today about industrialization of the South

industrialization is misunderstood by many people. They have the feeling that when an area becomes industrialized it loses all of its so characteristic. This is not happening in the south. You remember the words of Henry be more Director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Alabama. He pointed out the typical southern atmosphere and tradition are definite asset that elements of the old south form the heart and soul of a little known but important industry called the tourist trade. Some studies have indicated that the average tourist Chris spend into the hundreds of dollars in any particular states that he visits some people have put this in the term that we are exporting services and you might say scenery that otherwise could not be turned into an economic asset. I prefer to think of it in terms of bringing in dollars

which otherwise would not be brought into an area of tourist trade has had an amazing effect on the economy of the South you find. Florida for instance nets nearly 700 million dollars a year from tourist with Alabama State Geologist Dr. Walter B Jones as your traveling companion. You became a tourist yourself. You took to the road traveled the Deep South. You saw the blue grass of Kentucky and talked with the train of thoroughbreds in the famous Calumet Farm land right here. Practically impossible if that is correct. They were at around 2 million dollars which looks like it ought to go with you know it all you know that Haitian alone will be worth a million dollars he won a million a day. And inbox site Arkan's are

from an open mind you watch the truck haul away loaded with marks or Lumina Yeah yeah sure. Now don't move again Redditt be alone it was said by a bottom line bottom line I like the mandate United made it a matter of debate by violent night rather than a law applied. But you're standing united. They shot out from high up on a levee. You listened to the deep throated call of a Mississippi steamboat. Deep in the marshlands of Louisiana you visited an oil well drilling crew

and they isolated country crews and last week they go back at their home take all the sleep during that time in Lakeland Florida. You stood by as Dr. Jones talked with a picture of grapefruit. Well I wanted bot to pay for the hotel you paid by the box. The more more you pick the better it is. And along we stand here and talk with you would I let you go get today thank you very much. If you've seen it a busy bustling better looking Southland a working wise a Southland a Dixie that has developed beyond all

expectations. You've seen it in crowded cities and along country roads you've seen it in fabulous homes and find school in a farmer's wealth. You've seen it in the faces of a changing shift. This change called the changing South. It's alive it's evident. And in the words of the student who became governor in the words of the man who remembers when the South was economic problem number one. In the words of Herman Talmage Here's what today's South a new South means to southerners. All of that means better in Colorado better pro-capital and the people of a better standard of living of the people all taxes a lot better universal better rolls better hospital better conservation practices all of the things that we saw that.

How did it happen. Because there are questions because you're anxious to know how an area of economic depravity can possibly show such progress. You had this moment sitting in the office of Dr. B Ratchford economist at Duke University. We're having of course a rapid industrialization that going forward much more rapidly in some parts of the country than in others. It's difficult to describe any particular cause to this but undoubtedly one of the big reasons and probably the most important reason for this is that industry has moved to the south to take advantage of this available labor which we have here. That is it was added by the fact that our greatest gains were made during World War 2 when we were faced with a very tight manner situation. But the South was much less affected by that than the rest of the country.

Consequently we had large numbers of industries moving this out to take advantage of this large supply of labor. And then there are other factors which are influencing this labor this movement of industry to the south. One of them is the fact that our markets here are growing the sauce income has been increasing not only increasing with the rest of the country but increasing much faster than the rest of the country. So we are providing the consumer purchasing power and industries in many cases are moving here in order to supply this market. Another factor which I think is important in modern industry is doing more and more using enormous amounts of water in all this process. That is particularly true in such things as people involved in the chemical industries but all industries all are increasing tremendously the amount of water they

use and the water has become one of our scarce natural resources and the south. At present have larger should plan as our good water and in the other region of the country that water is being used up very rapidly and we need to take considerable thought to protect the water supply to protect its purity. As far as possible and to see that it remains available for industry. But undoubtedly our water supply has been a big drawing card particularly for the types of industries which have been coming to the south. In that connection also we should point out that one of the favorable developments of the past 10 years or so has been that the industries which we have been acquiring are industries which paid wages in the beginning this hour got me to buy furniture. Text or call Carol.

But in recent years we've been getting free electricity. People call this in very fivers generally and all of those are high wage industries the coming of industries southward has become symbolic of the south economic rebirth. But it's often misunderstood you're told industrialisation means more than industries themselves or the movement creates a better balance with agriculture absorbs the south extra labor helps to maintain higher wages and lower price levels. New industry also increases opportunity especially for skilled workers and affords new business for the community. While industry supplies the demand fills a need it also creates demands establishes new markets for materials needed for production. All these things strengthen the economic structure of the region. But has agriculture been standing still. Oh no. On the farm

you found things on the move to farmers still have faith in the soil of the South. Oh it just come and find out what's going on. Regular preparation another cotton crop. You go play cotton furrow hope still creases in a farmer's field but time and trial have brought forth a harvest of fulfillment to Alexander now executive editor of The Progressive pharma one of the South's leading agricultural publications referred to it as an agricultural revolution. AG cuts late certainly true as you've been telling me that we are going through a revolution here in the south. We've come from a day of I'm in the ME you are

saying stuff to him when we operate with tractors and cotton that we don't from when they have their own painted him into homes in a completely modern with every convenience with a high line bring the electricity into the we go on from say in the rocks and mud to section that is covered with a network of paved driveway. We've gone from a time when people had almost lost confidence in themselves to a time when they barely believe in their section and in them sayers and in their neighbors and their social and we think that this revolution is actually just getting in for momentum in the southern pharma has learned much much of it the hard way. And so while you discover that cotton is not dead it does not form the one crop economy that proved to be so disastrous for the South or mode.

Today diversified farming improved methods of production and conservation mechanization past region cattle experimentation and research. These are the modern elements that make a man made for our own hope straight and sure. Yes I think we farmers have made quite a bit of progress but also I think we owe most of it to scientific research which has been done in our behalf years ago I can remember Northern Ireland that we had to go into the woods and take a axe and grab anything that was on our way to start the bacca dey enjoy what we call the plant. Now we have weed control and bloom no control and first one thing and that helps us increase the production of tobacco. God has given us the basic needs to build a future

climate mild a couple of a couple vacationing tours saw oil rich red ripe with Harvest meandering streams to mark a path of business and pleasure. White caps earth to curl upon the sandy shores and hidden deep beneath the surface prospects of unlimited prosperity or oil sulphur unsolved copper iron ore and the list goes on. But the South has always had these natural advantages. So it would seem that there has been an awakening to a realisation of untapped opportunities. There must be men of foresight far side fashioned of southern pride and perseverance. But you find that the new solvers not necessarily of old South tradition but rather a composite of many areas many landless. One instance the plant manager of the 70s corporation in Rome Georgia. I was born.

I'm a graduate of the University of London and on a degree in chemistry and the man who manages the Republic Steel Mill in Gadsden Alabama. Well loving along while I was still busy as I hate to tell you all over that I was well on the 50 year old Scotsman Scotsman and proud of it too. Or the man from Cuba who makes cigars in Tampa the Louisiana lady who argues in Cajun French Quarter full blooded Cherokee with a Doctorate of philosophy who sells blankets to summer tourists to North Carolina. The air. Great I could see them in action working playing living the dream. You had more than 70 years ago a dream that his native South would someday see an economic revolution a rebirth. Well he would be a very proud man Henry Grady the crusading added to the Atlanta Constitution was the first of a long line of

men with foresight. He was the first to recognize the potentialities of a broken Dixie. And until his dying day in 1990 great he conducted a personal campaign told stories made speeches. You can almost hear his voice now that the bridges. I'm heartless and yet that was imported within touch of a coffin and the Dock is gray boarded and

furniture. And yes you can almost hear his voice with her parading in the downtown canyons of Atlanta Birmingham in Little Rock reaching out to farm and market moving over high lines of electricity to home echoing through forest or even penetrating the modern plant. But the voice of Henry Green was the voice of challenge. And so it is today. Southerners see much to be done and they're setting about to do it. This has been Program 18 document Deep South the

final program in a series of actuality documentaries depicting the increasing importance of the South and the economic development of our nation. This week the challenge of a changing self. One of the great stories of our time. Your narrator was Walt Whitaker document Deep South who has written and produced by Leroy BANNERMAN Was Dr. Walter B Jones as a senior consultant. Document is presented by the radio broadcasting service an extension of a university and is made possible by a grant for adult education an independent agency established by the Ford Foundation. Now this is reminding you that this has been a

radio presenter at the university. This is the ne e b network.