The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-24
European Immigrants for the sOnth

A writer in the Memphis Appeal suggests
Slavonia, of which country he is himself a
native, as proper field to which to resort
for supply of immigrant labor for the
South. The interference which has already
occurred with German immigrants destined
and under contract for labor in this region,
suggests the necessity of some provision to
guard against malicious intermeddling in
future, aud this writer's views are worthy
of attention. We make a few extracts:
s'Slavonia" is a small State in Germany, of
some four or five hundred German square
miles, and within this small compass some
thing over eight million ofpeOple are finding
their existence with great difficulty, owing
to the poor yield with which the soil re-
wards their labors In industry, this small
nation is second to none of its neighboring
States yet, with the greatest economy and
the hardest labor, few can ever raise them
selves above "Gctudl lCGRt," or accumulate
sufficient means to emigrate to climes where
q wlder ueLu anu LIUlIUG ards are offered
them for their toll. Thus they are doomed
to everlasting poverty, which is the only in
heritance the father can leave his children,
who, in time, again transfer it to their own
posterity. The reader can easily imagine,
under these circumstances, these people
could not. if they would, come here and take
advantage of the offers the planters make
German emigrants-since they lack all the
means and "wherewith TO travel, and are,
as it were, bound hand and foot.
A man coming from Germany, reaching
New York or any large city, and perfectly
ignorant of the present political relations of
the two sections, will soon have ample op-
portunity of having his mind poisoned by
his fanatical and benighted countrymen,
who reached this continent a short time pre-
vious to the new conner, and imagine them
selves in the full possession of all knowledge
of affairs, both North and South, though
their knowledge of this portion of the coun-
try is only derived from what they read in
the dirty, slandering, abolition sheets with
which portion of our land abounds. The
Germans, naturally, are not an Ignorant,
rude, and uncultivated people; but when
their minds have been corrupted by the in
fuence of their fanatical countrymen of the
North, who, enyious of the superior advan-
tages the South enjoys, attempt to injure it
in every imaginable manner; and in so do
ing have recourse TO the vilest means the
human mind can conceive, regardless OF the
consequences, losing sight of the fact that
envy and slander were the greatest agents
in bringing about the terrible scenes of
bloodshed which have made the wide gulf
between the Northern and Southern States
in the few years just past. What wonder,
then that all attempts to induce Germans
from the North to come South and engage in
agricultural pursuits, have thus far proved
failures.
The Slavonians neither speak nor under
stand the German language, and are only
conversant with their mother tongue, (Sla-
vonian.) Ny reason for laying particular
stress upon this circumstance is, that they
are perfectly ignorant of, and consequently
unable to share the ungronnded fears and
prejudices of other German Nations against
the Southern portion of the United States,
and when here, viii be only bent upon adj
vancing their own and the welfare of their
benefactors, the planters), being naturally
a greatful and kind-hearted people. In my