The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1868-09-05
immigration.

cheap; that they are singularly product
i've; that there is a want of labor: tha
employments are ready and abundant
that the climate is mild; the seasons
long-atfording the opportunity OF moro
than single crop-and that the range
of products and employments almost il,
limitable. But, it is sometimes argued
that our colored population offers obsta.
cles to the coming of white people, and
is to be feared, that the fact of such a
population, does in truth, dissuade and
divert the present flowing tide of Immi
grafton from these Southern States.
For this we think there is no sufficient
reason in that fact. 1t is certain our
lands are not sufficiently cultivated with
our present labor. 1t is certain that
they are ready at almost nominal prices
for the acceptance of industrious or en-
terprising foreigners. 1t is certain that
labor is wanted in every branch of enter
prise, and, that remunerative prices are
offered for it. 1t is certain that the COM
petition of negroes for the possession of
the soil can never materially enhance
the price. AS rule they have not the
industry and prudence to become, to any
great extent, the proprietors of the soil.
Possessed of the soil, they have not the
skill and address to compete in market
with its products. Nor is it possible
that without the pressure of external
power, they can materially reduce the
price of labor. They will work, volun-
tarily and better here, perhaps, than
they have ever worked elsewhere. They
have more elevation of moral and intel
lectual character than they have ever
had, and, theirpupillage, for generations,
has advanced them to more of manhood.
But still, as rule, there is the same dis
tinctive Characteristic. There is still a
want of the sense and spirit of accumu-
lation. The white laborer wants the
next $50 as bad as he did the first. The
negro laborer has no use for the next $50
while he has the first. He rarely ad-
vances from natural to artificial wants.
The horizon of his wishes rarely widen
as he rises. He is impelled to progress,
therefore, to, but a limited extent, by in
ternal motives. Contented generally
with the actual condition, and, amiable
and docile, he rarely acts beyond the
immediate OCCASION little labor will
supply his wants; the work of a few
days in the week, or month, will give
him the means of subsistence, as COM
Portable as he requires, and in the course
of such life as this, he can offer little
impediment to the progress of white
men, who are stimulated by continually
extending wants to the continued exer-
else of every physical and intellectual
power. And SO working, in the main,
for subsistence, merely, the negro, by
any competition he can offer, will never
naturally reduce the price of labor or it's
products upon white men.
Nor are there other sufficient reasons
for believing that white immigrants will
be prejud1eed here by the presence of
negroes. If it could be supposed that
they can retain the control of the Gov
eminent of these Southern States, that,
of course, would be conclusive of any
question as to their influence. White
people would not live under such Gov
ernment, and, perhaps, would not be per-
mitted to do so if they could. But, it is
not to be supposed. Such an unnatural
state of facts never has existed, andnev-
er can exist longer than the party ext
geney out of which it has arisen. So
long as there shall be party outside the
Southern Ssates, to be sustained. only,
by the vote of the Southern States,
which vote it can only get by confining
the right of suffrage to the negroes, the
negroes for that strong reason, will be
sustained to power. But ii is hardly pos
sible it can ever occur again that the ne
gro vote can sustain party to power.
1t is scarcely possible a party in power
will ever again be content with such an
unstaple support to power. The whole
thing is an aecident which can never oc-
cur again, and the existence and contin-
uance of which, must soon be termina-
ted. The Republican party must soon
be overthrown, Notwithstanding the sup
port of the negro vote, or it must seize
and hold the Government bya stronger
grasp than can consist in the votes Of SO
small a population of negroes. meither
event the occasion for the negro vote will
cease. Left to himself, or forced back
TO his natural position, by the very pow
er that dragged him out of it, he will
cease to be of any peculiar political Inn
p0rtance. If qualified suffrage be allow
ed him, which is probable, and, perhaps,
proper, he will not, through that, be able
to exercise any peculiar influence over
II sAtA~ VI WMAUE liz WILL CA-
ercise that franchise, not as negro, but,
as man. His vote win be cast, not in
the cause Of his race, but of labor, whose
condition he will represent, and the la
boring foreigners will be the last, per-
haps, to object to a power which can on
<ly be exerted with them in common
cause.
Without peculiar political. influence,
the presence of the negro can be of no
other disadvantage. It is not to be sup
posed that his labor win be as product
i've as that of the same number Of white
people that may choose to come. It is
not to be supposed that he win exhibit
hostility. With the hope af an exclu-
siVe control OF the State Government, he
may be hostile. 1t is, perhaps, impossi-
BILE, he should resist the incentives, that
way, applied to him by interested adven-
tarers, but, witleut that, and of no poll
tlcal Importance to interested parties,
bis necessities will compel him,jf It were
not, as it is, his inclination to be on
good terms with all the white people
about him. 1t is Id that way, only, he
can get employment. It is IN that way,
only, he can protect himself from special
imposition and disabilities. Without
the chance of success lie will not provoke
hostility. He will cheerfulIy accept the
relations that may be offered. He will
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