The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-07-19
CHI A r L E s TON.
MONDAY MORNING, JULY 10, 1859.



Giving away Land.
Ia q leading article in the Philadelphia
North American We find the following para
graphs: "~
THE CHARLESTON DAILY News urges the
planters and land owners Of South Carolina to
give every immigrant family farm, in rider
to render the rest Of their lands valuable by
thus attracting foreign immigration. But let
us ask The NEWS why IL restricts it's policy to
foreign immigration, when the native whites
OF South Carolina are so largely in need of the
very land it is now proposed to give away to
Europeans? From the poor whites of the
planting States have come statesmen who
have filed the highest positions in the Repub
lie; and surely class capable Of producing
such men must possess innate worth superior
to that OF the new ina migrants from Europe.
These Southern poor whites constituted the
rank and file of the rebel armies in the late
war, and better soldiers ne ID not be asked
than they were.
"As to giving away land, it is not often pro-
ductive Of the good expected. The better
plan is to sell it on easy terms. Men value
what. they pay for more than what is merely
given them freely without cost. In the case
OF the poor whites OF the South, most Of them
are degraded, only because they have no
chance to better their condition. II planters
were to contract with the poor whites near
them to give each a piece Of land, however
small, to 1e paid for in plantation labor, the
result would astonish some OF them. They
would awaken and stimulate the energies OF
the poor 'sand-hllers.' whom they have SO
long taken pains to pauperze.
''But the sparseness Of population in the
South has been encouraged by the planters
themselves, and is their own peculiar work.
For long time prior to the war they did not
want email farmers anywhere near them, and
the annoyances to which that class were sub
jeoted were 80 great that few could stand
them. If the planters have now discovered
thsir error, and concluded to put stop to
these annoyances, the best thing they can do
is to offer to sell smal! tracts of land to any
one who wishes to buy, black or white, Swing
strict business turn to the matter by selling
to those who can pay most. since, OF course
that will be best both for the buyer and seller.
II the planters generally take to giving awav
lands, what would be the use 1or any small
farmer to buy, since he never could sell again
SO long as this giving away process lasted"
We reply that the "native whites" of South
Carolina who desire to become land owners
have no difficulty in their way. The price
OF land is low, and rents are at a moderate
hgure; and there is no reason why q
capable and industrious white man NAV
not rent small farm one year, and buy it,
part cash and part credit, the following
year. It is not desired to prevent any man
white or colored, from becoming a land
owner. On the contrary, every proper and
reasonable assistance In that direction ia
always given to him.
The North American is not correctly
informed In regard to the reason OF the
sparseness Of population in the South.
This was not oaused by the action OF
the planters, but was natural result
Of .slavery-with which free white labor
could not successfully compete. The
small farmers have not been discouraged
In South Caroline, but it is we'll known tha,
the small farm system is not believed to be
adapted to the low country, where large
expenditure Of money is necessary for pro
ducing rice and sea island cotton. The
sparseness Of the white population in this
State, and the limited number Of small
farmers ON the seacoast, were the effsc.s Of
the causes which we have indicated. and
we're not brought about by any liking or dis
liking on the part Of the Shareholders, Nor
Is there in this State what the North Anne
rican calls the GLASS OF "poor whites -
There ere what are known 90 the " sand.
{" hillers," poor and degraded class Of
whites, but they are found only here and
there, and are 90 few in number that.
with or without land, they would have but
little influence upon the prosperity Of the
State We repeat, then, that every tub in
South Carolina stands ON ito own bottom.
and that NO man is too poor to become an
owner Of land, because, at the ruling prices.
one year Of labor would pay the Hrst install
ment Of the purchase money Of farm.
The reason Of advising that land be
siven TO the foreign immigrant and soid TO
the sstual resident, 10 very p!sin. Every
State Of the West 10 bidding high for Ina
migrants. The different ageats offer favor