Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-02-27
IMMIGRATION.
Few Practical Suggestions 10 its
Friends.


Friends.
Correspondence Of the Union and American
New YORK, Feb. 22.-I take the Lib
erty of addressing you a few lines on
subject which equally interests those locate,
In Tennessee and those interested in he
bond or debt. | mean foreign immigra
ton and direct assistance that may b
lent it by the State.
In the fret place, allow me to speak o
the general currents of immigration anS
emigration as they are likely to shap,
during this and the next few years. Sine,
the abolition of slavery the natural tend
! sncy of the freedman, il / am correctly
informed, is to remove 10 the more South
ern States. Tennessee may retain fair
proportion of negroes, producing as she
does 10000 bales of cotton. But never
theless, she will lose good many colored
hired hands.
North Carolina may also retain many.
while Virginia will lose, as she alread '
does, tens of thousands of colored people.
Who shall take the places of these pep
pie lost to the three States, but the white
agricultural lsborers and mechanics of
the more Northern States that may wish
to improve their condition, and those of
Europe, who may also choose to emigrate
to improve their condition.
There may be an influx into your States
of Cuban refugees, but they will not be
planters, and not people who personally
till the ground.
What can be done by the individual
Border States to attract the hard working
class
Land and Railroad Companies in your
State have done aud are doing something,
l hear, bat still, l may be permitted to say
an infinitely greater impulse can be given
by proper patriotic legislation,
And this State aid seems the more impe-
rative since the completion of the Pacific
Railroad, through high gold wages ruling
IN the Pacific and intermediate states, and
the efforts made by the labor exchange at
San Francisco will attract large proper
tion Of immigrants, dating from July
next, and thus produce diversion, which
it is the duty of the Legislatures and citi-
zens of the Border States to counteract.
Surprising then, las tbiak am correct
in surmising.) that your State has no pub
lie lands to give away, pledge or sell like
California has her low tide lands, what
can or will yonr Legislature, still in seq.
sion, do before it adjourns?
The value of labor and consumptiye ca
pacity which may by way of argument be
set upon white immigrant that casts his
lost among yOu, man, woman aud child is
generally put down at thousand dollars a
head to start with and with proper as
sistance State as rich in resources as your
own should be able to attract direct 90
900 immigrants per annum. These would
on their face an annual gain of
twenty millions; properly speaking the
gain will be larger even, a. many will
bring ready cash along with them.
Certainly the influx of 80 much pro-
ductive wealth should of itself suffice TO
double the vsina Of real estate all over the
State in less than five years.
Your State has at all times been liberal
in aiding railways and other public i'm
provsments. Why should she not also be
liberal in trying to attract the hardy white
abOrers of Europe to her broad and fertile
fields +? industrious population constitutes
he real and substantial wealth of commu-
mites.
A very small tax annually levied on the
hess in Tennessee would yield money
enough to establish and keep up immigrabt
agencies at Nashville, Memphis, New
I ork, Liverpool. Havre and Bremen, with
Iub agencies in England and on The Con-
inent. With the proper effort these agen-
lies would be made of almost invaluable
value to the State of Tennessee, By directing
l constant tide of immigration within her
borders. 1t is by such efforts that other
States are rapidly increasing their populs-
ion. Yours could easily do the same. Let
your people who are interested in the matte
zee that means are Immediately adopted for
setting before the public abroad the won.
ierful advantages and resources of Tennes-
zee. Now is the time to begin the work,
Dr. at least the most acceptable period for
making amends for public duty too long
neglected. W. X.