The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1870-02-26
The Reason Why

come here, instead of going to the
cold West, where they are COMPEL
ed to labor very hard to make a
bare livelihood, consuming, during
the cold months OF winter, the
earnings of the entire year, to keep
themselves, families and stock
from suffering. 1t is fact that
the prosperity of the West is due
to the improvement in the value
of land, because of this heavy emf
grafton, more than to any natural
advantages offered farmers. The
soil is richer there than anywhere
in Europe or the East, it is true,
but we know, from personal OBJ
servation, that it will not compare
favorably, in productiveness, with
that of Louisiana. Although the
soil of no Southern State is per-
haps as rich as that of ours, yet
because of the mildness and gen.
eral healthfulness of the climate,
the former slave holding States
should receive the bulk of Europe
an immigrants; and that they do
not come here is enormously at
tributed to their fear Of a warm
climate for many leave ATTITUDES
equally southern-and we must
find another and better reason.
We have long believed that
emigrants do not come South in
greater numbers, because labor is
not respected here as in the North;
and this conclusion has been con
firmed by a recent conversation
with Mr.. E. s. Wurzburger, one
of the officers of the New Orleans
German Emigrant Society. We
are now experiencing the bad eff,
fects of slavery, which tended to
aristocracy, causing us alto think
that field labor or house work was
degrading; and until we overcome
this prejudice, properly treating
these who obey the divine com
mand, "by the sweat of thy brow
thou shalt earn thy bread,n we
cannot expect the class we sc
much need to locate among US.
| In response to our inquiry from
Mr.. Wurzburger, why the hun
dreds of Germans who are now
weekly arriving in New Orleans
{ by the two lines of steamers from
that country, do not seek labor
on the plantations of Louisiana,
: instead of going to the cold West,
? he replied, because they are not
offered comfortable quarters, prop
} er food, and guaranteed such
treatment as they have been ac,
customed to in their native land,
and all these they find in the
North. Herein lies the whole Sc
: cret of Northern prosperity, and
. of our lack of emigration. While
in the North the farmers ane
their sons labor with their hired
t men, eat at the same table, and
p treat them as fellowmen, here il
the South we are too apt to re
!. gard the hired white men who
+ labor in the field as but little bet
ter than the negroes, and assign
them qearters and give them thu
7 same food we have been accus
toned to furnish our slaves. Thii
will not do. Many European i'm
t acknowledgements particularly
are educated, refined, and desir,
to give their families comfortable
7 homes, school their children, ant
!. be respected in the communitie
where they live; and because the,
, are poor, and have to work a
common laborers, for a time, is n
reason why they should not b
# respected and treated as men.
: Planters may urge that the,
It cannot afford to give more CON
dI Portable quarters or better foo,
l. than they have been accustomet
4 to furnish negroes; but we ask
= why can Northern farmers wit
- inferior advantages, afford it,
e Really, it is not question of @,
+ pense, but of justice to the worE
ing men; for if you treat them a
they do in the North, they will b
o. far more profitable to the planter
>. than the negro labor ever has G
o. ever will be, and in a few year
= our country would be thriving b,
g yond any other section of Amer
If ca. Because white laborers al
+ all ambitious to secure farms {
: their own, is the strongest argl
q ment in favorof their employment
E. AS soon as it is known thatlabo1
% ing men can secure farms an
rs homes here, as in the West, an
70 they meet with the same kin
IL treatment as there, we will hay
= no more reason to complain tn: