The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-06-16
From the Charleston Republican.
How to Promote immigration.

The following letter contains some sound,
practical hints on the subject of immigration,
and although written by one gentleman, an old
resident in the State, to another, for his per-
sonal consideration merely, it will be found
worthy of perusal by all interested in the pros
perity and welfare of the State:
DEAR SIR: At your request l proceed to
write out in very brief and condensed form, the
ideas suggested to you upon the subject of en-
igration, the substance OF which have already
published some months back in the Columbia
Pkenic.
First then, we must prepare for the recep-
ton of the emigrants. / think there should be
formed Emigrant Aid Associations, say, in
Charleston and Columbia, with cooperative
branches in every town and village in the State.
If were to elaborate this idea as fully as 1T
deserves, the minuti;e would occupy too much
space would merely suggest that the parent
associations shall be the common heads from
which practical ideas, or the work to be done
by the minor associations shall be directed, but
it is all-important that there should be means
provided for the reception and care of these
strangers when they come among us. The
town and village associations should be prepar-
sale, their character, location, price, &C., and
dlSU dS W 1uCl1b W DO SifSh w SoSA 49,
would come to labor upon farms, or as mechan-
les, or otherwise. These minor societies should
be required to make reports at stated periods.
What mean to do is to make such preparation
for the comfort of these strangers as will re-
lieve them from the cares and distress natural
to one of small means, or of no means, and, OF
such, suppose, emigrants mostly are, coming
into O strange country, and to embark upon
what will be new life. Their first impress
sions are what will 90 back to their friends in
Fatherland, and upon them will depend great
ly the growth of this emigrant seed-planting,
which 1 propose to show will grow and produce
as rapidly and proftably as seed planted in the
earth.
The organization being complete in city and
country, the next thing to be done is to raise
funds to carry out the design. This may be
done by requiring members to pay small ad-
mission fee, or what would, think, be better,
by taking up voluntary subscriptions of small
amounts. But what is of greatest importance
is to create general interest in the subject; old
prejudices and new jealousies must be removed,
the people must learn that general prosperity
in the country depends upon individual sue
cess in business, whatever it may be, that labor
is the true fountain of wealth, that idle respec-
liability is found in the road to poverty, except
in those cases where labor has created means
for its possession. How the public mind is to
be educated to the point suggested, | cannot
now determine. think, however, it is ques-
ton of time, but the work must go on, we can
not afford to wait
Supposing the organization perfect, and COM
mittees appointed to raise subscriptions, do
YOU not suppose the sum of forty thousand dol
lars may be raised for the purpose of buying a
ship? / think less sum would answer, but
that amount would buy ship and fit her out
for voyage, say to Germany. She is put up
in the harbor of Charleston for freight. Who
will not ship by her as soon as any other ship,
if she be equally staunch, well-found and Off
cered, and takes freight at customary rates !?
Well, the freight out, and such light return
freight as she may bring for ballast, will pay
the expenses of the round voyage. What L
propose, is to offer free passage for such re-
spectacle laboriDg people, men, women and
children, as may be willing to come and live
among us. All would require of passenger
would be that they come we'll recommended by
their town authority, as being honest and in
dustrious. To all such L would say, come free.
Suppose the ship bring 200 passengers, and she
makes three voyages in year, you have slX
hundred emigrants landed the first year the
second year six hundred, and the third year, if
these people are at all successful, their friends
at home will not wait for the free passage, but
come themselves What if the ship is worn
out in five or six years, will not the general
prosperity in the country be more than equal
to the outlay of money in the cause? And
will not individual success more than repay all
the original subscriptions laid out in this busi-
ness?
1t is estimated that the value of each emf
grant is, to the State in which he settles, at
least 500 dollars that is, that the productive
capital of the State is increased 500 for each
emigrant. Suppose then one ship makes three
VOYAGES year, and continues five years, and
we add nothing for the influences of the cmi-
grants upon their friends, who shall come by
other means, the result would be a gross in
crease of the taxable value of the property of
the State-one million five hundred thousand
dollars.
The Germans of this State are among its
most respectable citizens; they are respectable
in numbers, they are thrifty, many of them
rich, they are bound to each other by ties of
country, almost as strong as the ties of kindred
among the American people. They will embark
in any enterprise that is punctual, promising
speedy results. We may, think, calculate
upon their taking interest in this scheme, for
in it, 1 propose but one idea, that is, emigra-
ton.
To mix commerce, direct trade, steamship
lines, and to attempt to carry all these together
in order to bring about emigration, is to my
mind, grasping at too much. We have some
experience in direct trade schemes for the last
twenty-five years, every one of which have
been equally magnificent with the last and
every one Of which have proved but bubbles,
bursted before they were fairly formed. Com
merce has its natural laws, which cannot be
forced but may be stimulated Direct trade
with Europe may be safely entered upon, and
its necessity will declare itself whenever the
wants of the people require it. 1t may be pro-
NOTED by no other so certain means as increa-
scd productive population. The capital accu-
mulatcd in the country, the direct result of
profitable labor, whenever it becomes sufficient,
will produce the result now looked to.
The course of trade, as at present directed,