The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-11-29
SOUTHERN DEVELOPMENT.

waste hills teem with luxurious harvests,
! and our silent valleys resound with the
hum Of busy ipdustry-labor to fell our
forests, to build our railroads, to construct
our factories, to dig gourmines-in short 10
make available the thousand ana one
natural advantages which make up the
unproductive capital of the South.
With unequaled climate and SOIL anq eV-
ery material resource to build up .
wealthy and prosperous independence
we,have been. contributing to enrich
other sections at the same time that we
have impoverished ourselves. We have
eiyen our wealth to the shippers of New
York, and to the manufacturers of New
England, whilst our own fields have
been growing from day to day poorer
and poorer, from the lack of diversi-
fed industry, and the stimulus of an
active competition. In many respects
the wealthiest and most productive
country, the South is at the same time
the most dependent upon others-the
most indifferent to it's natural advan-
tages, and most careless in making these
available, The cure for all this is the
introduction of labor from abroad. 1t
will stimulate our native energies, and
bring in the muscle, the intelligence
the thrift, the energy, and the eXpe-
rience Of other sections,-as we'll labor
as labor-saving machinery. But how is
this to be done2
Cam. Matthew r. Slaury, the distin-
guished Virginian, who has done so
:. much for the cause of science, and mari
time enterprise, and whose long expe-
rience, and thoughtful observation, give
weight to all of his suggestions, has
written valuable and suggestive letter
tothe New York South, in which he adj
yerts to the difficulties in the way Of
bringing emigration to the South, and
suggests the only mode Of overcoming
these obstacles. .....'.. ....
y The obstacles to emigration here. arise
from the persistent Misrepresentation to
which we have been subjected at the
South, and which are being made by in
terested parties, who seek to turn away
the influx of the foreign tide to other
sections.
i!For wears they have been taught to
consider our Southern climate, rs deadly
to the out door white lab0rer; and
have heard it asserted there by intelli-
gent and travelled gentlemen, that the
line of 5000, was drawn between the
sections here because, south OF that
parallel, ut-door labor was death to the
white man; that south of that parallel
the Negre alone could stand the rays OF
the sun ip<the open field; and that 1t
was for this reason the line OF $3.50 was
drawn. < They have moreover been
taught to look upon the Southern people
as q lawless set, who delight in blood,
murder and rapiIe; where the women
were without virtue and the men With
out honesty, and where labor was de-
grading" 49,
TO clear away these obstacles requires
united effort at the South. Says Com
lnodore Maury:
an order to establish prosperity
among her people, there are two or three
W VI hS WlllCl IlAS bcouet AissS ~ we
These works are too great for individuals
or companies to perform. They require
concert of action, little pulling togeth-
er.! and make it necessary for the States
themselves to render assistance. One Of
these works is an elaborate treatise on
the physical gcography-not of one
State by itself, but of the South-uttered
IN q manner and by an authority that
will entitle its statements to credit,
wherever it goes. -, 1t should be accom-
panied by maps showing the works o.
internal improvement, the railways ana
canals, the coast line, its harbors, ana
the extremity of inland navigation of
all the Southern States. 1t should also
treat of their climates, and productions :;
their social condition and religious priv
ileges; in short, this work should em-
body exactly that sort OF information,
about every part of the country, which
an Intelligent foreigner desiring to settle
among us would like to have. ltshould
then be published in the languages OF
the various countries of Europe, from
which we desire emigrants, and circu)at-
ed widely among them. When that is
done; then let the agents from each
State and Society, with so much of it in
their hand as related to their State or di-
vision, follow it up; showing the pecu-
liar facilities, advantages and induce
1nents which their own State may hold
out. AS it now is, all of these agents
lave to do, to certain extent, the same
work over, rs they, will tell you. For
example: An emigration agent goes
from Virginia to Europe, to enlist emf
graats. The first thing he has to do, is
to disabuse the minds Of the emigrating
classes with regard to his State: he
can operate upon. but few at best ;
sOtne of these few he may perhaps set
right about his own State, but Ire has re-
moved none of these prejudiees with re-
garG to the other States, 'Hnd which Ill
the minds of his hearers, are common
to the whole South. v ..
After him comes, we will suppose,
the agents of another State; as Missis-
asippi, Alabama, &C., and they have to so
over the same grounds in enlightening
ignorance and removing prejudices with
regard, not to our section, but to their
State; and so of every one; when with
a joint effort, properly directed, it might
have been done once for all so the way
would be clear for every State. For nv
own part, l have never been able to dis
coverlany way Of getting, (Within any
reasonable time,) the tide of European
emigration to come into the South any
considerable force; unless tho states
themselves will first combine to enlight-
On, in the manner suggested, the ignor.
ance, and remove the prejudices which
exist In the minds Of the emigrating
classes of Europe, with regard to our
section, its climates, its industries, its
people, with their manners and GUS
toms" {
RELIGIOUS. Rev. II. NJ. Mood, Pre-
siding Elder of Cokesbury District, S. c.
Conference will preach next Saturday
and Sunday in the Methodist Churchin