Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-07
SURPLUS LANDS

Of all the correspondents for our agri-
cultural exchanges we know of no one
who displays SO much practical good
sense and experience as B. W. Jones,
who is regular contributor to the Mary
land Farmer. His ideas of the best
method of securing immigration coincide
so fully with those which we have so
often expressed, both in this journal and
in our addresses in the various counties,
that we hope the day is not far distant
when our large farmers will be induced
to act upon the suggestion. A great
many farmers in our State are in the con-
ton of "Jones," as described by Sidney
Lanier, of Macon, Ga:
~ knowed man, which he lived in Jones,
Which Jones is 8 county of red hills and stones,
And he lived pretty much by gittia' Of loans,
And his mules were nuthin but skin ana bones,
And his hogs was fiat as his corn bread pones
And he had bout thousand acres Of land"
Men with thousands of acres, and are
yet not able TO have better fare than corn
cake and lean bacon. If properly en-
coursged, an Industrious, enterprisin G
people would come in and roll up their
sleeves and bare their arms
"And pick all the rocks from of'n the ground,
And root it up and pillow it down
until it would be made to yield wealth to
the owner and prosperity to the State.
This condition and result of sparse
population, says B. w. Jones, which
might be drawn in dark colors, should be
sedulously guarded against by every COM
munity of people having common inter-
ests in common cause. To do this they
must take care to multiply farms and
homes to the whole extent of their terri
tory. What is the best way of doing
thisS
To my mind the remedy is simple and
practical enough. Let landholders agree
to sell off, say half of their surplus lands,
at nominal price to actual, industrious
settlers; holding the remainder for the
benefits that would result to them in the
increased value of real estate. To find
occupants for these lands let them first see
that every native born white man amongst
them has a home of his own, eUen If
they haze to give them land and then,
by al proper means available, induce i'm.
migration of such indiUidadLs only as
would be a useful acquisition in an in
dustrial and social point of view. l say
of such only, for it will be sad thing
for US, if in our haste TO increase the
population, we get a community of
Migrants, tricksters and idlers. We do
not want more of this class; have too
many already. Let this point be kept in
view by every people inviting immigra-
ton.
And when sober, honest, and upright
settlers arrive, let the people extend to
them at once the common cOurtesies of
society, and aid them in such manner as
they can during the first and trying Iyear
of their sOjourn, so as to cause them to
feel at home and among friends. II the
first that arrive are well and kindly re-
ceived, others of their kindred will follow
on; and thus holders will be able to sell
the remainder of their lands at a hand
some figure. The car of progress would
move onward, the burden of taxation be
lessened, and the conveniences that
spring up in the wake of an enterprising
people would result. Agriculture, trade,
commerce, and education would greet
us with their manifold blessings; and soon
from our bosoms we should be able to
send forth children TO occupy the waste
places of the earth, and make them beau.
tiful and joyous like our own.