Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-06-04
IMMIGRATION.
Letter iron GommSdsrs n. :. HauFy-
wholesome VIews.
oFFIcE o. PHEsIoAL sURvEY, V. N. y.

wholesome Views.
/
OFFICE OF PHYSICAL SURVEY, V. M. L.,
LEXINGTON, VA, May q, 1871
| To J. M. Harris, Esq. Memphis, Tenn.
Dear Sir-Your letter Of 23d instant
came to hand this morning.
I am rejOieed to learn that your
people have at last walked up to the
importance.Of immigration, and that
they have become so alive to il as to
| call meetings to take counsel together.
That's right. 1t is a big subject, too
| large for any one man, city or county
to grapple with single-handed. It re-
quires concert and joint cooperation,
jealous action, and such as to con-
vince lOOkers-On that strong hands,
stout hearts and clever heads are at
the work, and that you mean business.
The people Of the South may rely
upon il that there is no recupera-
| ton of material prosperity for
| them and theirs in one day and gen.
| Grafton, short Of a good strong tide Of
immigration. That will insure it and
nothing else; for nothing that / can
| see, short of a liberal introduction Of
fresh labor and foreign capital. is going
to give our lands anything like fair
and marketable value.
As a rule, the property Of the South
is in real estate; and without their
lands what are the people of Tennes-
see worth Nay, what Is the State,
WithOuta pOck6tdbJs value to the lands
Of the State, worth =? 1t is the chief
source Of her revenue; and if she per
mits her lands TO 90 down to half their
value, and to be unsaleable at that,
how can she expect her people to pay
their taxes, or her finanCiers to pre-
serve her credit ?
According to the census Of 1860, and
1 quote from that because the re-
turns of 40 have not yet been made
up, according to that census, the
cash value in gold OF the lands, live
stock and farming implements in Ten
nessee, was, in round numbers, two
hundred and eighty millions of dol
lars. What is their greenback value
now, paper down? Three-fOurths?
Not much more, 1 tancy-nO, not one
half of il, 1 fear. q. Are not lands in
Tennessee almost unsaleable2 Why?
Simply because your own people own
more than they can till, and there are
no newcomers. 1t has been ten years
since stock was last taken among you,
and to be lower in pocket now than
you were then would, according to
my way Of thinking, show you to be
in the condition which "Old salts
describe as " hsrd-up and astern Of the
lighter"
They say in the North that every
man who comes from abroad and
settles in their section increases its
wealth $1,000. This, Independent Of
the ready money he fetches and the
power he adds to the State by increase
Of population.
According to this estimate, 10000
able-bOdied emigrants coming from
Europe and establishing themselves
in Tennessee, would increase the
wealth of that State, by their presence
and their labor alone, some SO,
600. Such an influx of wealth and
population would help considerably.
What areyOu disposed now to do to
getit? What agencies are You prepared
10 set to work? What influence to
bring into play during the next year
or two, that at the end of that time
you may see, not only ten thousand
coming in a single year, but thousand
upon thousand following for years
after and until your State is full.
What are you and your people pre-
pared to do to pat this ball in motion?
That's the question, Your cOnyen-
ton may pass resolutions about your
fine climates and rich soils, setting
forth that Tennessee is a gOOdly land,
in need of capital and labor, and that
IL these will come, they viii be kindly
everybody at home knows that. The
emigrant abroad will never have 1t,
and so you won't get more settlers to
come that way.
But if you win 60 to work with a
will, remembering that, Where
there's a will there's a way" why
the field is before you, the way is
clear, and it's all your own.
While you are preparing for State
aid, and organizing for county CO.
operation, and paving the way for
your new cOmers, advertise your
selves, and state abroad in a way and
in a manner that the emigrating
classes there may, before they pull
up stakes" know something about
the country. Make immigrants ac-
Quainted with its soil and its climates,
its productions and its resources. Let
them have maps and documents to
make them acquainted with the ma
tural position OF your State, with It's
physical geography in all its aspects,
including its social conditions and in
dustrisl resources, and nay word for
it yOu will, ere long, turn to gladnesI
much present sorrow.
1 could tell you now, if l had the
time, and you the patience to hear
it, how that, yOndGr in South
America, the people, atter hav-
ing spent a genetiOn in lciShtng
for immigrants. as the South
has been doing since the war; and
with Just the same degree Of success,
have at last, they and their Govern
ment, determined to act. They char
tered ships in Europe, paid the pas
sage of immigrants, and when they
arrived gave them lands. In a short
time the stream was flowing; the eX-
pense was over; the thing was estab-
Iished, self-suppOrting and immense /
ly profitable. The other day, when
the FranCO-Pru5sian war broke out, q
feet Of ships-one a day, think, the
year rOund-Was plying between
Europe and BuenOs Ayres, loaded
with immigrants, silk and merchan-
disc one way, and freighted with pro-
duce the other.
The latitude Of the LaPlatte country
In the South, corresponds to that Of
Tennessee in the North; its distance
from Europe twice as great, the
drawbacks greater, and yet the people
there have in the course Of a few
years turned a stream which is pouring
into their borders annually, forty or
fifty thousand new cOmers, with their
capital, their skill and their labor, and
built up a fOurishing direct trade, a
boon the South has been cOveting in
vain, ever since I can remem-
Der. Suffice it to say with regard to
this South American direct trade and
immigration. all subsidies have ceased
long ago. The States have grown
rich and powerful, and the people
prosperous, while the government has
gained standing, and IS in high credit
in all the stock exchanges in Europe.
Tell me how much cloth you have
and IN tell you how TO cut your suit. In
other words: If knew how far your
State and your people are disposed to
20 into this matter, ! might be able
to be Of service in the way of sUgges- /
ti,ons as to the best plan for getting
the Immigrants and building up direct
-, ,.-ouaiaad IN preDqpa an ar