Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-12-20
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
The Work We Have Before Us.


An extended tour through fifteen States
and close observation of the people, resources
and inducements of the country through
which the writer has passed, have but
strengthened the convictions entertained
twelve months ago, when the series of
articles, of which this is parts was de-
termined upon-that East Tennessee was
more favored by natural advantages than
any section of the Union. Looking
back now over the varied resources
of the sections visited, from the
orange groves of Florida to the ice
bound lakes and rivers of the ex
treme North, from the sandy, unproductive
pine wastes of Sorthern Georgia and the
Carolinas to the highly cultivated farm
gardens and fruitful vineyards of New
York and Ohio, we see new reasons for
hoping thatin this delightful climate free
alike from the extreme rigors of Northern
winters and the oppressive heat of pro-
| tracted Southern summers in our fertile
vallies and uplands, yielding abundantly
Of either grains, grasses or fruits, and in our
great water power and unsurpassed beds of
coal, iron, marble and other minerals and
quarries, we have the elements for rearing
in East Tennessee people building upon
the solid foundations of prosperous farm
! ing and industrial interests, a future as
promising and enduring as can be hoped
| for by any section of this great nation.
We have spent some labor and means in
endeavoring toimpress upon that constant
ly growing class Who are looking South for
homes in a more genial and healthful eli
mate these great facts, and we have the
satisfaction of knowing from personal OBJ
servation that our efforts, together with
those of our real estate agents, have been
successful. In every section of the States
visited we have found men Of high char
acter and capital seriOuslyentertaining the
idea of making their homes with us. Of
all the South, East Tennessee alone pre-
sents to the Northern immigrant the de-
sired advantages. They find in our eli
mate in our varie1 resources, and in the
kindly feelings Of on" people the induce
ments desired. ..--.--4.-, .. --
Having spent some time in the work re-
ferred to, and having at least inaugurated
the great movement, we have now some
suggestions to offer to our readers and
friends in East Tennessee, which we think
if followed, would greatly facilitate the
work in which we are persuaded that they
have as deep an interest as ourselves. We
base these suggestions, of course, upon the
supposition that our people want more Ia
Dor, more capital and more enterprise, or
in other words, Immigration. The first
thing to do to invite this is to offer land at
reasonable rates. We would be foolish to
expect to offer our land as cheap as it can
be bought in the far west and immigrants
looking here for homes do not expect
this, for, as class, they prefer our section
for reasons other than mere cheap lands.
But while this is the case, they do not eX-
pect to pay as much for land here as in the
richer sections of more populous States.
We ought to sell our lands reasonable, for
we have too much of it half farmed and
too much of it not farmed at all. We have
men in East Tennessee farming thousand
acres of land and hardly making q living
by it. If they should sell say half
or more of that land to an enterpris- |
ing farmer who would improve it, and
their neighbors were to do the same, can |
they not see that the increase in population |
and value of the land sold, to say nothing
of the benefits they would derive from inn
proved cultivation of the five hundred
acres left, would richly reward them for the
change. Lands to become valuable must |
be improved, and they cannot be improved
unless divided into smaller tracts to bring |
population. This is one thing to be ac-
complished.
Another work to be done is to create a |
better public sentiment in respect to per-
sonal violence.
The impression so generally prevailing |
North that personal safety here is threat
ened by the prevailing habit of carrying |
concealed weapons and shooting on slight |
prOvocation, is doing us great harm and
can easily be remedied by making known
the change in public sentiment gradually
taking place in this respect. Every muir
der advertised does us incalculable harm.
Some that have occurred in our city are
talked of everywhere and have done us
great damage,
With little cooperation in this work
we know the reward will soon come and
we will find steady increase in our popu-
lation, wealth and prosperity.
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