Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-18
IMMIGRATION.
ITS Importance to Tennessee : The
swiss PropOsition-TheC Cumberland
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It's Importance to Tennessee The
swiss PropOsftfon-The Cumberland
Mountains. -
Correspondence Of Union and American.
GRUTLI, GRUNDY Co, TENN, June,
1S72.-Reform Is at present the WatchWOId
in politics and society, reform in admins
tfatiOn and office. bearers the main argu-
ment in our newspapers, and as we are
once engaged in this shop, may as well
draw the attention of your readers to a sub
ject which, although not new, deserves
nevertheless to be watched and kept before
the eyes Of the people. 1t is well known
that the future growth and progress Of the
South In general, as Of our State in partieu-
| lar, depends 20 a great extent on healthy
and vigorous immigration Of lsboring and
principally farming people. To secure
such an influx of labor, sadly needed, there
Is now an opportunity offered which ought
not to be lightly judged of or overlooked.
DIR. Joos, q member of the Swiss House
of Representatives, was here lately in COM
pany with the worthy Swiss minister to
-Four government, Mr. Hitz, Of Washing
ton, TO examine facilities for the enterprise
of Swiss emigration on a large scale. For
years he has given the matter his closest at
tentiOn, and athOrough knowledge and ex-
perience of the wants Of his people, etc,
brought him TO the conclusion that by
transferring the present mode of emigration
from the demoralized infuente Of private
speculation into the hands of competent
authority and colonization en- IRGSSe, their
wants and peculiar characteristics could
be best accommodated. Knowing the ben
eft derived from such immigration, be pro-
poses now that large tracts of vacant land
embracing not less than half townships,
in all about 100000 acres, be donated
to different Swiss communities, so as
to enable them to direct their emigrating
citizens thither and protect them from
frauds and swindles so often perpetrated on
the unsuspecting stranger not familiar with
land and people among whom he is coming
to make his new home, and to procure for
them also a reasonable equivalent for their
necessary expenditures Of education, etc.
Is Liberal offers have already been made to
that purpose from different Governments,
but naturally was the first attention drawn
to the sister republic Of the United States,
under whose free government and ihstitu-
tons similar to their own, the Swiss people
may well be expected to feel at home and
have the best opportunity to expand and
to prosper. Again, it was led TO Tennessee
by the peculiar situation, climate and other
attractions Of this State, wherein
Swiss colony on a small scale in Grun-
dy county is already fourishing; yet
it remains now TO be seen whether
our large land owners and the Administra-
ton have intelligence enough to secure to
themselves and to the State the benefit of
large increase Of farming and laboring pop
ulation by comparatively so small a sacrifice
as the proposed donation would be.
It can easily be demonstrated that to
force the stream of immigration into given
channel, especially when the same is out Of
CURRENT more is necessary than the com
mon course of naountebank advertising and
bOasting agents, more is wanted Than q
paltry gift of some alternate sections of
land, which is known to specially benefit
the donor aud can attract only the indiVid-
ual, not the masses. Settlements as pro-
posed by Doc Joos, desire, and necessarily
must have, sufficient elbow room for their
natural expansion to secure ahealthy future.
Communities cannot be drawn into an active
participation in such speculation without
sufficient guaranty Of its beneficial, honest
and safe foundation. Now look at the
condition of our State, with its burden of
continually increasing debt, its decreasing
production, and retrogressiYe agriculture,
with its Rnboun1ed amount Of vacant land !
and dilapidated farms, the owners Of which !
are often scarcely able to afford to pay the |
taxes. Take for example the large area Of |
the Cumberland mountains, where the |
land, according to the general views Of our |
American fellow. citizens, is not well adap- |
ted to farming purposes, and but of nomi- |
nal worth and contemplate the surprising |
success of the small Swiss settlements in |
Grundy county, which, in the short /
time of three years, has become |
one Of the most fourishing districts of |
said county, paying more than three times
The amount Of former taxes without being 1
burdened thereby, and dispute the fact that |
The owners Of such land would suit best
their own and the interest of the State by /
making a free gift thereof to the before |
Swiss communities. The Swiss |
are mountaineers, well adapted to agricul-
IRE, specially the cultivation Of vine and
fruits, the raising of cattle and preparation
If cheese and butter. They are a social,
we'll educated, law and freedom loving
people, very active, furnishing first class
mechanics and laborers. The Cumberland |
Mountains would just suit them, and where
now the wild deer is roaming there would
loon the axe and plow of busy work
men prepare lovely homes, and pro-
PRESSING farmers pay their share to
he public treasury. The present owners
you'd then soon find by the increasing
7alue of the rest Of their property and the
Of taxes, that they made profit
Ible bargain by exchanging worthless land
or live capital bearing interest on interest
n continual succession. No fear is to be
of too large ACCUMULATION on
he donated land, because necessarily many
If the immigrants, especially mechanics
viii, at least temporarily, take TO the larger
,laces, and some of the more opulent class
Prefer to purchase more or less adjacent
arms so that private speculation win also
eceive a share,
If it becomes once known, and socn it
naturally win, that Switzerland is directing
IS emigrants to Tennessee, that they are
oing well and continuing to make their
ZONES there, we soon win see other nation
lities follow and secure for the future a
teady increase Of wealth, production and
lbor.
Take these few, loose sremarks for what
hey are worth as the opinion of a common
lrmer, whose heart aches seeing the back
,ard tendency of our agricultural prospects;
you think them Of sufficient interest to
pen the columns Of your paper for the ar
lment of the matter, well and good; if not !
I've them place in your waste basket;
ther way truth will become known and
nd its advocates. HANS v, BERG.
Picnic at the National Garden.