American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-05-04
Letter from Memphis.
MEMPHIS, April 20, 1877

What are the good people of Mad
ison county and Canton doing i'll
the great and important matter OF
Immigration! Anything whatever!
DO they intend doing anything at
all or are they immOvably bent
upon waiting, Micawber-like, until
g something turns up"? If their
wide waste of idle acres need labor
for their restoration and cultivation,
it is as much a matter of certainty
to obtain it, as that of harvesting a
crop, as consequence and the re-
ward of the diligent use of the proper
means. Does any planter in your
county gather corn and cotton which
has grown spontaneously and with
out the bestOwment on his part of
thought, time, labor and money!
Neither can any state or community
i'm all this Southern land hope, with
the least shadow Of foundation, to
see their lands occupied and cult
waited, and their towns and cities
prosperous, under the influence OF
such intelligent, industrious and
progressive classes as can be intro
duced here from European cOun-
tries, until they have given the OPP
pOrtunity and extended the invita-
ton to them to come. They must
be informed of the location, charac-
ter and advantages offered, and
must be sought and invited by and
through intelligent instrumental
ties, before they can be had in our
midst. The whole work is one of
BUSINESS, and requiring the most
diligent and persistent use of the
requisite means.
Are your people ready to go to
,cOrks Are they ready to begin
noc ? Are there enough sufficient
ly interested to arrange all the pre-
liminaries and exert themselves in
behalf of grand mass meeting of
the landowners and business men
of the country and of your town, to
be held i'll your courthouse within
the next two or three weeks? If
so, we will agree to meet them and
discuss the whole question in Il
practical manner, and bring the re-
suit of five years experience to our
aid, provided due notice be given
us of such purpose and the desire of
Your people.
The question of LABOR, abundant
and reliable, is certainly the most
perplexing just now, and the ,chere
and the ho,c to get it ought to be the
one exercising the mind of every
man and woman in the South who
is under the necessity of hiring
% help" of any kind.
We trust you will stir up the mass
meeting, and that no landowner,
no business man, and no house
keeper, male or female, will fail of
attendance.
Very truly yours,
DONOHO & BULKLEY.
We regret that we cannot now
answer the questions prOpOunded
by our friend DonOho, in the fore
going letter. The subject of immi
grafton is one of great Importance
to agriculturists and land owners
generally, and yet, just now, we do
not hear the subject discussed among
us at all. All acknowledge the un
reliable character of the present la
Dor of the country, but there is not
the slightest effort making, as far as
we can learn, to substitute better
For the present, every man seems tC
be trying to make the best he car
out of a bad thing.
Our planters are just now i'll the
midst of the busy season, and every
man of them has his hands to the
plow, and not much time to devote
to immigration schemes, or anything
else outside of rOw-tine work.
We respectfully submit to theil
consideration, however, the letter Of
our wartime friend, Mr.. Donoho
who still believes there s no such
land as Dixie and is engaged in an
honest endeavOr to make it . bios
som as the rose, by Introducing re
liable, intelligent and skilled labor
from Europe. Mr.. Donoho has been
engaged in this business ever since
the war closed, understands it thor
Oughly, has SysteInatized it, and can
convince the most skeptical, if there
be any skeptics on this subject, that
| intelligent WHITE labor is not only
the best but the cheapest.
| We hope to be able in IA short
time to inform our friends, Messrs
Donoho & Buckley, when they car
have hearing before Il large meet
ing of the workers of the soil anG
land owners of Madison. More anon
~Cash buyers will find it tt