The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-04-02
IMMIGRATION OR NO IMMIGRATION;

1t does appear from the P,'esslE
and Banner Of last week. that sGek4
D. Wyatt Aiken is going againstall
kinds of immigrants who come here
without means to settle themselves
at first, and to be self-sustainiug.
Now, whilst the other class Of i'm
migrants would be very desirable to
have, and would inject the views of
every person, yet we cannot calcu-
late on euch q state Of things.
Take the trains Of immigrants as
they pass on West, and counting
them, you will not find one in a
hundred who can support himself
the first year. But does any man,
North or West, say that these peo-
pie are too poor to go West? Not
at all but every encouragement to
do so is given them by the general
government, by the State Legisla-
lures, and by railroad incorpora-
tions.
Immigration Societies nave been
organized long since, for the avowed
purpose of peopling the great
West. Does any one say that those
are not the right kind of immi-
grants who 60 there? Oris it con-
tended in the papers or agricultural
journals North, that. the poor man
will not do? Not at all. They are
too wide awake for any such thing.
They have tried the poor immi-
grant, and know that he is to them
a great element of strength, and
may we not profit by the example?
Is there any risk to be run in so
plain a case; when the whole thing
has been worked out, and IL has
been fully shown that we have
nothing to fear from this question?
If the great West can become SO
powerful and wealthy in SO short a
time, it certainly affords encourage
ment to us to initiate the example.
When immigration first set in
Westward, there were greater diff
culties in its way than with us at
this time-as the; immigrant had
the forests to clear and houses to
build, all Of which is hard work to
the European, when he lands here:
In the South we have the lands
cleared, houses and fences already.
built, and the immigrant can go at
once to work improving his lands,
and realize twice asImuch cash from
his crops as he can in the Great
West. ""1] .': ~. = =.
These arc the induccm ants which
the South offers, but if such men
as Col. Aiken blow cold upon the
enterprise, it will have bad effect,
and produce the. very state. Of things
that our enemies desire. Its effect is
to discourage immigration; and let
any one 50 to CastlesGardcn, and
ask: for q few. laborcrs to take
South, and he will be told that they
are said down South to be put in
competition with the negro, except
ut their own particular request.
Go to Europe and you will find the
same 'discouragcmcnt : nlis-repre-
sentations of the South, circulated
through ans railroad train, public
inn, thoroughfarc, Or place of
amusement going to shew that
the condition of the poor European
immigrant is ten degrees lower than
that of the vericst slave. The
North is at the bottom Of all this
knowing thatif immigration sets in
here we too will become great and
powerful. What the North fears
most now is manufacturing at the
South, and she knows that without
immigration, the South must go on
producing cotton, to be manufact-
ured elsewhere. Now is it not our
true policy to encourage immigra-
ton, and learn to spin our own cot
ton, and thus nearly double its
value? Europe. is manufacturing
country, and wherever Europeans
60, they carry with them manufac-
turing skill. These it is to our in
terest to have among US, however.
poor, for they bring brain as well
as muscle, and these make capital.
If South Carolina had two hundredi
thousand stout immigrants in her
borders to-day, tide'of prosperity
would set in which none can now
anticipate. Railroads, cities, towns,