The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-08-29
The Fruits of Industry.
From the New Orleans Times.l


The cencus returns of 1870 show a |
total OF 12,505,O00 persons engaged in |
useful emplOyments, out of population !
Of 39,O00,000. It these figures are re-
liable, every productive toiler in the |
country is required to supply, on an
average, a little more than three months. |
We have, however, before shown that
these figures are unjust to the working
women OF the country, that is, to the
wives and mothers who reside on small
farms, and are really as efficient and
productive in their respective depart
ments of industry us the husbands and
fathers are. There are, however, some
thing like three bread-eaters to every
bread Garner i'll the country, and this
makes a rather unWhOlesOme average
for the contemplation of our political
economists. The twelve and a half
millions furnish food, shelter and cloth
ing to the thirty-nine millions, and get,
i'll consideration, such professional and
social services as pass current in sOcic-
ty, for equivalents.
OF the tOilers, 5,922, ,27t are engaged in
agriculture, 1,765,010 in blacksmithin%,
Carpentering and callings of that ma
| ture, f,117,O00 in manufactures, 2,256,000
| i'll commerce., including merchants,
shOp-keepcrs, clerks, peddlCTs, bar
keepers, sailors, etc, $685. 900 in the rail-
| road and express business and 4I3, 900 in
mining and kindred labors. 1t tIrus
appears that while agriculture is the
| leading industry of the country, and
while farmers and mechanics fill forty
| times as many mouths as our railways
and fifty times as many as our mines,
yet the mining and railway interests
| have for years past exercised five times
lis great al influence over the govern
ment as farmers and mechanics have.
This is the prime cause Of that "some-
thing wrong which is found to be so
oppressive by the farmers Of the West.
The reward of their industry is insight
ficant, as compared with that of almost
any other calling. Though the price of
land is Il test Of the civilization and ad-
vancement achieved in all countries,
and labor on lands is a prime source of
wealth, yet landed influences and farm
ing interests have been OVershadOwed
by the selfish but successful combina-
tiOns of smaller interests. .s& ."...
This rule is virtually the same Rnde1
other forms of government. In mOn-
arches it may be natural; in republics
, it is not. Men who are theoretically
equal should not practically stand st
far apart. A farmer in the West ought
- certainly to have as high u politica
) value, and as large a political eOntrO
} under system OF sef-gOvernment, as
q manufacturer in New England or {
7 miner in Pennsylvania. .-r .a
= To bring this practical equality abou
5 constitutes chief province of tn
/ Oranges. When they embrace the in
: dustrial Wealth-poducing, masses o
f our Western and Southern population
3 the dawn of better era will becom
7 thoroughly estab ablished. .. &
D Fortunately for Louisiana her agri
e cultural staples are of the gOld-c0m
:. manding order, and the value of he
t products per acre is four or five time
u as great as the average in Western an
y Northern States. This is true whethe
= our lands be devoted to the productio
r of sugar, rice, cotton, oranges Or Ito
J. baceo. 1t is true also as to the com
s parative fertility of our soil when con
e trasted with other soils. "#5 .ta -a.
h At one time the idea prevailed ths
e white men could not become effectiv
! producers in our mparatively tropics
it climate. That is now proved to be Ii
il terly unfounded. Before the war, plaI
IS tatiOn labOrers were all negroes; nov
-e between a fourth and a third OF Oh
y field products are cultivated an
n gathered by white men, and every ye;
9r the proportion raised by the whites
l. becoming greater and greater. -
IS Were white men from the North al
$ West to come hither with their capitf
e. their energy and their industry, th'
lie would find our State the best and mo
fg productive farming country in I'll
to world. The single prevailing disea
Mt of the delta is trouble which com
r but once to any permanent resideI
I'd and it is insignificant as compared wi
IN the perpetual torture Of chills, fevel
OF and rheumatic ailments in more mort
at Eern latitudes. , E5,- .rrr E.-s.y.
st So far from obieeting to new eome
rs we invite them hither to possess. wi
lis us the most fertile land beneath t
1g heavens. ....... .., E.,. M.a..f.
Of