The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-14
Labor for the South.

OrWhether 1t iS not that country III tuo Lao
where parents raise their 1 oeap'u mmst nave re
moved portion of this ignorance. But de-
plorable amount still exists.
Formerly we were Indifferent 10 1T. II The
English bought our cotton, we did not care II
thew did not know who raised 1t, or from
whence II came. But now we want foreign
caniisl and skilled labor. How did Illinois
obtain it! II the Northern people would not
let us slone-if they would make "workies'
of us-we must find out how they have work.
ed, and beat them at IL. As has been already
said, the frs> step OF Illinois and other North
western States was to food Europe with
glowing accounts of inducements to emisra'
tion.
The preparation and diffusion of similar
documents Is the first step that we should
take towards the Introduction OF foreign
capital aud skilled labor. 1t Is asked, what
Inducements can We offer to emigrants? We
have no government lands.'
Suppose an agent of Georgia, thoroughly
Informed as to our statistics, should lano al
Liverpool, or any other foreign port. He 90
serves ship yard and states to the proprietor
or some OF his Intelligent or enterprialnS em-
ployees, that the timber, oak ana pine, Ior
which they have paid such price, grew IN
Georgia; that 1t can be bought here for
song: that there Is not ship yard upon the
coast. Or he enters rope wsik and men
tions that there Is not one In Georgia, although
our chief seaport Is crowded with shipping.
Or suppose he enters glass manmactory,
and mentions that though all the materials
are cheaply accessible, In population ol
more than one million persons, there is not q
single similar establishment; or enter man
ufactory Of chemicals, and calls attention 10
the fact that although there are some 50, O0O,-
600 spent annually in Georgia 1or CONNER
clal fertilizers there Is not chemical manu-
factory In the State. Or suppose ne passes
rItf h
its the trades and arts In which our cities and
towns are deficit from want OF capital and
skilled labor, aud states the cost OF raw mate
rial sud the value OF the manufactured product.
Or suppose that he goes to the COT
ton mills, and exhibits in clear, business
like manner the difference 10 the cost OF man.
ufacturing cotton goods beside the cotton
fields, and 10 Europe, and the dlnerence III
the prices OF factory products-or to the iron
establishments, and pursues the same course,
adding that such is our anxiety to foster tnese
industries that capitalists introducing them
will :be exempt from taxation ior zen Years:
Or suppose he goes Into the arabic portions OF
the country, where the farmer is paying So to
sI0rent, and tells him that for the same sum
In Georgia he can buy land In fee simple tor
himself and his posterity-not the wild lands
of the West, but the open, enclosed ano win
comfortable dwellings-that though much OF
It Is worn, 1t ls 30 improvable under the
system to which he has been accustomed,
that the largest products OF an acre In corn
and wheat in, the United States have been
madein' South Carolina and Georgia. Or sup.
Dose he goes to the pastoral farmer OF tue
Continent, or the Welsh or Scotch mountains,
and tells how that far better sheep range
can be bought in Georgia for price less than
his annual rent. Suppose these varied ap-
proaches be made by wel-bred, courteous
and Intelligent agent, are they not strong In
ducements to the emigration and the selec-
tion of the South az the, home OF the emil
grant, ,,-. -,
fered by persons whose opinions are entitled
to the most'respecttul consideration.
We are referred to the recent attempt OF the
Georgia Legislature to inaugurate immlgra.
ton, and It's disastrous failure. The causes OF
that failure are evident.
The subject was brought before the Leglsla-
tnre in q bill carefully drawn up by commit
tee of the Georgia State Agricultural Society.
That bill was perfect in Its provisions and de-
tails; but was perhaps too long, and contained
some hard words; among others the word
s'lsothermal." Some OF the Legislature,
which was largely varied as to complexion,
shook their heads at 1t. am Inclined 10 think
eyents, it was thrown out, and few days af-
terward another bill was passed utterly made
uuf,te to the purpose. The State Agricultural
Society the original mover In the matter,
took the Arst opportunity to dtsclaim Gil COM
pllclty with or responsibility for immigration
as It was 10 be attempted under that OIL. But
commissioners, domestic and foreign, were
appointed. Not o document relating to the
resources Of Georgia was prepared by the do
mestic commissioner. The foreign commits
sioner went abroad Without papers for clrcI-
lation, aud returned without single imnl.
grant, The whole affair degenerated Into
farce.
The bill at present before the Legislature is
brief but comprehensive. Shonld 1t pass, 1t
will inaugurate wise system OF immigration.
with every, hope of useful results. should
be pleased to comment on It's features, but
want lof time will not permit 1t. No argu-
ment against the present efforts from The
former iailure, because that failure was fore
seen and publicly announced before the bill
went Into operation.
It Is asked, "How can we invite foreigners
TO come into the State when 30 many OF our
own people are leaving 1t !" Much depends
upon the class OF persons who are out and the
class of persons whom we invite to
come In. The exodus of our white population
from the upper counties is tearfully great
Tho emigrants are almost entirely of the ten
ant and laboring class. To those men the en-
counteriug of the rough life OF new country
is rather pleasure tban hardship. They are
born, as It were, with an axe In their hands.
The lands upon which they have been living
are worn; the third of the crop will not sup
port them, and the owner Of the soil cannot
afford TO nay them remunerative wages under
the pressDt system of farming. Having
saved g little money they prefer to buy cheap
lands In The West, and clear 1t for themselves.
They leave the old lands precisely In condi.
lion to be used TO advantage by the foreigner
of small means, who understands perfeclly
how to make pee: acre rich, although he
does not understand how to reclaim rich
acre from the woods. We would invite the
attention Of small European farmers 10 these
lands. Where the owners are unwilling to
sell, they can we'll afford to pay higher wages
than they have been In the habit OF paying, TO
lsborers who understand grass growing and
stock raising, because under this system 80
little labor, comparatively, is required. In
short, It is the pioneers, the frontiersmeR,
who are going out; 1t Is sEiltnl, Intelligent
European farmers that we wish to come IN
their place., Although the first cost OF these
lsnda would be greater than that OF Wild gov
ernment lands, the actual cost at the end OF
the year would be less, as can be made to ap-
pear BY an intelligent agent. Although por-
tion OF our people are leaving us, there Is
nething inconsistelS In inviting another and
different GLASS Of persons from aoroad to take
their places.
Reference Is sometimes made to the failures
In the recent Importation Of SwedeS. These
have been owing To several causes. The SUBJ
agents employed were Indifferent as 10 the
cRaraater Of the immigrants. The unreason-
sbleness on our part OF expecting that igno-
rant PEOPLE should be contented to receive no
wages, whatever may have been the advance
IN their hehalf. while other -laborerS were re-