The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-07-24
IMMIGRATION SOCIETIES.
Capital Letter from Rev. Whit
field Harrington. Of Madison.
From the Canton Mail.

From the Canton Mail
COL JOHN HANDY. Canton. Miss.
I see yon have placed my name on the
list of speakers, with others, to address the
citizens of Madison in behalf of the Immi-
grafton Society. l heartily concur with the
object of your sOciety-as [ suppose every
man of any public spirit and intelligen
does. Its Importance lies in an fmperious
necessity, aud to dwell upon this point
would be as useless as to attempt to per-
| snade man. furnishing with hunger, that
| he needs bread The question which would
most concern him, would be the means of
his supply, or the mode of obtaiping it
Now, l have noticed the proceedings OF
one or two of your meetings. | have read
! with interest the letters from the honora-
| bic gentlemen, who have discussed the re-
| sources of Madison County. but yet, I
have seen no feasible. tangible plan given
! Dy which this imperlous necessity Is TO be
met. You have passed resolutions to solicit
membership to your society. but may i be
permitted to ask that significance is To be
attached to his order? What privileges are
to accrue to the members; and of what adj
vantage is his name to be to the society
Ii your society is paper society, why. sir
paper is about the cheapest commodity on
the market. If, upon the contrary, you
mean business, and tell us what the order
Is. so that when we speakers go before the
hungry multitude-instead of discoursing
in elegant terms on the valuable properties
OF bread-we may invite them TO some def
mite plan of obtaining this staff of life.
stand ready, as every other good citizen |
does, to labor for the prosperity OF my |
country, but then sir, | want my labor to |
an end. do not know your plans, further |
than you propose TO publish in pamphlet |
the resources of the county, and send them I
abroad This, sir, is well enough as far as /
1t goes, but then 1t does not go far enough.
If the people of Madison in or out of So
cieties mean TO put the resources of the
county into foreign favor, there must be
something more than the flourish of trum-
pets and paper notoriety. There is no end
to the natural resources of millions upon
millions of acres, that spread their wide
domains in every part of this great country
and spread them still wider upon paper
to the gaze of the unsettled and homeless
tribes. If you intend to pOise a lance in
this tournament, yours must be of substan-
tial metal, or it will be broken. You can
not compete with the West by sounding
a horn, you can only compete with her by
some plan that offers to the Immigrant
substantial Misunderstanding upon
which he can rely, and which will invite
him to a safe investment of smaller money
capital and his larger life capital. To do
this best, your society ought, think, to be
a corporate body-with power 10 sue and
be sued; so that an Immigrant would know
that what you propose TO do fer him, you
to him in your very corporation,
by the strong arm OF the law. The capital
of your society should not be the vague and
indefinite promise of man-who intends
to fulfill it, provided he can not farm his
land to freedmen, But when man becomes
4 member of your society, let him come up ,
and say to yonr directory: " Here gentle
men have so many acres of land. l wish ,
10 place one thousand at your dispOsal-tO
De leased or sold to immigrants for term
IF years you proposr. | wish to give a
bond for the faithful performance of my
and grant. :" Let the society first publish {
20 the land-holders the terms upon which
hey propose to take and lease the land,
md be sure that those terms for one or two S
years, at least, shall be decidedly in the !
IN migrants favor. Let the immigrant
understand his advantages, and none the
ess clearly understand the obligation these {
advantages impose on him. Let there be
mutual understanding and mutual obiga- q
ions, and the society stand as trustee TO the
parties in obligation.
Now, sir, something like this, with all
he details more specific and better consd-
red would give your enterprise sgniti-
ance and meaning. The age we live in is |
IN earnest age, and if we would command 4
Is attention we must respect its tone and [
emper, and offer its earnestness unequafled
l have but little land, but
IN willing to let immigrants-bona tide
who come to live here, be one !
If us, have two-thrds of that land for one q
II two years. without any pecuniary con- h
liberation. judge my neiShbors by my a
elf in this matter, and suppose that the p
'reater part of the land in the county could :
e had on the same terms, if not better.
indeed, know one gentleman who has said :
e will give to each family that will come, =
very alternate forty acres of land he owns, :
nd he owns about four thousand acres. =
Vow, let us, if mean TO serve the -
ounty, go to work. and work in way that r.
means something. Come before the people !,
With plan. The arguments are not want n
q in an enterprise of this kind, that will n
all to command their interest. L believe -
he public mind is prepared for significant !;
only awaits your leadership.
lave the boldness to presume upon the
arrest patriotism of your fellow-citiZens, ,
nd they will meet the terms of your liber- -
lily in behalf of the immigrant, and the
immigrants will come, and ''your places
7ill be glad for them; your deserts shall ,
lesson as the rose;" the clods of your val D
eys will turn to verdure, and your meadows
hall be spotted with gold.
Yours Respectfully. h
w HARRINGTON