Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-03-13
For the Advertiser.
Foreign immigration.

ton, delivered by the Rev. G. W.
Howard, before the late Agricultural
Convention in Augusta, will you al
low me to call the attention of your
readers to a few points in his remarks
on the advantages likely to accrue to
the South from legislative. encourage
ment of foreign immigration.
After remarking that he is willing
to rest his whole argument in favor
of immigration on contrast between
the two States of Illinois and Geor-
gia, he proceeds to make a formidable
array of hgures to prove-whatf
That the more rapid advance of Hi
nois in wealth and population is the
result of foreign immigration? Not
the first figure is presented TO sustain
this assumption, which is the gist Of
the whole speech. IF foreign immi-
grafton has built up Illinois, then,
perhaps, it will be well for Georgia
and other Southern States to pay
agents of immigration enough of the
public money to "food Europe with
documents offering inducements, in
every European language, to emf
grants" to meet the emigrant at
every town." to "escort him to the
ships" to " furnish him with through
tickets to his destination" in the
South; to meet him as he lands on
our shores and "place him in the car
that is to transport him to his new
home, by all Of which means, sin
volvipg great labor and large ex-
penditure Of money from the public
and private purse, Mr.. Howard says
illinois has been peopled with such
wondrous rapidity, her lands raised
to their present value" &c.
But there are those who think they
have good reason to believe that the
growth and prosperity Of Illinois are
the result of other causes than foreign
immigration, and who think that Mr..
Howard should have offered evidence
of the correctness of his assumption
that foreign labor and capital has
built up the State Of Illinois.
The statistics whence Mr.. H. OBJ.
tanned the figures showing the rela-
tive progress and condition of Geor-
gia and Illinois, show also that, in
1870:
The total population Of Illi-
Of which are set down as for
eigners, SIS, l9S
Leaving as natives Of that and
other States 2,O24,6 1898
Hence, on Mr.. Howard's assump-
ton, the further assumption appears
unavoidable. viz: that one foreigner
is not only equal to t1Vo or ten ma
tives, but that he is a fraction better
than twenty-five home born citizens!
With this view of the matter, no
wonder that Mr.. Howard closes his
address with the following paragraph
ITO seek and obtain this foreign
aid should now become the paramount
interest Of the South. Without it
she must sink into hopeless vassalage.
With it, she may attain prosperity
80 elevated as to cast into the shade
all Western progress, and render her
the wonder Of mankind"
But placed in connection with some
Of the orators previous admissions,
this we'll rounded period does not
appear quite as harmonious Inspeak-
ing Of the cotton-growing portion ot
the State, Mr.. Howard says:
Foreign farm laborers will not
work for the wages which the cotton
planter, according TO present system,
can afor.l to pay, when he 1.-THE for
eign laborer knows what wages b.
can get in the Northwest fle viii
not live in ordinary negro houses, nor
will h. submit to plantation l'.r'
Every a;ismpt to substitute tb" fol
eign Iaborer lor the negro on Il cot
ton plantation has been and will cop-
tinue to be failure.
Again, in alluding to 1.-THE exodus
of our white population from the ur-
per counties" Of Georgia, where un-
derstand Mr.. Howard himself resides,
and after admitting that the emigra-
ton of that CLASS is fearfully great,
he remarks:
"These elnigrants are almost en-.
tirely Of the tenant and laboring class.
x = The lands upon which they
have been living are worn; the third
of the crop will not support them,
and the owner of the soil cannot al
ford to pay them remunerative wages
under the present system of farming"
But should do Mr.. Howard in
justice not to admit that be avoids
these apparent contradictions by say
ing: We do not desire or design to
import ordinary farm laborers. 1--WE
would invite the attention Of small
European farmers to these lands.
" Although portion of our people
are leaving us, there is nothing incon-
sistent in inviting another and diff
ferent (superior?) class of persons
from abroad to take their places"
But Mr.. Howard should remember
that at the outset he proposed to rest
bis whole argument in favor of i'm