Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-05-21
IMMIGRATION.


immigration. 1t seems to be a universally
admitted fact, that in order to restoration, the
Southern country must have more citizens
Of the tillable land in the cotton, sugar and
rice growing States, scarcely one-fourth is
under cultivation ; and of that portion which
is annually planted in crops, the tillage is Of
the most wretched kind 1t is vain to attempt
to cloak the fact that the farming interests OF
this country are rapidly on the decline, and
that large planters are all becoming involved.
The facts stare US in the face at every corner.
Hope is beginning to expire in many brave
hearts. The remedy for this tremendous evil
is thought to be immigration. Multitudes
are convinced that if we could only get this
country filled up with foreign laborers, the
thorn and thistle would die out, and the rose
would spring up and flourish. Whether this
is true or not, depends wholly upon the idea
which we attach to the phrase, foreign laborers.
If we mean by this expression, persons who
are to become property holders and citizens
in the higher sense of the word, then immi-
grants is the only thing that we need but if
we mean by foreign laborers, a class of indl-
viduals whom the property holder can retain
in his service, in the capacity of hirellngs,
for an indefinite number of years, the whole
theory of immigration is palpable nonsense,
and destined, ultimately, to prove detriment
rather than blessing to the country. That
man, it matters not where he halls from, not
from whatever he has sprung, who can be
content to labor in the capacity of birellng,
for an indefinite number of years, wants some
thing, without which he never can make a
good and useful citizen of fany country. There
may be some exceptions to this statement in
some of the countries of the old world, but it
is absolutely true in America. The foreigner
who comes to America, may submit to labor
in the capacity of hireling, for few years !;
but if he is any account, he will soon be citi-
zen in the sense that he has home Of his
own. A large amount of the land in the
northwestern States is to-day owned by just
such men, and some of the best citizens Of the
South are men who came to America in the
capacity of ditchers, stone masons, and the
like occupations. They lived economically,
worked hard, and in few years they we're
able to buy small tract of land and stock
it. Now, if this is what we mean by immi-
grafton, and this is the kind of immigrants
that we desire and are willing to bring into
this country, we desire good thing and are
willing to assist in doing thing that will, in
a short time, restore the country. If, howev-
er, we desire to bring into this country, class
of mortals that we can stick in mud hut
and keep them there until death removes
them, we will find out, when it is too late, that
we have done no good for neither the country
nor ourselves Our misfortune to day is, that
we have too many hirelngs and too few prop
erty holders.
We hope no one will conclude that we are,
in any sense whatever, opposed to immigra-
ton. We propose to encourage it in every
legitimate way. We are opposed to filling up
this country with class of citizens who are
willing to take position more menial and
degraded than that held by the hirelings that
are now in it.