The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-01-29
Letter from Gel. N. B, Hillyard on Immigrs
3tr tion.

TO Hon. II. Barksdole:
You close an editorial in the last
issue of the McComb City Intclli
gencer thus: flaws should also
be passed Offering at ractive induce
ment to settlers, and especially
those who will come prepared to
purchase their own homes" This
suggestion is SO much in accordance
with my own views, and the me-
cessities of the situation with refer.
ence 10 immigration, that l beg
leave to accord it very hearty up.
prevail.
1 trust I may receive no imputa.
ton of intrusiven.ss in SO phrasing
my agreement with your views.
have no affectation about by claims
(and / hope no arrogance) in be
half of immigration. Having la
bored SO assiduously. and | trust,
infiuentially, in the direction of inn
migration, anything in its interests
may well be supposed to have my
hearty sympathy. @ z sss,-
/ AN thoroughly convinced that
tho state must utilize tho publici.
ty that has been given to her attrac
tons; and not to do SO implies eth
err Ignorance of this publicity or in.
difference to immigration. That no
one may be uninformed OF, at least,
part of tho publicity given this
state, OF rather the line of the New
Orleans, ST. Louis and Chicago rail
road, j will state that, through my
efforts directly or Indirectly, heI
merits have been canvassed in over
one thousand newspapers, us COM
pute, in the North and West, some
of them the most prominent jour
nails in the country.
Can any one fail to see that per-
sons thinking of immigraling here
are not looking anXiousiy 10 see
what the state has done, or will do,
or that these inquircrs are indiffer-
ent to. either unconccrn or hear
ty desire to accord welcome
What shall be done | offer
some Suggestions. Let the Legis-
lature pass a law, offering to any
immigration agent who shall bring
in bona fde Immigrant, eompensa-
ton. 1t the immigration agent
who shall bring such a settler be
paid, say five dollars per capita, for
each inning ant, provided said i'm
migrant shall purchase eighty acres
of land ten dollars per capita for
any one who shall purchase one
hundred and twenty acres and
twenty dollars per capita for any
one who shall purchase double the
latter amount Of land and over. In
this way tho state only pays for
what she gets. immigration agents
will be stimulated to advertise the
merits and attractions of the state,
and persons who have land to sell
will be able to have a criterion of
the best agents.
Make a provision that no one
shall be entitled to this compcnsa-
ton, unless the immigrant whom
he shall bring shall pay, at least,
one-fourth down. This will stimu-
late the agent to bring only parties
who bring money, and the vendor
will have, at least, so much money
in hand, and the immigrant, at least,
the incentive of his investment to
stay and ''pull through" his other
payments.
Let the Legislature protect itself
against imposition by requiring the
affidavit Of the clerk where the
deed is recorded, and of the ven
dor, purchaser and land-agent, or,
in case one or more refuse TO make
it, through improper motives, the
affidavit of one or more parties who
are cognizant of the sale, and are
disintercsted.
Further, to show the states in
tcrest in immigration, let the Leg
islature exempt from taxation, for
three or FIVE years, the land sold to
the bona fie settler. The personal
property they bring would in al
most any case, be double the assess
ment upon the real estate purchas-
cd, in most cases more ; so that the
state would net lose, but gain. In
answer to this, it must not be as
sumcd that the parties will buy
anyh0,0 and that the exemption is
so much given. That view Is both
illiberal and fallacious Gin many
cases). 1t must be considered that
while there is Il great revolution in
public opinion about the South I;
that while many desire the benefits
of her climate. and resources; that
they are carefully canvassing the
inducements of each state; and that
welcome, signaIized aud cmpha-
sized by the unmis;akable voice of
the state, is far more authoritative
than the eulogies of her best inform
ed panegyrists, be they ever so eio-
quent or announced through the
most prominent journals.
Hoping the Legislature may sol
emnize as it were, The desire they
II