The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-26
IMMIGRATION.

month a similar meeting, attended by dele
gates from nearly all the northern parishes
of the State, was held in Shreveport. At that
meeting an immigration association was
formM, and plan arranged for branch or
CARNATIONS in all the surrounding parishes
The people Of every section of the State, it Is
to be hoped, will take up this movement and
give 1t an impetus which will turn the tide Of
white emigration in this direction.
The meeting Wednesday evening evinced
an earnestness Of purpose which promises
we'll and the gentlemen who had the manage
ment of it are perhaps among the
very best in the community to push
the cause in which they have embarked
The convention which they have called
to meet here on the Sd of January
next, will, we have no doubt be attended by
delegates from all the parishes and 1t is de-
sirable that the country people select as dele.
gates their most practical and energetic men
No one acquainted with the wonderful agri.
cultural resources of Louisiana can doubt
the practicability Of inducing thousands
OF white people to locate In our midst
The only question is, what are the
proper measures to be adopted to present
the facts to the intelligence of the class of i'm.
migrants we want2 Our lands are of bound.
less fertility, producing cotton, sugar, corn,
rice, tobacco, oranges, and nearly all descrip-
tions OF root crops In the greatest abundance,
while there are no finer fruit-growing regions
anywhere than our hill parishes.
Our climate Is mild and healthful; and con-
trary to the received opinion abroad, white
men can work under it as well as they can
under that OF New Hampshire. There are now
upward of a hundred thousand white people
working in cotton, cane and rice fields In
Lou isiana, and they are better workers and
make larger crops than the INDECENT and
shiftless negroes. Indeed, we do not hesitate
to say, that an able-bodied Industrious white
man can make on average Louisiana land,
twice as much with his own labor in one year
as he can make in any Northern or West
ern State. And millions of acres of these
heaven-blest lands are lying fallow, wasting
for the want of the energy, the Drawn and
muscle of the white man to evoke their latent
wealth. Any such man as we have described,
with thirty-five or forty acres of Louisiana
land would, in five years, find himself In pos
oOoSloh VI u Dtduthul Ill uilu LII SoIuloi EbolC
The country is as well
adapted to stock raising as it is to agriculture.
Cattle, and hogs, and sheep can be reared in
multitudes at literally no expense. Our pas
lures are really perennial and of the richest
description. All that is required to raise cat
tie, hogs and sheep is to give them proper at
tention and protect them from thieves.
There is not man living in the country
parishes Of the State who will not recognize
The truth of all that we say. But the question,
we repeat, is, how are these facts to be made
Known abroad? For years the world has only
heard of Louisiana as region harassed by
Dad government, plundered by political
,hieves, impoverished by over-taxation and
threatened with civil strife; and the working |
nan has turned with horror from the thought |
# emigrating to land thus disordered and |
lespoiled. Fortunately this is now changed.
'eace reigns throughout our borders; the |
avs are justly and vigorously admins
cred, civil strife has smoothed Its wrinkled |
ront, and we have little now to do besides
uilding up the material interests of the
tate.
One of the most effective agents for pre-
enting the great advantages Of our State to
Is our State press, and especially
ur country papers. We have quite num-
or Of these, conducted with vigor and ability,
4 the finest regions Of the State and which
have exceptional opportunities
Or conducting this great and patriotic work.
he press of Texas has done an immense
7ork for that commonwealth in this respect,
boo tha Ere,4 nd ~
usfness Of every paper there to write up the
the beauty, the healthful-
less of that State; its lands, it's staples it's
took, its people and it's history The popu-
alton Of Texas has increased amazingly with
n the past few years, and she owes more for
his to the interchangeable spirit Of her press
han to anything else. A similar work is
eady for the country press Of Louisiana, and
) Is cheering to see number Of the best pa
ers in the State taking hold of it.
more systematic plan of operations
7ould be the organization of land and i'm
Migration associations in several portions of
he State, such as that organizing at Shreve-
ort, and suggested, we believe, by the
,aders of the movement here. Where these
ssociations are formed, persons having lands
D dispose OF should furnish them with clear
laps or charts Of the land, showing water
curses, hill and bottom lands, accompanied
nth clear and full descriptions of the prop
rty; the staples it is best adapted to grow;
he average yield per acre; proximity and
QUITE to market; school and church facilities
haracter and extent of improvements, and
II other points of interest to the working
ian and his family together with price and
erms. These descriptive charts, in the Office
f the association here, or in the hands of it's
gents in New York, in the West, or in
,urope would be more satisfactory to the
migrant looking for home than the finest
nd most eloquent general descriptions of the
tate. By their aid he could select his new
efore he left his old home and feel sure of not
eing imposed on.
OF course these are crude suggestions and
My thrown out to provoke a discussion of