The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-03-18

| the farmers Of this State wish to be
masters OF their own business they must
unite with each other for that purpose
IL they would be independent, prosper
GUS and happy, let them develop q sys-
tenn OF intelligent, practical, reciprocal
| cooperation. The aim Of every farmer
should be to effect o thorough organiza-
ton In every parish.
The necessity OF such organization 10
apparent on every hand. This la pro-
porous must keep pace with the spirit
Of progress and Improvement. The
time has come when TO make agricul.
ture profitable, farmers must infuse a
high degree Of intelligence into their
business transactions -- both agrieul-
tural aud commercial - systematize
their labor, and learn to increase the
productive capacity OF the soil, with the
view OF securing q fair return for capital
invested and labor expended, thereby
enabling them to adopt those rules and
regulations Of business-life which yield
such satisfactory results In commercial
and manufacturing pursuits.
The Grange is admirably adapted for
these purposes, and 1t was hoped that
the movement In this State would ac-
complish these desirable ends, but
hitherto 1t has utterly failed except in
two or three parishes. There must DO
SONS reason or reasons for this failure !:
and this brings us to the questions,
which we propose to PROFOUND to our
practical farmers and planters:
/. Why has not such cooperation
been effected heretofore2
2. Are there any good and sufficient
reasons why such d system Of CO. opera.
ton 40 Ia here foreshadowed can not be
developed and made effective among
the tilers Of the soil ?
3, IT there are such reasons, what are
they2
Answers are solicited TO all these Que
ries, with the hope that the subject will
receive the consideration which It's inn
portance seems to demand.
The following communication, from
one OF tho ablest writer's on domestic
economy in our State, we commend to
the earnest consideration Of our people
Labor -- Lands - Legislation -- rnmigrs-
zion.
The labor and the lands OF Louisiana
should attract the special attention Of
our people and Of our Legislature at
the present time.
The old oolored field hands. who have
been almost the sole dependence % tho
planter since the war. are fast passing
away. In less than ten years their
mum Der will be small.
We have often repeated, and every
b ody admits that the eolored laborers
OF the State, under twenty and In most
instances under twenty-five years Of
age, both male and female, have but q
poor knowledge OF field or housework,
are fndolent, ana are not disposed to
become useful In any capacity. And
we learn that the young colored labor
ers Of all the other Southern States,
those who have grown up since the war,
are much like those Of Louisiana.
Sugar planters, in healthy localities,
could obtain thousands OF good white
laborers In the Western and Northern
States TO work their plantations on the
share system, or to make cane to sell to
planters by the ton, IL they would take
as much pains to get them as they have
taken to bring colored labor from Vir-
ginia and the Carolinas since the war
and would spend Us much money In
paying the expenses OF bringing white
laborers to the State as they have spent
on colored immigrants.
White share hands would most of them
n time become Louisiana farmers, and
would cultivate their own farms. Col
1ASo laDottto SSidblt ShNO htouSy w Duy
farms, and are not much inclined to rise
above the condition OF field hands,
by the month.
II our Legislature and our landhold.
ers and planters make no forward move
ment to bring white laborers to the
State, and to encourage manufacturing,
the sugar planter or Louisiana, not
many years hence, will have but little
labor to lean upon and eighteen mil
lion acres Of tillable lands will lie idle
with but a nominal market value, yield
Ing no revenue except that from taxes
by the State. In their present condi-
ton they have but little more value than
80 much sea marsh or salt water surface.
Will the Legislature OF this State, the
planters and other intelli-
gent citizens, please consider these
facts ? Do we correctly state the case
Are our conclusions natural and fair ?
Is there any remedy for the evils we
have pointed out, but to encourage
farmers and white share hands, in thou
sands and tens Of thousands, to come to
Louisiana and settle here?
There IL no way In which our Legisla-
ture can appropriate money more to the
benefit OF the taxpayer and the State
Than In the interest or immigration.
The sugar planter will be ultimately
ruined IL he leans solely upon the young
black labor which succeeds the trained
and disciplined forced labor Of former
times. DANIEL BENNETT.
City Hotel, New Orleans, March II, 1877.
I'D
Tho A IN rux SocchorH