Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-07-19
Go South, Young Man.

Go South, Young Man.
ADoUT-GooD LAND AT FOUR DOLLARS AN ACRE.
writer in the New York Sun, gives some
excellent reasons Tor migrating to the South
instead OF the West Among other things he
said
Ii the tramp can tramp over the North he
can tramp to the South. and there he will
find abundance of work with good wages.
The South to-day is the most thriving and
prosperous section of the country. Many of
our idle workingmen have laid by against q
rainy day. and now, when the rainy day is
upon them, they are spending their sub
stance for support. and idly waiting for
something TO turn up, when they should
themselves turn up IN some new region
where their little hoard would start them in
life. and soon secure them comfort and indie
pendence.
To get away requires much less sum of
money than is generally supposed. With tine
low fares the railways now offer to emigrants.
a family OF ordinary size, with its furniture
and household utensils, can be transported
to almost any part of the South or Southwest
for $50 to SO. An additional 5000 will build
a temporary cabin and buy a horse, COW
and farming implements. Then the man is
established, and has only to work to secure q
competency.
Land will not require any cash outlay.
Throughout the South and Southwest there
are millions of acres of the richest soil, al
ready broken up. and lying fallow because
the owners cannot get labor to till it, which
the settler can buy at his own price, and on
his own terms af payment. He will be vel
coined and treated like man that is, if he
attends to his own business. and does not set
himself up as doctor of theology, or a pro-
fessor of political and moral science He
may be tempted to do this. for most of the
working white men of the southern and bor-
der states were born little before the flood.
Their plough is Il wooden wedge, and their
hoe and spade. rope harness, and clumsy OK
cart. wooden-wheeled wagon. and the Cow
critter' that draws 1t, came ont with them
from the ark. But valuable breath would be
wasted in attempting to convince them that
these relics are not long sight ahead of our
new-faI gied notions and fancy fixin's. They
had better be let alone at any rate, the set
tier had better not neglect his farm work to
do missionary labor among them for the
chances are, that If they are reasonably hon
est and not oyermuch given to whiskey, they
may manage, without his help. to some day
get to region where there is neither plant
ing, sowing reaplng, nor subsoil ploughing.
Subsoil ploughing That country Will
never need it-uOt, ut least, for two eentu-
ries to come. l have seen one of these ante
diluvians shake out of his half-beaten sheaves
63 bushels of wheat to the acre. And corn
l have seen cornstalks bearing eight enor-
nous ears, and stalks stout and tall enough
for the masts OF Il fishing smack. | have IN
mind now II particular district of Northeast
ern Tennessee, but the same soil is found in
many parts of West Virginia, Kentucky,
Missouri, Northern Georgia and Florida.
Those districts need nothing but Northern
labor and Northern enterprise to make them
the garden spots of this continent And
this land, already broken up partly fenced,
and. in some instances, furnished with ordi-
nary farm buildings. can now be bought for
50 to 81 an acre. 1t cost that much To clear
it, SO that in buying it the settler would liter
ally get his fences. his buildings, and his
land tor nothing.
OF course, he will not move hastily, but
will acquire every possible information about
the chosen locality. And then, whenever he
decides 10 60 let him listen to no interested
persons report, but use his own eyes, and
not buy rod of ground until he has put his
own foot upon it, and knows exactly what he
is buying.