The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-27
Immigration for the South.

1t IS Well recognized rule IN JOurHal-
ism, that newspaper is not responsible
| for the opinions of correspondents, unless
| it gives them editorial endorsement. The
Chronicle is an independent Democratic
journal, and gives both sides of every
question that comes up for discussion.
Contributors are always allowed wide
latitude, and are permitted to express
their views, whether they agree with its
own ideas or not. But the Chronicle
would fail in its duty as a public jour
nal if it did not emphaticahy express its
dissent from some of the propositions ad-
yanced in letter from Charleston, that
appears elsewhere this morning. The
letter is review of the one from Gen.
Sherman on Northern immigration,
which was recently given to the public.
Our Charleston correspondent asserts in
substance that wholesale immigration is
not desired by the South because the
country would "pass into the hands of
strangers :" because its manners and Gus
toms would be changed, aud because
large numbers of Southern people "who
cannot now obtain employment" would
be driven away by the strangers"
Our correspondent expresses the opinion
of an infnitesimal portion ofthe Southern
people. Immigration, wholesale immigra-
ton is desirablea and is most earnestly de-
sired. The hills and the valleys of Georgia
and South Carolina can support in comfort
millions of additional population. If
foreigners, or Northerners, will come
among US and buy homes and improve
the soil aud develop the country, let
them come and welcome, and let these
two States "pass into the hands of stran-
gers" as Texas and Kansas are doing.
Our correspondent complains that "the
thrifty and economical foreigner will, in
nine cases. out of ten, commence with s
low salary or small capital and in the
course offs few years build up lucrative
business, while the average native South
erner, with limited means, will find him
self at the end of each year scarcely able
to make two ends meet" 1t is just such
people as he describes that the South
needs. They will not only increase our
population and add to our wealth, but
they will teach the Southerner how to
be thrifty and economical, how to build
up lucrative business on small foun-
dation, and how to make "two ends
meet" So far as Southern manners and
customs are concerned, it would be q
good thing if they did give way, in great
measure, to those of the stranger" !"
There are number of Southern GUS
toms that could be dispensed with to
great advantage. The South of to-day
the new South-is vastly different in q
material point of view from the South of
twenty years ago, and the sooner the
the people put the past resolutely behind
them the better. This is "a practical age
A people cannot live on what has been.
They must adapt themselves to their
surroundings and cease vain repinings
for that which has gone never to return.
There is "room to-day for the hundreds
and thousands of our young men" whom
our correspondent says are out of en-
ployment. There is no reason why any
man in the South who is able and willing
to labor should be idle. There is no rea-
son why any man able and willing to
labor should not support himself. 1t is
true that employment cannot be readily
obtained in the towns and cities. 1t is
true that there is q superabundance of
lawyers and doctors. 1t is true that the
merchants cannot find places for all the
young men who wish to be clerks. 1t is
true there are not official positions
enough for ell the young men who wish
to live upon the public. But for all those
who are willing to quit the cities and so
out into the country, who are willing to
put their hands to the plough and the
hoe, there is employment and liveli-
hood. There is no work on the street
corners, but there is plenty to do in the
field and in the forest. The great need
of the South is immigration-immigra-
ton that will settle unoccupied lands,
that will develop great natural resources,
that will build up and enrich the coun,
try, and that will stimulate our people To
put forth all their energies in the battle
Of life.-NronicLc and Constit1tionaliat.
1