The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-07-02

learning, and especially in the progressive
sciences.
The efficiency and energizing power OF
tfese voluntary agencies have been applied
very generally in the United States to the
industries, a. a method Of teaching how to
get the most and the best out of tbs pTinci-
pal pursuits, especially in agriculture in it,
4 largest sense and with amazing success. We
have exhausted language in extolling the
capacities Of our soils, and they are very
great indeed, and Vet we have but one indus
I try-0ne branch Of agriculture conspicuous
That a country viii lag in the race. which
has but a few pursuits Is as true that it.
progress i shown by their greater mum Der;
and that a people lag, and deteTiorate, Is a.
{ true a. that the highest civilization l. found
in those countries in which there i the
fullest complement Of pursuits. At the
/ great fair al Philadelphia, it was observable
that Canada aud all colonial England, Bra
I zl aud the new States Of the West were ad-
vertising for immigrants and this was done
I bv the exhibition of the variety of prOduc-
I ton, and especially food products. People
who seek Il country will Shun these in which
/ the range Of products and pursuits have
SCHuJ liberty OF choice. ms l. a law. You
may justly complain OF faults Of govern
meut. and vices of population a temporary
hindrauceS t0 immi grafton, but IN the end
and over al, and through all the capacity
Of q country 10 give this liberty Of choice
and q afford the assured basi. Of living in
the production of food will decide its fate
( People listen to our oft-repeated assertions,
but they look for the evidence and that eyi-
dauce j. not here ur-picuous by any means
"Why have YOU not developed these resources
in sixty years of your life? If it be good
for u. il is good for YOU" Apply your society
work at this point.
Again: this one branch Of agriculture,
which we have allowed ourselves 10 drop
down upon requires more human labor,
that is a greater number of labOrers, than
any other branch of agriculture or husband
~ and the Weld is less in proportion to the
laborers employed. than in any other, and
from an experience Of fourteen years
under existing conditions less than in
ANY -other industry. Unsupported 10y
any vigorous auxiIiaries, il has lost
its independence, and rural lie, that
beautiful variety Of life, that flower Of the
fields. has withered and died. Moreover
the class Of laborers chiefly employed in cot
tom culture, are not the poorer, or as it is
called the lower class Of society as composed
elsewhere, where the upper and lower class
e. of the same race are interlaced by that
constant ascending and descending which
goes on, and keeps up a close connection and
sympathy between the upper and lower class.
That great body of negro laborers we have
here, is detached and separated from the
upper class by a line at once indellible and
impossible.
1t is great mistake to suppose that this
want Of connection and sympathy Is com
peusated by stronger local attachment.
Ignorance and fcebleness of character has
brought on that peculiar timidity which
shrinks from change, but the desire of
change Is strong and easily aroused, and
when aroused, as we we have lately seen, it
runs into an ungovernable and unreasoning
stampede
This great interest is, therefore, subject
to labor famine, or what Is as bad, the con-
slant apprehension of the disaster. There
Is one perfectly feasible remedy and that is
to bring out the energies of the people in
the development of those industries and
branches of agriculture which do not re-
quire 50 many laborers and which will
attract different class of laborers-eheep
husbandrv. fruit culture, stock raising, the
production of grain and forage the dairy
and | might swell the list. \ majority of
these industries are elsewhere presided over
by societies. These societies are teachers.
They employ themselves in collecting and
digesting all the facts, the observations and
the experiments bearing on the industry
they seek to promote. The soils, the man
agement, the diseases and their remedies, |
economic methods, the markets and trans
portation, and these they spread before the
country in carefully prepared reports. The
industry is dignified; the members feel that
they are connected with public progress
they encourage each other, and the enter
prise goes forward to great growth and pros
perity. Mississippi, as presented to the
world. and good deal through our agency, |
is a swamp. intersected by baleful lagoons, !
with here and there a huge cotton farm cul-
tiyated by negroes. The fact is, that five
sixths of its area is hill and dale, inter
III l ]
10y flowing streams. | do not propose that
we should abandon cotton culture, but give
it a healthier existence by limiting il to
economic bounds, and carrying forward by
the side of it the needed auxiliaries.
| find myself so near a grave NATTER the
question paramount with Us, that | viii eX-
press myself upon it to these young gentle
men. \ policy which looks To the lessening
of our dependence on the negro population,
and of its influence on our affairs Is, in my
opinion, the true policy for many weighty
considerations. Owing to inherent intirm-
titles that population can only attain to in
dependent life, if ut all by a very slow
process, and when that shall be attained, Its
want of thrift and energy will render it
incapable of advancing the material inter
ests of a country where they form 50 large
an element as they do here. Added to these
hindrances is a position in the politics of
restless expectation and discomfort. Their
one conception of a mission, and that was
twin born with their freedom, is to obey |
blindiy people ard parties outside of our
borders. and am forced to believe that these
influences are becoming more and more I'M
friendly to Us. Thus constituted, thus ami |
mated and thus swayed, and strong in
numbers, this population Is standing men
ace TO the supremacy of those who should |
r.l constantly ipo on
issue dangerous to the peace of the coun-
try. And even without this constantly re- |
curing source of danger, they offer that
temptation TO the worst elements in a pop
ular government, which will gradually |
undermine and finally destroy all political |
virtue. Again: This incessant and danger
Gus turmoil and the hopelessness of found |
ing on the negro any solid prosperity, will |
drive the enterprising white people to seek |
elsewhere exemption from these evils. 1t is !
with no satisfaction that | contemplate the |
possibility that what you are to build up |
here shall take the impress of that people |
and pray that by the peaceful operation |
Of those laws and causes which move popu- |
lations to seek to better their condition, |
that you may, by degrees, be finally d" deliv- |
cred from the body of this death" and at all |
events, that their numbers will be SO far |
reduced that they will no longer attract the |
attention of men and parties.
They are not responsible for the condition
which surround Us, and there can be no
justification for measures of repression of |
the desire to disperse themselves in the /
west or elsewhere, and no justification for |
Fastening such movements. The remedy is /
to learn to dispense with them by adding |
to our industries, and thus bringing them
under the influence of that ebb and flow
which wages and efficiency and demand
create in the same class everywhere. | can
not too strongly impress upon you the eau
ton not TO allow yourselves to fall into that
hypochrondriachal condition in which you
shall conceive nothing and do nothing ex-
cept in connection with the African. Be
Just to the negro That is the manly part;
but rely on yourselves.