St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1879-07-26

at the head of this movement to ex-
pend their sympathy on these for
eign paupers, while the North is
full of unemployed white labor. and
we of the Southwest, or Middle
West, fail to understand why the
people of the Northeast urge OH this
exodus. We cannot understand
why a farmer of Maine OF Massa-
chusetts, living on cold, barren
lands, who, as his children grew
into strength and manhood, saw
them one by one go West to earn II
home, should now, while his young
est or oldest boy has just left him,
and he has babe him godspeed and
good fortune, SWIVEL over the condi-
ton of the late slaves, and urge that
the labor of the cotton-growiug
Suites. where it is needed, be trans
ported to the food-producing West.
where it is not needed, and there
enter into competition with his sons.
We cannot understand why he
should let false sentiinentality so
far change the duties OF father to
II child as to urge us II political he
cessity that the children he besot
shall be forced into competition
for sheer existence with the most
ignorant, worthless labor known to
man. No one who has looked at
the subject of cheap labor has a
osund argument To offer in its favor
Cheap labor is ii curse tn any md
al lands. 1t inevitably results in
cheap men and cheap women.
The actual loss i'll money to be
incurred by the food-producing
States. if this movement is success
FIJI. is enormous. The plan as now
talked of is to take 10000 field
hands out of the cotton region and
put them in the foud-producing re-
gion. This 100000 field hands rep
resent 100000 people. So the lat
ter number of stomachs will leave
the South. One hand and mule
ctn tend eight acies, I'll good cotton
land. Assume that Il family of live
persons eat one bushel of corn meal
and ten pounds of bacon per week.
and that tue mule. while ploughing,
cultlvating and marketing the cot
ton, eats fifteen bushels of corn.
Let each acre of cotton land pro-
duce bale of 500 pounds OF cotton.
Five hundred Thousand people
eat per 100000 bushels OF meal
and 52,OJO,0UJ pounds of bacon;
100, 900 mules eat per year ,5UU, 900
bushels of corn.
The large proportion of this food
is drawn FROM Illinois, DINO, Mis-
sour, Kentucky and kans;.s. The
South is the best market we have
1t is deliberately proposed, by the
promoters of this exodus, to crp-
pie the consuming capacity of TINS
market by 6,7UO,uUO bushels OF
corn aud $4,000 hogs per year, and
to set the people taken from There
to raising .brcaistutis and meat =
to change them irom Consumers to |
The 10U,0U0 hands In
The cotton fields now produce oUU,-
900 bales oI cotton, worth To-day
S52. Ouu, 900. The loss OF the South I.
elm market Will almost rum tue !
great food-produclnS States. The /
distress among the small farmers /
who raise corn for market Will be- /
very great. They viii, under the I
low prices that will then rule for
bre;tdstutfs, be unable to pay the IN
terest on their mortgages. These (
Will be foreclused. LII such Il blow .
was struck ut the manufacturing in :
terests of tile East by the West, the F
East would revolt. But when tile /
section of our land
urges ON movement tu;it Is almost .
certain 10 result III our destruction,
We are abused If We protest even.
Ii We Insisted on and passed a free
4 Il a.