American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-01-03

MIR. EDITOR 1T seems there
( are many ri oar people who are
/ Sti!i driu'liug themselves with the
! idea that the tuly hope of our coun
/ ny Is in bringing into our midst
| people oi Other c.tnlcs. That with
/ lie intruduc'lGu of the foreigner
/ the wealth OF all HNtions will flow in
upoh us with an unceasing stream.
That by the tread of the European
our exhausted soil will at once, as if
by the wand of the magician, he
converted into fertile fields. 1t
seems fun Their that the incoming leg
islature is to be earnestly invoked
for q still further waste of the pub
lie money upon schemes of "immi>
grafton"
Iflessons of experience are ever
worth anything, we certainly have
had enough of them in this business
not to need any more. For fifteen
years we have been pursuing the
same phantom. People from every
quarter of tho globe have been
brought in or came of themselves,
but their superior wisdom and
skill failed to produce those wou>
derful results that we always prOm-
Used. The State, communities, and
farmers in their individual capaci-
ty, have been lavish of means in in-
Producing into our fields men CT for
eign birth, but in every instance
til csc people were found to be I'M
suited to the situations which
awaited them, not unsuited to the
wants of our farmers. Men OF
wealth and established business
principles from abroad, and u few,
listening to the siren voice of pubs
lie letter writer's and speakers. have
come and emba, ked their means
and energies in Southern farming,
but they prospered no better than
men $50 the manor born" They too
found that poor soil can raise but
poor crops, and that the more tx
pensive the operations, the moro
certain and more disastrous the
failure.
1t is time, Mr.. Editor, that we
we're opening our eyes TO the real
difficulties OF our situatiOn-tllat We
understood our real wants. If our
own men, with their inherited skill
and years of training III our own Pc
cullar farming, cannot succeed, what
can we expect of those to whom
everything is newt If those who
have grown up in our midst, and
who are bound to MS by ties of
friendship and those stronger ties
of kindred. or continually leaving lis
IN search of more productive lands,
how eau we hope to retain thosa
who come among us strangers and
who are pressed ever onward by
that resistless spirit of change that
belongs to every one who once breaks
away frOIC the home of his youth
Give us the virgin soils of the West
and we will need 10 immigration
bureaus at home, no soliciting
agents or flaming circulars abroad,
to divert into our State the stream
OF emigrants that is continually
passing her borders in its course
toward the setting sun, 1t is sui
eide in us, by highly cOlored des-
cliptiOns and stirring appeals to de-
coy into our midst the unSuspecting
stranger. The influence of his dis>
appointment is felt in an ever wid>
ening circle, making our situation
appear worse than it really is, aud
delaying the day when we can hope
that capital and labor from the out
side world will help us in building
up our waste places. Let us spend
our energies and spare means in inr
cteasing the fertility of the soil.
This is the wO'k to which we should
address ourselves, and which is to
be the corner stone of our future
prosperity.
Let our lawmakers as far as pos
sible tighten the burdens that rest
upon the farmer, aud by all means
not burden him with Increased taxes
by making appropriations for things
that are unnecessary, if not posts
lively injurious. More labor is not
at present our great want. If so,
why is it that we have is so poorly |
paid l? 1t is better suited to our
wants than any other to be found |
under the sun. The truth is, the
greater part of it is wasted OIL ex-
hausted lands, and there is no re
tuIn for either the labor or capital
invested. We of course do not in.
clude here the alIuvial lands of our
river bottoms. The evils that bear
upon these are altogether different.
We have not the tune, nor is it to
The purpose here, to discuss them,
but VIC believe that they cannot be
overcome by any scheme of immi-
least the whole State
should not lie burdened with its
nypauSP YEA