The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-10
a PEOPLE WITHOUT A HOME.
The Mennonite Emigrants from Russia
Tho Efforts OF M,uor Alexander Mel.
chers to Bring Them to this stato-Vho
tho Mennonites Are.
Caarle,.on Ne,rs and Courier.

chers to Bring Them to this stato-Vho
tho Mennonites Are.
CH0rlei.on Ncrs and Courier.
For IL number of years Major Alex.
ander Melchers, of this city, has devoted
| great deal Of attention To the subject OF
foreign Immigration. aud has doue much
to encourage the influx Of new people
Into South Carolina. He is now eildeay.
"rlng to secure u favorable situation upun
which 70 luchte % colony OF Russian
MennoniteS, and is in correspondence
with persons in different sections of the
State in regard TO the scheme.
During the past six years, largely
through his representations and by his
persistent Efforts, three thousand immi.
grants have been Induced 10 come To this
state, ard have been provided with com.
!ortahle homes. Ho has faithful ally
IN the Kew. Dir. Neunann, II missionary
among the Immigrants ut Castle Garden,
New York, who is anxious To secure good.
cheap homes for the strangers who are
committed ~ hia care and whose location
lie cun do much 10 determine,
During the month of December. in
company with Mnjor Melchers, he made
partial tour OF the State, visiting the
Counties Of Abbeville, Anderson. Green.
vile, Oconce and Sparlauburg. Their
object WAS 10 LOOK out q body of land
containing from five to ten thousand
acres, which could he secured ut II non,i.
'iai price or altogether free of costs to
-uch colonists as would locate upon il,
@ho, becoming permanent settlers, form
The nucleus iur larger colony. They
'ound In Oconee County plenty Of cheap
'and, but with defective titles. In other
counties they found many large tracts of
land, but with no disposition or apparent
i,s're ON the part Of the owners to dis
puse OF 1t upon such terms as would he
within the reach of those Wishing TO
"ecure humes. The sale at q low price or
The gift OF II few thousand acres OF land
would, in their Judgment, SO enhance The
value OF surrounding real estate that it
Gould be sold ut paying figures.
Mayor alelchers was assured by q gen.
tlennan in WaIhallu that he would uring
ne matter before the people of Ocunee
County and eudearnr to secure their co
operation i'll placing o large tract OF
mountain land ut the disposition of the
MennoniteY as an inducement for them
10 make their home in that section of the
State. MIR. Macusker thinks there are n
number Of gentlemen in Georgetown
County who will give from five hundred
10 IL thousand acres as a nucleus for the
settlement Of the immigrants in that
county, and, after consultation with
Major Melchers, went to Columbia on
Monday night to suggest 10 the State
Bonfd of Agriculture the wisdom aud
practicability ofgiving the forfeited lands
;n Georgetown County TO the immigrants
ipnn easy terms. These lands amounL u,
from thirty.iive 10 thirty. seven thousand
acres. IT satisfactory arrangements can.
not DE made with the landhOlders in this
Slate the Mennonite immigrants will 90
u other States, and will probably settle
IN considerable numbers in North Cs.o.
lima and Tennessee,
The Mennonite immigrants began com.
ing to this country about six years ugo
and went to the Northwest, many of them
locating i'll Minnesota and Kansas. At
the time Of their coming Major Melchers
made an effort To secure their settlement
IN this State. No cheap lands could be
secured here. The railroads offered free
transportation from Chicago to the West,
and the chances were ail against us. But
the railroads do not now furnish free
transportation, property has become more
valuable in the West, and the induce.
mentS for immigrants to come South are
favorable.
The Russian Mennonites are e. sturdy
agricultural people, and are noted for
their industry and modest worth. They
come from an ancestry who sounded all
the depths of political and religious per.
-ecution, and originally came frnm Swr,z.
eriand and South Germany, whence they
enigrated to Southern ..t,lssiu, settling
first in the Dnieper and later near the sea
uf Azov. They acquired considerable
property, and in 1870 formed popula
&c: c: aa:.: .fa''::y ;:hvI5aui. by special
DEGREES o! The E:affee::o:: ::aacyy ::aacyy TTefe ez.
em!ptcd from military duty. In 1871
This privilege was abolished, and no
alternative was LETT them except cunscrip.
ton or emigration, the privilege of emf.
grafton being c0nfnei To the period from
1871 to 1881. They arc opposed to war,
ana rather than sacrifice their principles
they have determined to accept the alter
native left TO them by the Russian gov
erniment, and are coming to America to
lind homes. The time iuc their depart.
ure is ut hand, and their emigration will
begin In the Spring. Fifteen villages
WIN be broken ap entirely, and their in.
A..o'eAheo VIA SoiiC w ttliS Ctuntfy with
all their possessions. These villages
contain 500 families, or about 1900 per
sons.
1t will take from fifty to eighty thou.
sand acres of land for the settlement OF
the eight hundred families. who will de.
vote their attention almost exclusively To
farming operations. They are we'll &C.
quainted with the culture of grain, but
have nsver tried to raise cotton.
The Mennonites are pretty we'll edu-
Gated, and can, almost without exception,
read and write. Nearly all OF them have
some properly, and the coming of so
thrifty and economical. population
would be of ilestimable beneit to the
State.
WINE GROWERS FROM wuRrEMBEEa.
Major Melchers is also trying to secure
location in the upper part Of The State
for colony from Wurtemberg, Germany.
who will engage in the cultivation of the
viae. Their vineyards in Wurtemberp
have been destroyed by the fiy, aud they
want to settle in this Stale, tho upper
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