The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1881-12-06
BREAK THE LETMARGY.
Our City and County should
Move and Secure IaI-
MIGRANTS.

nierant~-
The EXAMINER had intended making
reference in its issue of Sunday morn
| ing to question which has been agi-
| tating citizens of both city and county
| for some months, namely, the best
method of securing reliable servants
aud labOrers. In furtherance of this
idea Gen. J. b. Robertson was at the
courthouse Saturday afternoon to
meet an anticipated assemblage of
| citizens, but none came. This letharey
is somewhat unaccountable, inasmuch
as the need for it has been repeatedly
recognized by every one. General
| Robertson is one of thirteen gentle
men who have filed articles of incorpo-
ration and secured charter from the
state for the purpose of assisting com
munities i'll supplying themselves with
reliable help. Among the incorpora-
| tors are a number of railroad officials,
and the duty of the organization is to
furnish any city, county or community,
after they have made the necessary ar
rapgements, with cheap transportation
and directions how, when and where to
get the desired help. For instance !:
Washington cOuutywished to rid herself
of unreliable and irresponsible negro
help. The people met and consulted
and appointed one of their number an
agent to visit some port on the arrival
| of steamer carrying large numbers of
immigrants, or to go to England, Ger
many or France, and collect number
of people who desired to settle in the
United States. This agent, properly
accredited, is given free transportation
to and from his objective point When
ever such agent has secured his de-
sired complement of people, this asso-
citation, of which Gen. Robertson is
member, gives reduced rates of fare
from the place of embarkatiOn, in any
part of Europe, to the proposed place
of debarkation in Texas, when the
people thus secured are taken in
charge by the parties who have sent
for them. In many instances the pas
sage money is advanced By the en-
ployers and deducted from the wages
of the employees, who enter service for
twelve months. The result of such
concerted action has been that within
a year Washington has received four
teen hundred laborers, male and
female, at no expense to them
selves, for the parties engaged have
invariably lived up to their contract
and repaid the passage-money ad
vanced. Grimes county, few weeks
ago, did the same thing and received
eighty Germans, who are now working
faithfully and contentedly. Many other
points in south Texas have adopted the
same plan, and few points IL north
Texas, under the guidance of General
RObertsOn's association. 1t was and
is his intention to aid Waco and
McLennan county in the same way, if
the citizens will simply come together
and make the preliminary arrange
ments, such as designating the number
Of people they want, what part of this
country OF Europe they wish them
| from, advancing the passage-mOney
and selecting one person from the city
to go III search of and collect ready for
| transportation the number and class of
immigrants designated. If the person
previously engaged arrives he or she Is
| bound to work ont his or her passage
money, never exceeding SD, and if
such person does not arrive the money
advanced is refunded, while the rep
resentative Is furnished free transporta-
/ ton. There is no loss entailed, while,
on the other hand, Judging from the
numerous complaints, the adva ntage
sought to be gained is of suf-
ticient Importance to stimulate
immediate action. Another branch
of this associations duty is to assist in
obtaining settlers from other sections
I,,f 10
\ b, a citizen aud property-holder of
McLennan county, came from Ken
lucky five years ago. He makes a true
inventory of his Investments at that
time and his increase since, coupled
with an honest description Of his sec
ton; the number of acres OF land for
sale or rent, the men who
own it, etc, winch showing Is
signed, sworn to and duly youched for
by the county judge or other similar
official as truthful aud bona tide. This
much accomplished, General Robert
son secures \ B free pass to and from
Kentucky to Waco, where he converses
with his old neighbors and friends,
shows his exhibit, and induces one, five,
ten or twenty families to remove to
McLennan county. They are given
reduced fares and either rent or pnr-
chase the lands shown them 10y A Il.
The plan Is simple, and a few weeks
since neighborheod in the edge of
Falls county adopted it and secured five
families from Georgia, with twenty
five more preparing to come in the
early spring If our people desire i'm
migrants they are offered superior in
ducements and aids to procure them;
if they do not, they should stop growl-
ing. The alternative il before them to
choose.