Louisiana capitolian., 1881-11-08

terest in their own welfare, the bu;.ld-
| ing up Of the city and it's future pros.
perity and greatness, and tic best
way for them to succeed is to "a
right into the newspapers and lei
the people know it. A large land
owner, in this parish, told me only a
short time ago, that his estate was an
encumbrance to him, and he would
gladly sell it off into small tracts il
order to get rid Of it and relieve him
self ofthe burthen yet 1 do not see
hls lands advertised in the epapers, fol
sale. Now, sir, what is applicable to
owners of city vacantlo lotsis also appli-
cable to country vacant property.
Here is the trouble: There are
thousands of acres of rich lands for
| sale, but who knows itg Your next
door neighbor may know that you
| would like to nave an industrious,
thrifty good citizen settle, but out
side Of your neighborhood, parish or
State, they may not know that any
such parcel or tract exists on the face
of the earth.
There must be some organization !;
some unity Of action among the peo-
pie in each parish if they desire to
sell their lands, build up the country,
become prosperous and happy, grow
in greatness and keep pace with the
march of civilization.
Louisiana has all that nature could
give, and more than any other State
in the Union, to make it the most
powerful, in the future. Yet, as you
remarked in your last issue, to speak
of these things, fails "to attract thith-
er the emigrants." 1t is something
like theorizing over the production of
a crop of cotton, corn, rice or sweet
potatoes. A man may theorize him
self to death and accomplish nothing.
Theory and practice must go togeth-
er. The learned professor who teach
es theory must have some one at his
elbow to put that theory into prac.
tice. | apprehend it to sbe the pro-
vince Of newspapers to a certain ex-
tent to instruct or suggest to the peo-
pie what is for their good and if it is
ccnclnsively shown that the sugges-
tons offered are practical aud expe-
dent, then it behooves the, people to
accept them and make the effort to
carry them into effect. You doubt
less remember that Il prominentmem
Der of the Press Convention at the |
last meeting in your city, remarked
that we, tie people, bad no leaders. |
What we want in this immigration
business is leaders-mep to make a
beginning, and, to use vulgar
phrase, "take the bull by the horns
and hold fast to him."
You must not get discouraged in
this matter. Remember the origin of
the CapitoliaD! The grand old State
house, whose columns and towers rise
high up, overlooking your entire
city and surrounding country stands
as a monument to its efforts and those
Of it's ccnfreres. No great enterprise
can succeed without energy aud per-
sisient labor. But for Wheelock,
where would be your N. O. Pacific
Railroad? But for the efforts of
James Robb and others like him,
would Mississippi and New Orleans
low have their Great Northern &
Jackson Railroad? You telf ms that
through the kindly works of sweet
snd beautiful woman, daughter of
Louisiana, twenty-five millions OF
capital is being invested in the once
lesolated South! If individual EFF
orts will accomplish SO great things,
What may we not expect from united
lction of an intelligent and epterpris-
ng people?
Let tSe newspapers throughout the
State keep this subject before the
people keep putting it to them-stir
hem up and worry them with it un-
il they will have to 90 to work in
My remarks are in
ended particularly for men who own
and--more land than they have any