Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-07-07
TO BE, OR NOT TO BES
PEEP INTO THE FUTURE, AS ONE cARoLINIA'
E0RECAsTS TT

A PEEP INTO THE FUTURE, AS ONE CAROLINIAN
. FORECASTS 1T.
The subjoined jsu d. espritis amusing, to say
the least
CHARLESTON, s. c., July 13, 1893.
Dear Brother-I have just returned from
my tour of inspection through the State, and
find everything as Thorndike represented.
1 :. would hardly recognize this as the same
country we left in disgust in 1879. The State
is dotted with tea plantations, Chinese sugar
cane and lucerne fields, fine cotton planta'
tions, and the area of rice exceeds that cult.
waited before the war. There are now fewer
negroes than whites, and the former have
ceased to be political power. South Caro-
lima, of course belongs to the great reform
party, which has nearly throttled the cor
rupt Republican party, except in four of the
New England States. ..
What do you suppose all these changes are
owing to? You recollect that before We left
a Department of Agriculture had been es'
tablished. To this was afterwards added a
Bureau of immigration. In 1881 this De-
partment introduced numbers of European
immigrants. These were tried and found
unsuited to our climate, the mode Of living
on plantations, the crops we cultivated, and
in other respects. In 1883 the Department
saw what had long been before the eyes Of
everybody but not perceived. Tea plants
had been growing we'll in the State since
1859, and lucerne had always thrived in
garden borders. Now, in China, the finest
Nankin cotton, fine tea, lucerne and rice had
had been cultivated for generations. This
suggested the idea of obtaining laborers al.
ready skilled iu producing these crops. The
result was that in 1883 the Department
brought from California some Chinese. These
gave satisfaction more were brought, then
numbers were imported from China, and now
there are said to be near 10000 in the State.
You can now readily see how the change was
produced in the State. Tea, sugar, molasses
and hay, as well as rice and cotton are now
exported. The labor is not disturbed by
politics, and everything is lovely. You
ought to see Hayne street, the new wharves
and the quantity of shipping!
But there is one draw back which legisla.
tion may correct. The Chinese have found
out how the poppy thrives here, and the con.
sequence is that their wives and children
(Which commenced to be brought over in
1882 besides raising silk and fish, are cult
waiting poppy grounds and making large crops
of opium. Although the crop is very remu.
nerstive, yet it makes that drug too easy of
access to the Chinese and to some extent i'm
pairs their usefulness. So think, but some
say not near to the extent that whisky used
to injure the labor before the Prohibition
movement extirpated that evil in 1882.
Now what shall do? Our plantation for
which we could not obtain $3.50 per acre, is
worth at least $50 per acre, for l have had
that offered. Will you sell our coffee farm,
and bring our families with you, or shall |
return to Rio Janeiro, and we both come
back together? The first course would save
expense. Telephone me by the ocean line.
"Yes," means l ain to await you here mo-"
the contrary.
Your affectionate brother,
HENRY LIE BLANK.
P. Sit would do you good to see the
number of immense factories at Columbia,
down by what was an old ditch, but now
splendid canal. Spartanburg has over $4,000
population, and seven railroads centre there.
The Chinese have taught our people to raise
fish in coops But l have not time to ex-
plain this What funny eyes the Chinese
children have! Rats and reaches are scarce.
II, LIE B.