The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-12-15
The South and Immigration.

The South and Immigration.
No part of North America offers
better opportunity to the over-crowd-
ed population of European countries,
TO acquire for themselves homes, and
accumulate wealth than is offered in
the Southern States OF the Union. The
climate is genial, the soil fertile, the
streams are numerous, and can be
made prolific in the production of the
finest food fish the mountains abound
in various valuable minerals, such as
iron ore, lead, marble, limestone,
agalmotolite, kaolin coal, and silver
and gold. The vast forests are filled
with the finest timber which the
world can porduce the country is yet
sparsely populated, and lands are
cheap. Such are the conditions which
invite the coming hither Of the in
dustrious, farmers, mechanics, miners,
and others, who, in the old world
must always hold a subordinate posi-
ton in life. But the enumeration of
the advantages offered by the South
given above, is not complete. Lines
of transportation already exist. Nu-
merous navigable rivers afford means
of ready communication with the sea
coast, railways traverse the country in
various directions; highways for We
hicles have already been constructed,
and such couvauiauca9 % mills onJ
machinery for preparing the great
staple Southern crop for market al
ready exists. What more could be
asked as an inducement to European
immigration to seek for themselves
homes in this favored land? And
yet they do not come. Why is it so !?
Somewhere a reason for this indispo-
sition on the part Of The foreigner to
come here must exist. What is that
reason?
Much has been said and written on
the subject, but there has generally
appeared in all the talking and the
writing, what may properly be
termed a confession and avoidance.
The advantages arc duly confessed :;
the reason why immigration will not
come under existing conditions arc
seldom sought for and when discover
eel not given. We have no
great amount of reverence for
any sacr edpast. That is IL
readable. The future is only hope
the ever-present only belongs to us,
and in that present we propose to
deal trulhfully and frankly with
those i'll whose interest we conceive
we are TO act. Nothing in the way of
effect can occur without an adequate
cause. This is the law of the uni
verse. Though it has been told to the
people of Europe that in the Southern
= States Of the Union, all the opportun-
tiles and advantages which we have
enumerated were to be found, yet will
they not seek homes here. Why ?
Because, while all the natural re-
sources exist, the social conditions
initiate against their supposed in
terest. They have heard that they
would not be well received, and the
experience of some who came years
ago, confirms them in the belief that
what they have heard was only the
truth. Why did not the Germans,
Swedes and Danes, who came South
several years ago, continue to reside
III the country? The native popula-
tion did not accord to them that treat
ment to which they believed, with
reason, too, that they were entitled
This is the simple truth.
Immigrant colonies in various part,
of tho South have done well That a
Gruetli, in Gruudy county, Tennessee
and that at Cullman, in North Ala
bama, the first, a Swiss colony, anl
the last named Germans, are notable
examples Of what European colonist
can accomplish. But the settlemen
of large bodies of people speaking
different language from that of tn
country presents objections of N
small moment. 1t would be prefera
Bile to have the immigrants distribute,
among the people in order that tn
process of assimilation may the NOR
speedily be accomplished. To secur
this, the foreigners must be receive
and treated in such a manner as
impress them with the belief that tn
people really desire their presence. ]
must be forgotten that in point of ed
ucation and intelligence the peasar
immigrants from Germany, Norway
Sweden and Denmark. are fully th
equals, If not the superiors, of the ay
erage native citizen. They cannot