The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-03-26
South Carolina.

We have received tho valuable book is
sued by the State Board Of Agriculture of
South Carolina, which is intended to
show the resources and population Of tho
State, as we'll As the institutions and in
dustries of her people. From 4 haSty
glance at its pages VIC form the opinion
that it is an excellent work. and II adj
mirablv suited for the purposes for
which it was intended - inducement
of immigrants to this State.
While We are free to say that the book
would seem to be all excellent one, ne
aro as ready to say hat we have no SYM
pathy with its Object. If strangers vol
UNFAIRLY come to our State, NC would
; welcome them, invite them to seats,
and ask them to stay with us, but we arc
oproScd tn the plan of going into the
highways tn dccoy them to our bordera.
We hold this position, as we think, for
Tho best Of reasons. We are 4 poor pco-
pie, and our valuable honcs woIld coin
mand very lit,lo money, even though a
stranger should co:ho to buy them, and
if the stranger should como and buy n
farm he sends away an old %ncighbor, an
old friend or relative who takes his mon
ev AMI goes elsewhere with it. The farm
has merely charged hands. In such
eases our " people are hurt.
If a poor laburins man comes hcrc we
cannot expect him to be satisfied. We
have already more laborcrs than we can
employ. Consequently laboring men can
do better elsewhere, and We do not want
to bring here people who will conclude
that they have been cheated, and who
would a!tcrward form an element which
will he among Us, hut not of us, in either
sentiment or interest, In bone or BLOOD.
We have a most excellent country. but
We arc not ready to vacate tor the capital
ist, nor are we ready to induce Il lab"rinS
man to come here, when we know that
he can do much better by going else
where. We talk much in Il vague way or
tho disturbances of the prosperity OF
South Carolina, without once discrimi-
mating between tho difference in the in
crease of our own citizens and tho bring
ing OF stranger aliens TO our doors To oc-
cupy our houses, and to cultivate our
lands. South Cardinals growth by the in
crease Of her own people, and South Car
o;iaa's material prosperity, when 1t
means the th:itt of her own sons, 10
quite a different thing from the bringing
of foreign capital TO buy and live in our
best houses, to cultivate II best
lands, and to absorb our most
desirable wafer powers. What mai
tcrs it to us if the assessed wealth OF
South Carolina were ten times greater
than it is to-day, if that increase was
held by strangers. The extraordinary
increase Of population and the unnatural
increase Of wealth only adds to the diff
Guilty which the laboring MA finds i'll
making a comfortable living. For every
stranger gained in the farming commn-
nifty wo lose IN old neighbor. This is
our country, and We should hand it
down to our children, and they in turn
to their children.
Let South Carolina forever remain in
the hands of South Carolinians, even
though our tax returns shall be small,
and our population sparse. South
Carolina in the hands of South Carroll
mans is worth a million times more to
us than South Carolina would DO in the
hands of foreigners, even though its as
sessed value should be a million times
greater.