New-York tribune., 1885-03-16
SOUTHERN IMMIGRATION.
SOME RrAsoNs WHY IT Is SNAIL.


INJURY.
rRox AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIL Ih'5uSH'
CHARLESTON 8. O., Maroh 13.-The Southern
Immigration Society has been holding o convention
in New-Orleans this week for tho purpose OF taxing
measures to induce immigrants to come eoutn. ano
| convention has not been well attended, according
to the reports. and tho interest shown was nos 30
| great as was expected. 1t has served however W
.tart discussion on the subject in the Southern
ravsnapers. They all agree that it is highly de-
s,rabe to divert the tide Of immigration from the
West to tho South, and express wonder
that moro foreigners and people from East
.rn States do not come South. South Caro-
| lima newspapers especially join I'm this lament.
The need of settlers is selfevidont to any ono VINO
has travelled in the South There are millions OF
acres of apparently good land unoccupied. Even
that which ID under cultivation Ia not half TILED.
| Northern farmer grows rich on tho product OF 100
acres, while Southern farmer, with the cheapest
| kind of labor, is unable from the product OF 300
to get rid of the clutches OF the merchant VINO
| holds mortgages on his land and liens upon ms
crops This is not due to the difference in the fer
tillty of the sell, but to the slack methods
| of cultivation in tho South, and the lack
| of diversifcation. Everything is made
subseryient to the production of cotton. while
meat. -four and corn are brought from the North
west In several of the States there are evidences
of in this respect but that Is less the
case in South Carolina than In some other States
Everywhere the farmers and planters are found 10
| be doing business on ruinous credit system How
this system works may be seen from the following
account, taken from The Ne,cs and Courier. giving
the condition recently Of the farmers In one OF the
| counties in this State:
In 1888 they fe short OF paying their liens about %
Many Of these people. becoming disgsted with THIS
esdsred ths q crops
shuoks some of them saving not more than one turn
for bread until some merchant would again make ad-
yances under cover Of lien, at from 100 to log per
no stock their mich having been turned over
satisfy the claims against ihem Inc supply OF has aD
who deal liens ggest unanimously that the only way
to sf tn as n ana en a%. The
credit OF the people will then be restored and healthy
financial condition will ensus.
PAupEn WAGES FOR coLoRED MEN.
This condition of things is all the more striking
when 1t is considered that good industrious coorsd
laborers are paid only from S75 to 800 year and
rat,ons-a fair average being $S5. Even at that
| pauper rate they are frequently usable to collect
what is due them. There is general testimony to
| tho effect that the coered meh are faithful and
efficient laborers when fairly treated The trouble
"a that Soathern farmer will Sit under tree and
| supervise two colored mon who are probably DONG
Il
| Is also lack Of efficient methods and of
| labor-savng implements and machinery. Inc
| planters need TO reduce their acreage. diversity
their crops cultivate the soil in thorough manner
and do business on cash basis. W hile these facts
are generally recognized and discussed In the nows-
papers the farmers are slow to be guided by them
| A pice-looklng well-culturcd farm or plantation.
unless in the mmc cdate vicinity OF city, Is rare
thing TO be seen in the souts inns "a IN some de-
| gree due to tho illiteracy whlch pie'aiss among
| whites we'll as blacks.
Another drawback is the lack OF home
markets, such a' are ere created Nor, gy 'hG manu-,
| fact worth thinking ahout that South Carolina,
| which is 30 far as It's Democratic rulers are con-
cened ono of the most pronounced free-trado
| states In the Union, has illtera population OF
| nearly 400 600 persons over ten years OF age, OF
| whom 90 900 are white, and that its planters are
| naarlv all yergng bankruptcy. Charleston
its~if, Is a monument to this free-trade folly, One
ofthe oldest ctios In the Union, with good harbor
and oftrlng splendid facilities tor manu- cturIng, IL
Temaius almost at ~ standstill while throughout the
| North manufacturing cities have sprung up and
| thai the only cities in tEs South to-day that
| show signs II growth and prosperity are such man
| ufacturlng towns as Birmingham, Atlanta and
Exceilsnt farming land, with cheap water traus-
portation to the best markets on the coast can be
purchased IN this State from ono 10 ten dollars an
an acre Why do not immigrants from Europe and
Northern men take these lands. which can be had
on easy terms instead OF Drawing the wintry blasts
ot Dakota and the Northwestf That Is the ques-
ton which the Southern hmm graf ion Society Is
considerlng But while the people of South Caro-
Iua
grafton, the coored men. who are Indispensable
M laborers, are moving away. Many have emil
grated from Lexington, Nowborry and other coun-
tes IN this state durnathe winter, gong to Arkan-
sas and ri "a where In both of the Carohnas and
IN OF her States at tho present time the colored men
arc having weekly meetings to consider the ques-
tion of emigating to Liberia. feeling OF general
dissatisfaction and uncasiness prevails among then
A number were hired from this State TO take part
in the inauguration parade at WaShington., ,h but but
that docs disguise the fact that the coloied peo
pIe of the South are restless aud dlssatls-
led The cause of that feeling is the
one most powerful in keeping Immigrants
away from the south Ii is due to the political n-
tolerance. the lifelong prejudiees and blind hostl-
ty of the Southern white men. and to the demora-
zatiou aud degradation which Is beng nstllcd into
and nurtured among the people by The pollution of
the ballot-boI aud the trampng upon the elective
The intelligent colored men do not believe
| that they will be much worse off under
| Democratic Administration at Washington Politic
cally speaking they could not be much worse OF
| than they are now. But they looked to the Repub'
lican party to protect them ha ana and wIi,e thle
burden and courage yields to despair. They are
fcrcso the rights of citizenship and to consider
themselves as inferior beings The hostility to tho
| ownership of land has almost passed away ana OPP
| co,ored people denied representation even on
boards Of school trustees. A majority OF the white
| pe0pe honestly favor taxing themselves TO edncato
ibe masses, but the tax imposed is so light
thot the schools are kept open only from
sx % weeks to three months in the year.
That ia true also of tho white schools, except tho
| private schools. There is general denunciatlon OF
he action of the Democrats in Congress IN defeat
ing the Educational bill. There is no desire shown
| 10 relcgate the coored man to slavery. Although
contrary TO all their predictions that slaves, when
made free would become lawless and indolent, the
| people now admit that the freemen make the best
| iaborers and are law-abidng aud useful cltizehs
But the coleTed men will not be contented under
denial OF every political right. With majority Of
81. 900 votes in the. State they will
| never rest easy while denied even
renresentation on the school boards or any
control over their own schools In the last election
fbey were even denied the privilege Of casting