St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-02-28
Immigration.
Ascension Democrat,


Ascension Democrat.
Several years ago Bureau Of Immi-
grafton was established by the State, a
Commissioner appointed, and efforts
made to induce immigration to LOu1-
siana. The very efficient Commits
sioner, Mr.. Harris, hes given his fullest
attention to the duties of his Office,
and doubtless exhausted every means
in his power to accomplish the end
sought. Pamphlets and circulars have
been distributed all over Europe, but
what after all has been accomplished Y
In a few parishes small colonies have
been established and from all accounts
they are prospecting, but they are so
small in number as scarcely to affect
the economical condition of the State,
and are not important enough to create
interest or inquiry abroad.
On the other hand we have drawn to
our shores a large prepondeIance OF
Italian emigrants who are an injury
rather than a benefit. The LaZarOnl OF
Naples and the output of the prisons
and poor houses of Southern Europe,
have come in such large majority as to
discourage all desire for emlgrants
from that quarter. AS rule they are
men without families, penniless pau
come with the sole aim of making
money to spend at home; they go to
work on the sugar plantations by the
time they have acquired any skill IN
field work, and their labor begins to be
of any value, they have amassed few
dollars, and bid the field goodbye, to
turn hucksters or organs grinders in
New Orleans. Like the Chinese, but
little is required for their subsistence
and every dime earned is boarded I'M
til enough is accumulated to return to
their native land and live out the re-
mainder of their days in comparative
luxury. No dollar is invested, no roof
tree raised, no taxes paid, and no citi-
zenship contemplated.
The Latin emigrant is a failure, and
we must look to other fields; we must
hold out inducements to the thrifty
agricultural class who will not only
come themselves, but bring their house
hold gods with them and plant their
vine and fig tree and build their alters
here; men who have children to be
educated, and who want a permanent
abiding place for themselves and their
posterity.
There is but one way to secure this
class of emigrants and that is to as
sure them of a home, not one held on
a lease, but one that belongs to them
in toto. We have large public do
main in Louisiana, which as we pointed
ont last week, is being gobbied up at q
nominal price by spectators, these
lands should be made available to the
actual settler under homestead laws, |
and should be disposed of in no other
way.
Let us encourage immigration, but
let us encourage people of the right
kind to come among us, and people who
come to stay.
We publish very sensible article
from the Ascension Democrat, on I'm
migration. In our opinion, the Bureau
of Immigration is not only a useless
expense, but wrong on the great body |
Of the taxpayers-they have to pay for
they do not want, and that
does them no good. Two classes of
people here may want immigrants:
land spectators, and capitalists who
need semi-slave labor. We cannot see
that any other people here would be
benefited by immigration. Immi-
grants who come here, on their own
motion, to find homes and be honest,
citizens, ought to always be
welcome. But the importation Of i'm
migrants should be opposed.