The Opelousas courier., 1885-05-23

60OA II Uk1l9 10 lC0lly tHub HH0 SSualhS
, we pretend it is = You can by no in
genuity of argument or special plead
ing reason away these two stubborn
truths.
; There are thousands of industrious
people who have means to- buy their
own work stock and to supply them
selves for one year with the necessaries
of life including all the implements,
harness, etc, they require, if terms can
be made to work until they are in a
position to buy. 1t was represented to
! me that satisfactory terms could be
made here, to cultivate land. The re-
presentation was made as now be-
lieve, under misapprehension of what
would be deemed satisfactory by an in
dustrious man desiring to make his
home here. desire to state right here
that if one is simply going to camp,
one place as is good as another to camp
in, and it is not desirable that one
should spend his means to come here to
camp If farming is to. be profitable,
something like permanency is a sine
qua non. Making nothing but cotton
and buying all you eat and forage for
your stock is not farming. The system
has failed on these very fine lands, and
has failed every where else. The road
to success lies only in one direction,
and success can only be attained by
following the right road.
To illustrate: come here and find
the premises in dilapidated condition,
the land greatly impoverished through
q succession of crops of the same kind.
| Very good am here for five years
we will say fix up lot and get a
pair of fine pigs /; start hennery.
Besides my cotton crop have garden,
some cats and corn and plenty of
sweet potatoes. Ny expenses are
heavy for poor man, but my corn and
sweet potatoes will furnish bread and
| fatten pigs for my own meat. In fact,
my food supply made at home and my
poultry yard support my family next
| year. As soon as my oats are mown /
plow the land where they grew and
SOW peas. | sow peas also in all my
corn. | will with the same kind of
season make more cotton with less
work than make this year. Of course
where cotton grew this year l plant
corn next year and of course SOW peas
in the corn. / plow all the land where
pea vines grow, this fall. At the end
of five years, if l have not bought the
land, | am in comfortable circumstances
and prepared to buy or renew the lease
The position of my landlord is: That
through a system of rotation and man
4 uring his land has doubled in intrinsic
value, AID being able to point TO one
prosperous, contented tenant, he has
no difficulty in getting as many more
as he wants. More o1an that; / have
written up the country in dozen news
papers and it's advantages are known
to million of people, and thousands Of
industrious men come pouring in upon
you. The whole face of the country
has undergone change. You can
point to prosperous and happy peo,
pie. Land which cannot be sold fol
| five dollars an acre will command Rfty
dollars.
Can this be done7 Why it has been
done again and again, and sections
which do not possess one half the ad.
yantages this has, are filled to overflow.
ing with a prosperous, happy people
come here prospecting. l ask for
land to cultivate. / am shown a cabin
in the midst of other cabins, rendering
it impossible that should enjoy any
comforts or have any privacy. I car
not even get the privilege of building
up comforts at my own expense and By
my own labor, with any expectation O
enjoying them. AS far as my expe.
renee goes, contracts are only made
for one year. The people who write me
for information are not people who ash
for help; they want opportunity to helT
themselves. All | am able to- answer
after diligent inquiry and investigation
| is: It you are we'll supplied will
money you can do we'll almost any
where. Better let well enough alone
IF you are not supplied with funds, yor
can not find inducements here not of
ford anywhere else"
do no write this in any spirit o
fanlt finding or with any dictatorial pur
pose of telling people what to do witt
their property. immigration is OF
eyerybody's tongue. Every newspaper
is full of the topic. If those who ar,
from here, who have made character
are obliged to emigrate, it IL of littl,
!. avail to tell people ag distance what i
fine country we have. I understand
|, the relations of capital and labor toler
ably well. / advise no one to help an
other until that other shows a willing
, ness and some ability to help himself.
/ represent large class, and it is ny
purpose to give the facts. I am un
willing to believe that with millions 0
acres lying idle, no one can be found b
give some encouragement to those VIII
want to participate in utilizing some o
the land which is continually being soil
by the sheriff. Born in Louisiana,
am as far as possible from setting dow
or reporting aught in malice. TO SO
this country the seat of the grandes
civilization the world has ever know
is the ruling passion with me.
ID. G. DAVID.
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