The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-06-26
now TO SECURE INENEEGRA-
TEONs
some Things That stand in tIne
Way-The Necessity fOr. Cheap
Freights = Hints to New Or
leans Merchants.

| IT'S mas TecBlV6u the lOllGWiHS iUttCI
containing valuable suggestions, fror
one of the Northern settlers at Jer
nings, La:
Hon. VIM. II, Harris, Commissioner of In
migration;
Dear Sir-Your favor of the l2tl
ultimo received, and press of farm
work is my excuse for delay in an
swering. You ask what the Commis
sioner of immigration can do to assis
the Northern colony. Very much, !
you have the cordial backing of you
State authorities, press and people. /
you have not such backing the Stat
should abolish the office.
l shall assume that when all tht
facts respecting the Jennings colony
are placed before the Legislature and
the people of the State that your
efforts will be appreciated, as nothing
succeeds like success.
You ean truthfully say to the wis
dom at the State Capitol: "Gentle'
men, seeing is believing, Send com
mittee Of your honorable body to Jen-
nings and Lake Charles and see what
is being done. Examine the records
Of the United States and State Land
Office. Please examine the freight
receipts at Rayne, Jennings, Welch'a
and Lake Charles, of tho Louisiana
Western Railroad, and contrast them
for the past three years with those Of
the preceding three years,
Figures are dry reading, but the
Northern man seldom reads first the
eloquent speeches Of his member of
Congress, but is careful Of the book
and garden seed sent him, and never
misses the market report in his daily
paper Hence | will leave to Others
the pleasure of describing the lovely
sunsets, and proceed to dry facts.
A joint resolution of your Legisla-
ture asking Congress to withdraw all
public lands from soil in tho Southern
States and the repeal of the timber cul-
ture act. The South has timber in
abundance, 3.
All lands of the State should be re-
served for actual settlement. By refer
ence to the reports of the Land De-
partment at Washington you will find
that nearly all the available land of
the Northern and Western States and
Territories has been given to railroads,
cattle kings and foreign capitalists.
The homestead and presumption laws
have saved a moiety to actual settlers.
Act 400 of the State Constitution
should be amended. Six mills on the
dollar Is too small for State without
school houses, roads, bridges espe-
cially for Louisiana, with her deep
bayous and numerous water courses,
A judieious general incorporation
law, school, road and stock laws. The
Northern man is coming, He is COM
ing to stay. He will want his school
house, barbed wire fence, bridges,
common highway, and last, but not
least, his railroad, machine shops and
factories, and he will have them,
say he is coming. First, because
he has gone North TO the ice-bound
region OF British Provinces, west to
tie Pacific Ocean, southwest to Texas
and The plain of Old Mexico, but be is
coming back. He is coming South
with bis energy, frugality and accumu-
lated million Of idle cheap money to
assist nature and his Southern brother
to make the Gulf States the garden of
the world.
Cheaper railroad fares and freights
You should get without resorting to
legislative coercion. Your Southern
railroads should avoid the necessity of
a repetition of the Grange legislation
of the Northern States, Your Sunset
route, fram California to Newport
News, with easy grades, cheap land,
timber, iron and mild climate, with in
telligent management shopla bid de-
fianee to all competition.
YouF Burean Of immigration, with
the assistance Of the press and business
men, should be able TO thoroughly adj
vertise yopr State Your neighboring
States on the gulf should know that
ST, Landry and GAleasieu parishes can
furnish them an excellent quality OF
hay at half the price they are paying,
and thousands Of tons to spare. feur
European steamship agents should
know that If the cheap corn Of Kansas
and Nebraska could be brought back
II the cars that carry tho lumber from
lhe Mermentau and Dalcaseu, each
one of their steamers could carry
deck load Of as fine cattle as go 70 tho
British markets.
AT the present rates i costs S6,05
per ton TO pay the freight and COM
mission on q ton Of hay sent from Jen-
nings TO New Orleans. This should
be changed. One Of yonr city horse
car roads ! am informed Is buying
5000 tons Of hay per year Of inferior
quality from Texas at price that
would make Jennings Yankee feel
rich, provided the freight and commits
sion were reasonable.
If yoar Chamber Of Commerce will
send orders TO Rayne, Jennings and
Welsh's for 10000 tons Of hay, deliV'
eFable from duly to January for 5000
head Of hogs and cattle, deliverable
from August to March, based ppon
reasonable transportation and Chicago
prices, you will get 5000 new cclonists
before tho contrasts arc filed, aHd het-
tsr beof and pork than your city usually
receives.
Southeastern Louisiana has millions
Of tons Of good quality Of hay ana
10000 eattls and hogs, nomiHally
valueless for tho reason that ffeigllts
are SO high shat you eannot ship fhe
stock to Tie corn nor bring the eafn