The Opelousas courier., 1888-05-26
The Relations of the Press to
immigration.

The following is an extract
from the address which was de-
livered by Mr.. j. B. Wilkinson,
Jr., of the New Orleans City
Item, before the eighth Annual
Convention of the Louisiana
State Press Association on May
I'd, at Opelousas.
In the relation of the press to
immigration, one of the first du-
ties of the newspaper is to edu-
cate the people to a knowledge
of the value Of immigration. 1t
is common to hear, and | have
seen the idea expressed in some
of the weekly journals Of the
State, that we want no immi-
grafton until all the idlers among
us have found employment
that in the daily struggle for
existence we want no more com
petitors.
Beyond a certain limit [ would
be no advocate of immigration,
but there is a vast difference be-
tween densely populated China
and the sparsely settled rural
districts of Louisiana. There is
a golden mean with a very wide
margin, and we should strive to
reach this mean.
The great need of Louisiana is
adiversifiedindustry, but to open
our mines, to build up our fac
tories, and to diversity our in
terests we must have immigra-
ton. 1t may be said that for
these enterprises money is the
principal thing wanted, but let
me remind you that capital is
the follower, not the forerunner,
of immigration.
| would not advocate any in
discriminate invitation to i'm
migrants. Indeed, | would lock
the doors against pauper immi-
grafton, from Europe or else
where.@1 would vigorously ex-
clude Socialists, Nihilists and
Anarchists, and would favor leg
islation to expel them from the
country should they effect a
landing on our shores.
We need a class of immigrants
who will be producers, and these
may be had if we make a persis-
tent and intelligent effort. Such
efforts will create a demand for
labor, instead ef oser crowding
the field. Take, for instance,
the man who puts in cultivation
a small tract of your idle land.
The ten bales of cotton he makes
pays a toll to the gin, and from
the time this cotton leaves the
gin until it is out of sight at
sea, it is giving employment to
this and that set of laborers-
cotton handlers, pressmen, long
shoremen, screWmen and others;
the transportation lines get their
whack at it and the merchants
are not supposed to be too mod
est in reaching for their share.
The only trouble with the farm
er, according to his primitive
ideas, is that he is too much of
a public benefactor, and has not
enough left for himself.
1t is the same way with all
products of the farm. The farm
er only enjoys a portion of the
results of his own labor. He.is
a distributor of the bounties of
nature ; and the products of his
toll go to support and enrich
the community. Even a coun-
try newspaper has been known
to exist on contributions from a
feld-not of spring poetry, but
of pumpkins.
Progress inthe development of
our agricultural resources will
lead to the erection of factories
and to the opening of our mines,
for all the various branches of
industry are interdependent, and
the prosperity of one will pro-
mote the prosperity of all.
The prosperity W a State de-
Ponds upon the welfare of its in
dividiual citizens. A thinly set
tied district cannot contribute
to the prosperity of the State,
and it will show no evidence OF
the prosperity of its inhabitants.
Compare the fences, Farms,
dwellings, furniture, table-fare
and wages on a farm in a sparse
II settled country with those on
a farm in a thickly settled com
munity, and the difference will
be largely in favor of the latter.
Having educated the people
to a proper appreciation of the
question, it is the duty of the
nress to l,Fi9o ab0nt a condition