The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1888-02-02
TO THE SOUTH.
Many families leaving the land of Biz
yards for the Sunny South.

Mahy tamilies leaving the land of BliZ-
cards for the Sunny South.
The statement that since the great
blizzard thirty families in Dakota
have announced their intention to
sell or abandon their holdings and
emigrate south, If it may be expected
as an indication of further and more
extensive exodus from the blizzard
destroying and misunderstanding
States, may have important conse
quencrs. VI one thing we may be
certain, aud that is that the enlgrs.
tion from abroad and that at home,
winch generally follows lines Of paral-
lei, will he sensibly diminished by the
annaual manifestation Of these de.
strnclive winter and summer forces at
the Northwest, occurring ae they do
from Kansas and Minnesota to the
northern line 0f the British posses.
sions. With all the South, from
Maryland To Texas, open to emigrants
and having j" many States, in add.
tion to undeveluped mineral resour-
ces, all the conveniences and comforts
OF II long.settled civilization, it is sur
prising that, now that the barrier of
servile labor has been broken down
forever, the attractions of Il temper
ate climate and abundance of cheap
land should not have diverted the
flow of emigration from the West
southward. One reason, probably,
has been that while the Western
States have been diligently engaged
year after year in calling public atten.
ton to their lands, and the railroad
and steamship companies have EN-
ployed agents abroad, notably in Ger.
many and the Scandinavian States,
in turning the tide or emigration
westward for the sake of the profits
that long distance transportation
gives, none Of the Southern States
have adopted similar means to at.
tract attention tu their lands. A large
emigration has set in towards Texas
OF late years, and an experience Of the
benefits derived from it has induced
that State to organize an immigra-
tion bureau, the object of which is to
draw new settles thitherward. The
plan it has adopted is full of promise.
The bureau, To which the State has
made II liberal appropriation, is to oc.
cupy a central site. Its duties are to
disseminate information in regard to
Texas,ard to give aid and advice to
those who desire to know where il
would be best to locate. But TIE plan
would he altogether incomplete il
everything were left to the central bu-
reau. Provision is, therefore, made
for the organization of smaller i'm.
migration societies in each county.
which are to cooperate with the cen.
tral bureau, Transportation by the
railroads at a low cost, through an un-
derstanding among the several compa.
MES, Is to form part Of the scheme
The value Of the idea does not lie in
the fact Of the appointment of cen.
tral bureau, but on it's bringing int
play similar agencies in every county
in the State acting with the bureau
and furnishing through it to intend
ing emigrants all the information they
need. We have thus the general in.
terest OF the State and the local inter
est Of the several counties combined
in the strongest possible way. The
drift of population at home has been
until now, as we have already said
along parallels Of latitude which
while the South was closed 10 emig
rants, seemed to have the force Of 4
law. But the best lands OF the Wes
have either been settled on or are il
the hands of the subsidized railroac
companies and spectators, who hol,
them for higher prices. Later set
tiers have, therefore, been obliged t.
make their farms on the plains, where
water and wood are scarce, and wher'
tornadoes and billiards. cause life I,
he scarcely worth living.-Bdltimor'
Sun. rH.