The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-23
STORMS TOBACCOC0L0NY
SETTLING A DISTRICT IN FLORIDA
WITH ALsATIAN FARMERS.

A Party of Immigrants Detained at
Castle Garden Under Charge of Hav-
ing Come Under Contract to Work
for Mr.. Storm.
| From the Net0 York Sun.
Among the Storage passengers by the
| French steamship La Champagne that
arrived yesterday from Havre we're ITO
Alsatians with their families, making 1876
in ali, who are now detained at Castle Gar
den by order of Commissioner Stephenson,
who was advised from France that these
men had come under contract to work on
Straiton and Storms tobacco plantation at
Tallahassee, Fla.
George Storm lives at 500 Madison ave
nue.. His partner, MIR. Straiton, retired
| from the firm some time ago, leaving MIR.
Storm the sole proprie or.
1.-Two years ago" said Mr.. Storm last
night, 1.-THE governor of Florida and num-
Der Of residents there came to me and asked
me to interest myself in the re-establis h-
ment of tobacco growing in that state. Be
fore the war Florida tobacco old for a price
equal to that from Cuba, and the industry
was an important one in the central part OF
the state During the war the industry
was dropped, and afterward the land was
! let out on shares to negroes, who raised
| long-fbre cotton until that no longer
paid, and then the region became almost
deserted. | organized company in which
| took a majority of stock, imported seed
from Cuba and Sumatra and le 1t money to
such growers as seemed skillful and indus
| trlous to put up suitable curing houses. l
also gave them seed, The result has been
| that while The whole tobacco product of the
state two years ago could have been bought
for $1,000, last year it was worth 50000,
and it bids fair to amount to $1,000,00O this
| year.
81 discovered however, that the greatest
obstacle to progress Law in the lack of
skilled and steady laborers. All the old
| tobacco-raising negroes were gone. l am
an Alsatian. My people are being OPP
pressed by the PrusSiau government. In
that country, around Strasburg, are many
skillful tobacco growers. l resolved to try
an experiment and pay for it with my own
money. I bought the old Dupont place near
| Quincy, on the line of the florida Railway
and Navigation Company's line, and pre-
pared it after my own ideas. Agricultural
people in Alsace live in villages. The place
contains about 1000 acres, and it is about
eight miles around it. laid out circular
| road and built town hall, which is school
| house, phi lie hall, and meeting hou.e in
one, and forty three houses along this road,
and divided the land into tracts Of forty
acres. Each house is furnished with cook
| stove, bedstead5, bureaus, and other furni-
| ture, and every farm is supplied with
COW, horses and wagons, and agricultural
machinery. l call the place Alsace.
"a year go thirty men. women and
| children came from near Strasburg to my
place. The Prusslan government put OBJ
ST Giles in the way of their emigration, as
they have done i'll the way of those who are
now detained in Castle Garden, but they
got to Florida. 1t is their success which has
induced the last lot to come, aud m re are
on their way. The village innkeeper has
sold his hotel and is coming, and a minister
Is on his way to join the colony.
This country has been very good to me,
and have grown rich, and am too much
of an American to do aught to violate the
laws or to bring here people who will not
make good citizens. While these people
were getting ready to co ne, traps we're laid
for me by the PruSsian officials | was
asked to help some persons, but | refused. |
| have not paid one cent toward bringing a y
Of them here. What propose t. do is to
| establish them on my place as independent
| farmers, rent free for five years, and If
they prosper others may take their place.
Why do do this? Because it suits me to
spend my money in that way.
''The only shadow of truth, " he said ''in
the accusation that they are assisted, that
| told them to buy tickets only to New
York. Some of them understo ID, l am
told, that | was to pay their passage to
Florida. This is not true They will be
taken there without charge by the railroad
people. 1t is not true that my brother has
anything to do with getting them here. 1
have no bro her in Alsace. Ny brother is
looking after the plantation"
Some of the party, Mr.. Storm says, have
money, and will probably buy place for
themselves. None of them will work for
wages. The man who told the commits
sioners he was to get wages, Mr.. Storm
says has probably been engaged by one of
these to build house. He is a carpenter.