The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-17

The South and German immigration.
Mr. Loais Hcniurhausen. president OF
the German society of Maryland, eN-
presses Che opinion that social conditions
40 the south are responsible for The fail
Ero ~ tine south 90 get desirable German
immigrants He was curious 10 know
why people should locate al so great
distance from the market, ia the west,
and pay higher prices for land no better
than they might have purchased near
their landing places for less money To
satisfy his curiosity lac visited some Of
his German friends who had settled on
farms in Iowa. He found, he says,
ga far greater social equality and inter
Cours, among the farmers and farm hands
In tho west than in Maryland. lntcrmar-
riagcs are there a matter of course.
Very little distinction is made at their
social gatherings. These German farm
ers work hard six days of the week,
and on Sunday after church service they
are fond of a cheerful gathering" The
trouble with the south, Mr.. Hcninghaus-
en- concludes. is that 1.-THE former slave
owner is not sympathetic TO the foreign
conner"
1t may be true that the former slave
owner is slow to accept the friendship Of
and mingle in fellowship with foreigners.
But it seems to us that too much stress is
laid upon the former slave owners eXclu-
sivencss in social affairs and influence in
political affairs 1t must be remembered
that all the whites in the south before the
war were not slave holders probably not
half Of them were. II has been nearly
thirty years since there were any slave
holders in the south. Since the abroga-
ton of slavery the ranks Of those who
held slaves have been greatly thinned by
death, while, on the other hand, young
men who know of the old institution
more as a tradition than as a regent fact,
have grown up to take the places of their
fathers Furthermore there has been
considerable interstate immigraJ zion from
non-sIave-holding states and not a little
foreign immigration into the south since
the war, so that the actual cx-slave own
er is but minor part Of the body polite.
That he is exclusive in his social relations
is true, but in business he is as ready 10
treat with foreigner as a native, as
many excellent Germans in Georgia and
elsewhere in the south have reason to
know.
The idea of "Bourbonism at the South, -
which some northern newspapers appar-
emily regard it their religious duty to
preach, seems to have found Judgment in
Mr. Heninghausen's brain, although as a
resident of Maryland he should know
that the south is democratic and
liberal and extends a warm welcome to
desirable Germans. There may be diff
ferences between the customs in the
south and in Germany the matter of
Sunday observance, for instance; but the
differences are not so radical as to cause
Inconvenience, either to the immigrant in
their observance or to the native in their
breach by the newcomer.
The real reason desirable immigrants
from Germany do not come south is two
fold, and has been repeatedly referred to
by the MORNING NEWS First, the ad-
vantagos of the south have never been
properly presented to the immigrants,
who are ignorant of our section and our
customs. Second, the transportation lines
bringing immigrants across the ocean
" railroad" them across country as soon as
| they are landed. In Europe they are sold
tickets good for passage to Iowa, Dakota
or some other western or northwestern
state, but no tickets to southern points
are sold there. If the south were as well
advertised in Europe as the west, and
tickets were on sale to southern points, as
70
receiving all the immigration needed.