The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-12-04
Ar Home ON THE FARM,

AT HOME ON THE FARM,
NEAR CoNYERs. GA, Nov. 90, "a.
Governor W. J Northen, Manager I'm
migration and Investment Bureau,
Atlanta, Ca:
My Dear Sir:-Yours of 18th inst.
asking me to furnish you with methods,
preparation, culture. cost, yield, etc.
of premium acre of corn grown on my
place for the purpose of ~putting<the
same in your preliminary pamphlet to
attract immigration to Georgia, etc.,
was duly received.
My reply has been delayed on &C
count of the cold snap catching my
sugar cane, potatoes, peas and late
crop of corn, and I beg to decline your
request for the following reasons:
am opposed to any but voluntary
immigrants.
Those who know enough of Georgia
to come for their own benefit, and not
for the benefit of an immigration bu-
reau.
This country has been the dumping
ground of immigrants long enough for
the benefit of a few men, and the Op
preston of the many.
I am for the protection of the home
less now with us, and would not add a
feathers weight to prevent them from
getting homes by bringing in others.
You have the title of "Georgia's
Christian Governor" and the good
book says: IF any provideth not for
his own, and especially for those of his
own house, he hath denied the faith
and is worse than an infidel."
Now, you know that half of u pop
ulation is homeless, and are dependent
upon others for homes.
Which is best, to offer inducements
to them to obtain homes, Or food the
country with homeless strangers9 Can
we get a better class of citizens9 We
say no.
They are our sons and daughters and
the sons and daughters of our neigh
bors. Men, women and children whom
we have known during life. There is
no better class of home-seekers under
the sun than Georgia's homeless.
Governor, haveyoufallen from grace
or b~ackslidden9
l cannot let my name be used to in.
crease competition to our laborers who
r now begging work from one end of
this State to the other. They are not
lozy, neither are they idle from choice.
They do not ask for charity, but for
work, and will our Christian Cover
nor" increase their burdens or invite
others to share theirs miseries?
There is no better labor, white or
black, on Gods green earth than those
living on Georgia's soil.
l am in favor of protecting them
something that has never been ex-
tended to them.
Is there one so blind or SO deaf that
does not see or hear their lamentations
every day9
Woe unto him who increaseth the
burdens of the poor.
Governor, who is to be benefited by the
new project except the railroads, who
subscribed $12, 900, and the 'Bureau9"
Certainly not Georgia's homeless
Keep still, my dear sir, for of all men
you have received the most benefit
from them. They are those who car.
ried you on their backs while you were
on the St. Louis and Ocala saddle with
your feet in the sub treasury ~stirrups.
Did you not hitch them to the party
post to weather the storm after you
reached the pearly gates7 Was this
the something better7
Again, would the experience of a
farmer, whom you thought incompe.
tent to act as director for the Expert
ment Station and one whom you dis
placed add to your books
But l beg your pardon, you are now
the agricultural experiment station, or
statistician, and l will not be unkind.
Write this in your book: Peek made
the way clear for Northen to be Gov
ernor in 1890 on the reform ticket, but
Northen failed to reform.
In 1892 Peek repudiated Northen be-
cause he was unfaithful to the laborers,
homeless and reformers and called a
convention March 80, 1892, to establish
a party to protect and add the home
less, to enable them to get bread and
thus stop the cries of their children.
By October, 1892, 70, 900 men in Geor-
gia yer helpin 6 Peek, and by Octo,
Der, 1894, 100, 900 had immigrated to