The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-18
Misleading Reports.


The movement OF people from the north
west TO the southern states has assum-
81 such immense proportions that the
railroad companies and persons specially
interested in promoting the prosperity Of
the northwestern states are becoming
anxious for the future OF that section. and
are doing all they can TO check emigration
from il. In Nebraska and the Dakotas
there has not been an abundant crop for
three years owing to droughts. The
crops Of 1888 and 1925 were total failures.
while that Of last year was not much more
than an average one. Owing to the large
corn crop i'm other sections last year, the
price Of that article is very low. Conse-
quently the northwestern farmers have
not received enough from last years crop
to pay their taxes and live. The reason.
therefore, why they are seeking homes in
the south is apparent. To check the
movement to the south the northwestern
newspapers are printing letters from peo-
pie I'm the south who emigrated from the
ed 10 show that the conditions in the
south for getting a living are not more
favorable than they are in the northwest.
Some Of these letters are doubtless gen
uine. 1t may be that all OF them are. We
do not know anything about them. 1t
would not be a difficult matter to find
western people in this part of the south
who. for a consideration, would write for
western papers letters intended to discour-
age people from coming here. Such people
do not write intelligently of the country
or of the opportunities for acquiring
homes. They write of their own expe-
riences, and as they have not succeeded
they conclude that nobody else succeeds.
But it would be we'll to inquire whether
such people would succeed anywhere. We
do not think they would. They are either
too indolent to work or they are bad man,
ayers If they were given the finest land
in the world they would not succeed in
making living. AS a rule. they are the
people who are dissatisfied. and who put
their letters into the newspapers with the
view of deterring others from coming to
the south.
But where there is one immigrant who is
dissatisfied with the south there are
many who are satished-so well satisfied.
in fact, that they spare no efforts to in
duce their friends in the north and west
to join them. They are industrious and
frugal and are succeeding.
The conditions for success that are re-
quired in the north are also required in
the south, but there are better returns for
farmers and capitalists in the south than
in the north. Crops are certain, the land
is good and the climate is excellent. It
is true there are localities in the south
where the advantages for making a living
are not nearly so great as they are in
other sections, and immigrants who locate
in those places are likely to be disappoint-
ed and disappointed immigrants lose little
time in making their disappointment
known. They are likely to do harm to the
state or sections of the state in which
they reside.
But the few who do not succeed will
not check the movement of immigrants to
the south. 1t is pretty well understood
that they would not succeed anywhere and
that their failure to succeed is wholly
their own misfortune.
The movement of immigrants to the
south is not going to stop because the
northwestern railroads want it to stop or
because a few of those of the west who
have settled in the south write letters to
western papers advising western people
not to come south. The south has ad-
vantages over every other section, and
the western people are beginning to dis
cover that it has. With home-seekers and
investors. therefore, the south is certain
to enjoy an increasing popularity.