The true northerner., 1896-03-11
THE GEORGIA COLONY.
Not very Rosy Outlook Many Van Bu
rem County People I'm the Colony.

| All will remember the exodus of OLD
soldiers and their families To join the
Georgia colony, few weeks since
| The following article, from the Chicago
Inter Ocean, does not indicate that the
lot they have chosen is particularly
happy one:
Under the heading A Future Plague
Spot, Dirie, a journal devoted exclu.
sively To southern industrial enterprises
sounds note of warning To all who
may be in danger of delusion by land
, sharks who, either as individuals or cor.
porations with hlgh-sounding titles,
, seek to delude northerners into pur.
chase of and settlement upon worthless
southern lands.
"The South desires large influx OF
northern immigrants, but it needs men
in the prime of life, possessed of cap.
ital which, though small, is sufficient
for maintenance during the first year
of settlement, and il desires them To
settle upon land that quickly may be
productive.
In the South as elsewhere there are
large areas of barren land, either inca.
pable of profitable tillage or profitable
only after the outlay of large capital
and much labor. There are adventur-
ers who seek to put such land ON the
market. The success of their schemes
will be disastrous To northern purchas-
ers, and also to the whole South, which
will be uniustly deprecated by the vic
tins of fraud. We rejoice that south
ern sentiment, as expressed by DiTie,
is emphatic in behalf of honesty as the
best policy. The South, or large parts
of it, offers great attractions To immi.
grants, but the immigrant should make
personal inspection of land before be-
coming purchaser, and in the case of
immigration by colonies inspection
should be made by competent and
honest committee of the prospective
cOlonists.
CO Yes, indeed, the question may well
be asked, Nv hat are these people GO
ing to doY" Think of it-5,000 people
practically without money, set down in
a barren wilderness! All are in des-
perate condition. but what is to become
of the thousands that are penniless?
The pensioners cannot support them,
and, admitting the fertility of the soil,
which is admitting a very doubtful
point, years must elapse before the only
possible means of sustenance-agricul-
OC Pub III ouSSCooiui OPOid
ton.
Discussing the matter few months
ago, friend of the enterprise said:
"The scheme has been complete sue
cess in the one essential feature that
concerns southern people; the land has
been sold and the money paid down"
Is it true that this is the only phase of
the matter that we are interested in?
Does it not concern us to know that,
aside from the question of humanity,
there has been located among us a
great colony of people that must, of
necessity, become burden TO the state?
That these homeless and penhiless
people will learn to hate the southern
people and southern institutions? That
so many of them as can will return to
their homes and become living adver-
tisements against the South?'
"If the situation of the colony of vet
erans be as described by Dirie, steps
should be taken at once to prosecute
the promoters of the fraudulent scheme.
But the assuring fact is that the
reputable journals of the South are set
ting their faces against dishonest
schemes of colonization. The South
cannot afford to have its bright pros
poets marred by the fraudulent avarice
of land sharks"