The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-12-03
HOW EMIGRATION SHOULD
BE HANDLED IN THE SOUTH
Bv e. ], Merriam.

- of the right kind. 1t is the char
acter of the people that makes a coun-
try prosperous. when the country mas the
natural resources. The south needs IN
teligent workers to till her fertile acres
and build up her waste places. We are
away behind other parts of the country
in bringing the advantages of our section
to the attention of would-be settlers. Our
agricultural department is preparing
book In which will be shown the resources
of every section i'm the state, but they
will be able to publish 1t in only a very
limited edition because of the lack of
funds. Manifestly our business men
should take this matter up and mature
some plan to e. outrage healthy emf
grafton.
The majority of emigration as 1t comes
to this country from abroad Is not regard
ed as healthy fact IL has been looked
upon with so much disfavor that laws
have been passed for its restriction. and
declarations respecting II are made In
the platforms of the great political par
ties.
To be the dumping ground for paupers
speaking n foreign tongue, cannot be re-
garded as either healthy or desirable. The
country Is already well supplied with the
hewers of wood and drawers of water.
What is needed is men who know how to
do something and bring with them brains
as well as muscle, together with enough
cash capital to own home.
A great deal of stress has been laid on
the advantage of inducing northern and
foreign capital to come south and de-
velop the country. This may do very
well with regard to railroads and man
nnn nj a
than the local community can usually
raise; but when ii comes to agriculture,
we have before us the disastrous result
of alien landlordism In Ireland. and
should place this class of emigration as
also unhealthy.
The large wheat ranch, with but few
exceptions, hae not been able to compete
with the small farmer who OWNS his
farm md whose diversified interests give
him and his family profitable employ
ment the entire year. The most healthy
emigration must necessarily be that class
which can support themselves. Increase
the productivcness of the land, and pro-
duce the large staple crops with the
greatest economy. In the west this class
has proved to be the intelligent, INDUS
trious farmers who own small farms and
work them almost entirely with their own
families These are the people who
produce new wealth without being tax
on the community, and when we induce
them to move south, we shall have
healthy emigration.
For this class o. people the south Is a
veritable paradise, with it's enormous add
yantages in climate, length of seasons.
number of profitable money crops, and
variety and fertility of soil, to say moth
ing of the reduced cost of living. and
lower price of land in this milder lati-
tude.
II is me- less to say that the only thing
necessary to induce this class to move
south and buy homes is TO have the re-
sources of this section properly present
ed TO them How to reach these people
with economy and effectiveness is the
real que ion to be solved.
The great literary syndicates have
solved the question of furnishing first
class literature to the people. and max
ing it possible for the small local news
papers to use material they could not
otherwise afford 10 buy. The columns OF
these papers are ever open TO entertain
ing articles on other sections of the coun-
try provided these articles can be OBJ
taine. cheaply. And these papers reach
the class we wish TO inter
The plan, then, is to establish bureau
of information in the south. then en-
plov competent writer's to travel over
the country and v up its natural ad-
vantages with copious Illustrations, max
ing a speciality of writing up the success
full men and heir methods ana prohts'
These articles should then be syndlcated
nv the bureiu of information. and copies
toget .r with cuts of the illustra tons
sent gratis to local county papers all
over the north and west.
All this will &C 81 money, you say. ana
who is going to pay for 1t? Manifestly,
the people most to be benefited by this
e,nieration The great railroad corpora
lions and large business interests. Some
one may suggest that the state should
nav for this work. theoretically, the
state should; but the state will never
do it.
The prosperity OF our country today
Is not due to the government, but to the
business man. our civilization mas ad-
yanced in spite of the government, until
today the politician Is LIST III the rear
where lie can see nothing but a possible
defeat or reelection. The politician will
not devo.e a dollar to develop his state
If he knew il would bring Iour dollars of
wealth in return unless this vote would
contributes TO his reelection or pay some
political deDt.
The greater part of the burden OF de-
welcoming our country has ever been
thrown upon the shoulders of the brainy
business man. He builds the railroads,
opening up the country, establishes man
ufactories. and develops Industries for
the creation of wealth and the employ
ment of labor. A large margin of profit
has come to these men through their en-
terprise and theirs Will be the privilege
of establishing this bureau for the gath
ering and distributing of information rel
atiVe TO this section.
The railroads have already made start
along this line by printing and sending
out information about the sections
through which they run. But the rail-
roads do not go far enough In that they
are not yet sending out the syndicate
matter above referred to. Their informa-
ton is rather of the cut-and-dried order.
and does not appeal TO the average man
and woman, who had rather read about