The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-06-06
TO INVITE IMMIGRATION.


this State has resulted in 4 scarcity of
larm labor. White tenants and crop.
pers who have been barely able to exc
out an existence on the farm, even
when assisted by their families, have
naturally discovered that for less work |
they can make more money by going |
to the factories, where they and tnelr |
families can easily secure employment. |
This class has furnished the great ma |
Jorlty OF operatives to our cotton mills. |
ana, as Il consequence, the mill labor
ers IN this State are of the better sort
and have given no trouble, being in
dustrious and fairly intelligent and
thrifty. There has been mixture of
the shlftlcss and worthless, but not
enough to hurt.
3ut the exodus from the farm to the
mil has been detrimental to the inter
csts OF the farmers. Acceptable labor
has become scarce, and i'm some sec
tions, rs we have learned, farmers
have had great difficulty in securing
white tenants and farm laborcrs. The
negro laborcr IN the up.country il in
clincd to be unreliable and self assor-
1--WE, az is the rule where his race is
not so largely represented among a
prcdomlnating white population. I'm
snort, The situation which confronts
the landlord ami the farmer regardino
labor is bordering upon the serious and
its gravity will increase with the null
uplication of mills and the additional
attractions of the factories over thc
farm.
There IS only one thing TO be done
II hoo ,t al,
rapidly coming when there should he
an authorized and wcll-dircctcd effort
10 induce desirable immigrants to settle
upon the farms Of South Carolina. The
need OF this State is class Of indus
trlous, thrifty, energetic and ec0nom-
ical "small farmcrs.n The plantation
system is not suited to the conditions
III the up'country nor has it succeeded
there as Il rulc, and our agricultural
population does no. appear to be fitted
Tor the "small farming" plan. They
have found it difficult to "r,lnn their
farms without being "suppledn and
the supply system has been a failure
except FOR the men who do the supDly
ing. Now that tins class is GOING io
work III the cotton mills il is necessary
TOM the gap 1t leaves. We need such
population as has made the plains of
) the Northwest blossom as the rose
thrifty, industrious, rcsourccful. and
reliant. As small farmers The Ger.
mans, Swcdcs and Films are not cx-
ccllcd IN any country and The immi-
grants of these nationalitics have buil,
up the agricultural greatness of those
scctiohs which they have settled.
me plalrlc states are now becoming
somewhat crowded and the sturdy
farmers OF the Northwest could be in
duced TO migrate again, this time TO-
ward the South, where they can find
farms rs fertile rs those thcv leave and
, lands upon which numerous crops can
be cultivated and at different seasons.
There are III this State thousands OF
acres that have never been put undc,
cultivation. These Immigrants are thc
very people TO develop their resources
ana TO take the place Of the native
, farmers who are being drawn TO the
lactolles. Where the natives have
! iailcd the industry and the economy of
the Germans and Swcdcs will ensure
success. They are accustomed TO hard
Work ana less expensive LIVING. while
every member of The family is a capa-
bic laborcr.
Within the last few years the inn.
migration from Germany. Norway and
= Sweden has been decreasing. n noss,.
. bic cause being the knowledge that thc
northwest, where their compatriots
, nave settled, is sufficiently supplied
| with population. 1t should therefore
} be possible to attract these people tu
l inns portion OF the country where thcil
E. natural abilities as farmers would find
Llc iullest opportunity for profitable
employment.
The thought of encouraging migra.
I l!on TO tins section may not commend
itself to the average reader at the first
, mention, but there are immigrants and
, immigrants. On account of their sIa.
Dillty and industry the natiOnalitics we
nave mentioned are very much to be
desired as citizens. They build nm ::
country and they are in sympathy with
our IDEAS ol government, having left
Their native lands because of polilicol
beliefs which are in accord with ihc
republican institutions they find here.
South Carolinlan are wont to boast
OF the homogeneous character of our
population, but this State was settled
by people from various countries
, whose pccularitlcs of thought and life
are today evidenced in the characters
OF their respective descendants, so that
IL Is not difficult to point out what sec
tons OF South Carolina was settled by
lhe English, what by the French, the
Scotch, the Dutch and so ON. In in
vltlnS foreign settlers we would only
DC going back to first principles.
That the State would be benefited
by an influx of such a population as we
nave described cannot be successfully
denied The effect upon the race
problem is a phase which need not be
now taken up, though ii may be simply
sad III passing that the solution would
likcly be FASTENED by an increase in
the white population. The thing TO
40 Is to devise and put into execution
a practical plan for securing these
citlzcns. II has been done elsewhere
ana 1t can be done IN South Carolina. -
Cohtmbia state.