The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-12

| NOmhNO " n H
We called attention yesterday to a
| statement that colony of Germans
were about to settle in Escambia coun-
| ty, Alabama 1t would seem to be about
! time that the South was getting a por-
| ton of the foreigners who are COM
ing to this country. She does not, of
! course, want those who are simply la
! borers, and who expect to remain lab
orer all their lives. but she would like
| to have thrifty class Of immigrants
immigrants who would take up land
! and make farms and orchards and help
to build villages and towns. The West
has received a great many immigrants
of this class, and they have done
good deal to make her prosperous.
Immigrants, however, don't care to
seek homes where large section of
the population is composed of negroes.
They seem to think that if they are
poor, and have to work in the fields,
their social position there will be little.
if any, better than that of the negroes.
OF course they are mistaken about this.
In every Southern state now a very
large part of the work on the farms is
performed by white people. 1t has been
said, and doubtless truthfully, that
more than half the cotton crop is made
by white labor. 1t is certain that in
Texas the number of negro laborers
in some of the counties is comparative
ly small
Among the best immigrants coming
to this country now are those from
Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the
German empire. AS a rule they seek
homes in the country. They are thrifty,
and it does not take a family of them
long to open a productive farm on a
prairie or in the forest. They would
take our pine lands and make fine
farms out of them. Nothing could hap
pen to Georgia that would contribute
more to her growth and prosperity than
for $4,000 or 100000 of these people to
settle within her limits during the next
two or three years.
immigration Commissioner General
Powderly will say, in his report, soon
to be published, that of this class of
immigrants nearly $4,000 reached our
shores during the last fiscal year. The
number coming from the German en-
pire was 1855, and from Italy pretty
nearly 10000. We are getting more
from Italy than we want from that
source. The Italians huddle together
In the cities or migrate to the coal and
iron mines. They are not as desirable
as those who make their homes in the
country and devote themslvs to agri-
culture. Austria Hungary sent us 9S, 076
and the Russian empire about 5000.
Ireland furnished almost 10000, and
England, Scotland and Wales G, 476. The
entire number that came was 1888, 931.
1t would seem as if such a flood of
foreigners flowing into the country all
the time would greatly change the
character of the population, but the
people are as genuinely American now
as were those of three quarters of a
century ago. There does not seem to
be any alarm about the future of
American institutions. Indeed the mil
lions of foreigners who have come to
the country in the last half century
have caused far less trouble than the
negro population. The foreigners are
swallowed up in the great mass of the
population, and with the aid of the
public schools become very good Amer
lean citizens. The negroes are a sepa-
rate people and will always remain so.
How the problem which their presence
presents will be solved. the wisest of
our statesmen do not pretend to fore