The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-08-26
ON THE RIGHT LINE.
Strong, God-Fearing Men From the
North Of Scotland.
WHAT SOUTH CAROLINA NEEDS.
Mr.. Matherson, Wealthy Citizen OF
Benner,syille, Gives His Plan
for Bringing Them 20
This Country.

This Country.
To the Editor Of The News and
Courier: Possibly there is not a citizen
Of this State engaged in agriculture
certainly not a thinking one-who
has not given the matter of labor con-
siderable thought.
What with the emigration to the
lumber mills and turpentine farms Of
Georgia and Florida and the inetticl-
ency and indiSposition to work OF the
growing generation of negroes, the
problem of field labor is one Of press
ing monent-one that must be met
and, if possible solved.
am not one Of those who regard
the building of factories as an alum
mixed good. UnqueStionably the mills
have drawn and are drawing from the
country a large proportion of the
yeomanry Of the laud--the hardy sons
Of toil-and are leaving it and it's
healsh-giving occupations to the ne
gro.
Instead of remaining upon and till
ing our fair fields, drinking the pure
air of heaven and following those oc-
cupations conducive to, the highest
moral as well as PHYSICAL develop
ment, they ccagregate in close fac
tory villages and breathe only putrid
air of crowded houses filed with
machinery. Who that has seen the
inert, pale and dwarfed factory child
hut must wonder Of what class Will
be the generation three or four remor-
e6 from the present.
THE NEGRO DETER1oRATING.
It must be admitted, too, that the
negro is fast deteriorating in point OF
efficiency, to say nothing OF bis morals
and responsibility. The "old-time
darky'' is dying out and the younger
generation q speak in all kindness,
for I have nothing but good will to-
wards the negro,) shows no diSposl-
tion to improve himself.
With due Difference to Booker
Washington aud his crusade for the
Yankee dollar" I venture the aSser-
tion, and such is my information, that
not 10 per cent Of the graduates in
the several departments Of manual
labor of Tuskegee Industrial College
follow their several trades after leav-
ing the College grounds.
What, under these circumstances.
shall we do2 Abandon our lands,
withdraw our families to the towns
and forsake this, the first as well as
the highest, noblest and most import
ant of all occupations Teach our
children other pursuits and make OF
them pocr preachers, shyster lawyers,
ouack doctors, or precariouS mer-
chants?
While rot a great admirer Of Mr..
BRYAN iE some Of his ideas and
fallacies, yet there was never a truer
utterance than when he said, Burn
down your cities and leave our farms
and YOUR cities will spring up again
as if by magic; but destroy our farms
and the grass will grow in the streets
of every city in the country .
Being largely engaged and interest
ed in farming, l have given this mat
ter considerable thought and believe
that by concert of action and the eX-
penditure Of a few dollars, which will
in 9. short while return tenfold or
more, scheme can be adopted which
will procure many, if not as many as
we need, Of the best agricultural
iaborerS in the world.
Though not native and to the
manner born" of Scotland, am but
one generation removed, and I have
visited the old country several times,
besides keeping up communication
with several persons there. The north
of that
Land of the brown heather and
shaggy wood, =.
Land of the mountain and the food. :"
is densely populated with a class of
people. the finest specimens OF man
hood and womanhood ever saw. The
country is rugged and infertile, and
hence the people, as class, are very
Door. Who has read Ian McLaren's
inimitable stories but has IN his
minds eye a picture OF these people,
poor but proud Of their blood and
descent: honest from principle, not
from policy; intensely patriotic yet
,cosmopolitan in their ideas; religious,
but not fanatic; industrious, frugal
and as fine laborers as the world can
produce?
Many Of these people wish to emil
crate and would, did they have the
means: and at times the bare neceS-
saries OF life are so difficult to obtain
4that the public authorities encourage
emigration. America is the land OF
promise and OF plenty to these hard
working people. but heretofore the
colonies of Great peclally
Canada and AuStralia-haye received
a majority, owing to the aid given
them bv those colonies and the effort
made to direct emigration in those
directions. I am satisfied that we
can direct to our own State this most
desirable population if we make the
proper effort.
MR.. MATHEsoN>s PLAN.
The plan l suggest is aS follows:
LET the citizens Of each county hoio
2 meeting on the first Monday II
November next and form an asSocia
TON TO he known as The - County
immigration Society,"" electing tue
usual officers TO act until superseded
&c hereinafter provided. Each o
these county organizations will elect
three delegates to attend a State con
vention to be held in Columbia or