The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-09-30

Ere of adventure TO the fulness of
the hearts content and never leave
the territory of our own state to
find it.
In this granite region may be
found more of the hardy sons and
daughters of Scotland than other
territory of the same size in Ameri
can and it is all to Georgia's ad-
vantage. They are a good people
and live by the sweat of their
brow in abundance that is known
by but few of those who labor for
their daily bread. Going among
these Scotch, one sees them just
as they would appear in their
native land They sing the songs
of Bobbie Burns in the mother
tongue of the poet, till one like
me feels when there that he strools
"aIoug the banks of Bonny DOOM"
or are listening to the murmur of
"Afton's sweet waters" We could
no more describe the sweetness of
this SCOTCH homo life than we
could picture the impression of
merit that belongs to these hardy
men and bonnie lassies who have
been drawn into the section by
this granite industry everywhere
80 abundant.
But the Scotch are not all the
people who work upon this granite.
Thousands of native county folk
have learned the art the SCOTCH
brought among us and find it prof.
table to labor there, and here comes
the only draw. back to be found in
the business. It is next to i'm
possible to keep laborers upon the
farms in the region. Whites and
blacks prefer to work upon the
"rocks" as they call it, and in
consequence agriculture is suffer
ing. But this disposition to en-
gage in other pursuits than farm
ing and to labor upon public works
rather than to pillow and to hoe is
manifest all over Georgia and this
is the regret.
Last week we made trip to the
town of Lithonia and wound and
twisted over big territory around
that place. Where we found pros
porous negro lsborers living on
former visits, now the houses are
vacant and the laborers have gone
away. The same applies to whites.
1t is almost impossible to get farm
hands and this is the burning need
of today. There must be some
way to secure this labor. It is
distressing to see the fair fields of
Georgia being turned out to sedge
and briars. The trend is that way.
Public works and manufactures
bid higher for this labor than
farmers can afford to pay and this
is the blight. tits a delusion also.
The truth is that these seeming
higher wages do not turn out that
way in the long run. The poorest
tenants upon the farm has COWS
and pigs around him. There is
never a time that they are strained
as these hig-paid public works
hands are strained.
But these high prices have their
fascination and it is entirely idle
to try to convince the average
laborer that there is any delusion
in the matter.
The thing to do is to work to
supply this farm labor. 1t is the
great question that confronts
Georgia and the south. All other
problems" are Insignificant to
this question of working the fields
Farming must go on. Everything
else may stop and the world will
wag along without much jar, but
stop farming and there would be
suon jar as to ruin the world
1 do hope that the great men of
country will drop everything and
take up this question of supplying
farm labor. It must be done and
it should be begun at once.