The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-04
THE WAY TO SECURE Im,IGRANrs.


Here in this county we have had a
great deal 10 say about the necessity
for securing immigrants for settling up
the vacant lands of Chatham county
and the counties to the south of us.
and the Legislature is expected to ere
ate an immigration Commission during
its present session and make an appro-
priation for bringing immigrants to
this state.
AS we understand it. both in this
county and throughout the state there
is entire willingness to encourage for
eign immigrants of the class that is
wanted. namely, thrifty farmers. How
to get that class is the problem upon
which considerable work has been done,
and not a little money has been spent
without accomplishing results worth
considering, and yet to a practical man
the problem doesn't seem to be hard to
solve.
Wednesday we published an inter-
view with a resident OF this city. Mr..
]. w. Hahn, on the immigration ques-
ton. He seems to know more about it
than most of those who have figured in
connection with it in this part of the
state, or any ether part for that mat
ter. According to his statement he has
been instrumental in sending between
5000 and 5000 first-class immigrants
from Germany to points in the West
Mr. Hahn is a German and has a
wide acquaintance in Germany, and
that accounts to some extent for the
success which he achieved in getting
immigrants to come to this country.
His business carried him to Germany
many times when he was resident of
a Western city, and while he didn't
have a commission to send immigrants
to the West, he felt that he could help
people in his native land to better
living by advising them to settle in
the United States.
According 10 his view A man who
inspires confidence and has an ac-
quaintanee with the German language.
can go to the northern part of Ger
many and induce thousands of thrifty
anu itiICth6CnL IdifllGIS 10 come 10
Georgia, and undertake the work of
opening up farms. But in order to get
them to come to this country, Mr.
Hahn says, an agent must be prepared
to tell the home seeking farmers where
to go to get good and cheap lands, and
there must be somebody ready to re-
ceive then and direct them until they
get fully established.
They are not prepared to pay a big
price for unOccupied lands. but they
are prepared to pay something. There
is no doubt, however, that they will
quickly work out any debt they may
contract for land or anything in the
way of farm supplies. One immigrant
family, if satisfied with its reception
and surroundings, will become the
strongest kind of an attraction for 9TH
er families
If the Legislature should create an
immigration Commission. and depend
wholly upon advertising matter to Sc
cure immigrants from Europe, the
states money would simply be wasted.
1t will take practical work to get i'm
migrants started in the direction of
Georgia. foreign immigrants of the de-
sirable kind, and they are kind wanted
from Europe. Georgia is getting
a great many good immigrants from
other states now. They are of a class
that can perhaps be reached to a great
extent with literature descriptive of
the states resources and advantages.
The PARKWAY German. knowing little
about the country. prefers to stick to
the home he has to embarking on
home seeking expedition without a pi-
lot in whom he has confidence.