The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-07-09

the south is a subject attracting inter est in all parts of the country. Bearing upon it are some interesting facts, both from the Italian standpoint, brought out this week in correspondence in the Manufacturers Record, Baltimore. from Independence, La, where a set- clement of Italians has done much to- ward increasing the value of land dur ing the past ten years from s1 to $50 an acre. Mir. c. L. Buck, one of the leading Ameriean-born citizens of the community, said: .. ..- *. E....
 Twenty years ago lands could be bought in and around the town for S1 to s5 per acre that are now selling readily at $25 to s10O per acre. One tract here of 1,6OO acres sold twenty five years ago for S1.600, and only few weeks ago the purchaser sold 200 acres of s10,40O. The assessed value of lands in this parish has been doubled in the past four years. One will ask what was the principal cause of the develop ment. The answer must be the Italian immigration that has come here and improved the conditions in respect to production. The majority of farmers have done away with negro labor. Why? Because the Italian laborer is a success. His sole object is to make money, and he knows it must come out of the ground; therefore he is always at work when his work is needed. The question Of his desirability as citizen is often asked. can say that thus far in our twelve or fifteen years experi- ence with them they have given no trouble to any one. They are prompt to pay their debts at the stores, meet their paper at the banks when due, and often before. I do not think there is a case on record in this parish where the state has had to prosecute them for a crime or misdemeanor, and that. is say ing great deal when we consider that there are 150 or 250 families living here, and every berry season there are prob ably 800 or more who come to assist in harvesting the crops. can speak from experience, and say that thus far l have found them good neighbors and good tenants. They are frugal and in- dustrious, and when working as tenants they are always willing to do their part, and I find 1t great improvement and cheaper than the negro labor of to-day that wants a dollar per day for a half- dollars worth of work. As tenants they never take up more at the store than will be realized from their crops, as is often the case with the negro After they are here awhile they become more or less Americanized, and live better and spend more money as their means justify. They are, generally speaking, cleanly about their houses They are capable of improvement in many ways, which is not the case witf the negro; and as far as know here I they have conducted themselves in 2 moral, law-abiding way. I am, oi lcourse, speaking from the past and present experience we have had witt them. As fruit and truck growers they will De hard to beat, and see no req. son why they can not be used to advan, tage for other sorts of farming. They soon make fair to good blow hands though at first they are green about handling horse.
 I They are not hard to teach as { rule. They want to make money which is their sole object, and they tr1 to follow instructions, and it is inevi
 table that if they make any the land l lord will, too. This immediate sectior would never have been what it is in st l short a time without the Italian labor l The price of land is no object if the. want it and can see their way clear t I make a living on it. If they think the. can make living on ten acres of lant
 and have $1,0O0, they will try it and no think 1t too much. They reason that l is that much invested from which the! can derive a livelihood and have nom besides. Numbers of them have settle here on ten-aere plots and made liv ing and saved up money, nothWith standing the fact that the family was Q large size. So far we find them peace l full, law-abiding citizens without tn dreaded stiletto. This Is giving a gen eraI history of them as know It.. 0
 course, some are more prosperous thal others"
 One of the Italian farmers, M,
 George Tlllessi, said:
 "In another generation when my chil
 dren speak the English language an
 own good homes, why should they nc
 be as good Americans as you are who's
 forefathers came from Ireland, or som
 one else who sprang from any of tn
 other nations? l &
 "They say an Itteiian doesn't spen
 any money. An Italian comes to thi lcouptry without anything and h
 doesn'$ spend anything until he make Lit. The first thing he wants to do is t
 buy a home. The negro rarely owns
 home or really cares for one and spend a dollar day while he is only makin
 seventy-flve cents, and sooner or late
 goes to prison, while the Italian pract
 cally lives in prison for three or fou
 years and spends nothing, and the
 buys home. An Italian farmer wit home paid for and few hundred do lars in the bank will spend money jus
 like any one else. A few of the olde
 ones, with cornnendable love for tn
 place of their birth, return to the ol
 country to spend their old age and di