The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-05-27

Those states are IN intimate railroad
connection with the west and thous-
ands of farmers have been induced
to move into that more hospitable
climate of the south. They have. too.
encouraged Italian immigrants with
most satisfactory results In Conf
mcnting on an editorial in the New
York Journal of Commerce on Cor:l-
missioner F. J. Watson's review Of
agricultural conditions. the New Or
leans Picayune says:
AS far as the opinions OF the Jour
nal OF Commerce as to the south 5
needs with respect to increased labor
supply are concerned. our New York
contemporary has given voice to d
correct inte, pretion Of Mr.. Watson ;
review OF the agricultural conditions
in this section. AS to the social ana
political problems OF the south ana
their relation to immigration. The
Journal OF Commerce is not 4 good
authority. as it clearly has no con-
ccption oi the conditions prevailing
in this section: few northern journals
have. As to the welcome likely to be
accorded honest and industrious
white settlers in the south, which The
Journal OF Commerce appears to fear
will be not such as to make them
feel at home and eager to grow r'p
with the community OF which the at
mosphere is not always congenlal,
Our cotemporary is clearly very far
away from the facts. In the state OF
Louisiana. for instance. thousands OF
farmers from the western states have
settled and have grown rich and pros
porous Moreover. the sugar cane
fields OF southern Louisiana swarm
with Italians. who have taken the
place OF negro labor to considerable
extent. These widely divergent classes
OF white settlers have certainly found
nothing in their surroundings which
has failed to prove congenial.
Giving evidence favorable to Italian
laborers on southern farms, the Char
lotte Evening Chronicle presents
these facts:
There are Italian farmers in
Mecklenburg who tickle the ground
to good purpose and who never fail
to make good crops. Their chief
characteristic is thrift. They work
early and late, but they work quietly.
They cultivate their crops and market
them without regard to what other
people are doing. They attend strict
ly to their own business and they are
prospering and laying up money
Furthermore. they are good class
of citizens. The south would do no
better than to fill up its waste places
with the farming class of Italians. \
colony OF them settled throughout
Mecklenburg would vastly increase
the annual value of the agricultural
products OF this country"
These are pretty strong endorse
ments for Italian farmers. coming
from two southern states where
their work has been tested. Moreover,
if the sugar cane fields of southern
Louisiana Swarm with Italians who
have taken the place of negro labor"
why should not the lower part OF
South Carolina be similarly popula
ted? We have several times express
ed the opinion that the greatest i'll
ture for Charleston lies in the devel-
opment of that territory which Char
lesion could command. There may
be developed ten thousand farms;
there is profitable work for a hun
dred thousand industrious white men.
Under the act creating the bureau
of immigration the commissioner may
not seek immigrants from the south
OF Europe. There is, however, moth
ing to bar their coming, and if it be
found that prejudice against them is
i'll founded. there is nothing to pie
vent the progressive interests Of
Charleston encouraging such set
tiers. In our opir:on no money that