The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-04-13
{. ]. WATSON GETS TO WORK.
Iaamigration Commissioner Gives
Interesting Outline Of Plans.

Feb. 26 there was created IN the State
a department. of agriculture. commerce
and immigration. E. j. Watson, oi
Columbia, a representative Of the new
generation OF energetic yoang business
ansn who are the impelling force back
pf the recent awakening OF southern
Industries and commercial activity,
has been selected by Governor Hey
ward as the first commissi oner Of the
new department..
Mr.. Watson has been in New York
for several days on business connected
with his Office. This summer be will
make trip to Denmark, Norway
Sweden and Germany, with view to
presenting the advantages Of South
Carolina as field for the desirable
class of immigrants who come from
those countries. Speaking yesterday
of his visit to New York and OF the
circumstances which led to the creation
OF the department of which he is the
head, Mr.. Watson said:
$ My presence in New York at this
Jime is due to the new conditions that
hare arisen i the middle south, and
It is no unmeaning errand considered
an the light of the development Of the
country. The rapid development Of
southern manufacturing and the conse-
euent robbing of the fields of the white
Senans farmer class, the demonstration
given last fall Of the dependency Of
the cotton manufacturing interests on
the south for raw material, not alone
IN this country but abroad-these and
the tendency of the negro to move to
the centres of population and thence
20 the east are the three essentials to
be considered
4 s. 1t is perhaps strange and yet not
unexpected condition that the very
rapid development of the manufactur-
ing industry Of the south-particlarly
In my State-should result In injury
30 agricultural interests. The explain
alton however, is easy. When we went
ahead and pnt nearly $40, 600, 600 into
cotton mills, which could only be
operated, with white labor for reasons
it is not necessary to discuss, we SIM
ply robbed our fields of the white ten
ant farmer class and left the agricul-
tural interests in such condition as
to demand the attention of the State
government. Then came a move of
Sally and Brown which las revealed
10 che whole cotton manufacturing
world It's dependency upon the cotton
growing States of this country, ac-
csntuating the acuteness OF situation
already seen and realized. The farm
ers Jared well and they have prohted.
Now they realize their power and
their opportunity, but they find them
selves without the necessary labor,
and intelligent labor they must have.
They consequently want something
and want it quickly.
6 Another phase of this situation is
: the negro question. Our farmers have
always had plenty of negro labor on
their places. Today they are crying
for labor with which to work their
crops. Having lost the white tenant
farmer for the reasons assigned, they
have suffered the additional partial
loss of the negro farm laborer. This
is due 80 the fact that the negro's
tendency, in orr State at least. in the
last few years has been, first, to seek
ths larger centres of population and
commerce. In the cities he finds
himself poorly csa6, irregu.ariy aNo
al fed aud natural victim of immor-
aity-the consequent sufferer ircm
diseases which tend to balance the
death AID birth rate Again, his ten
dsncy is to seek railroad construction
camps and to move north and east.
TIE eyempli6eation of this can be
most strikingly found in Washington
and Baltimore and even here in New
York, the increase in the negro popu-
Iatiou in the first two cities having
been reached in the last two or three
years.
{. All OF these things have combined
together with the appearance Of the
boil weevil in Texas, to awaken the
AGRICULTURAL interests of the south to
q rsalization Of the fact that come
taing must be done. The great need
IS white settlers from this country
and abroad. My State has seen the
sitoation, and that is why a n here
Oar farmers know that the boil
weevil. uniess an insect to destroy bin
is discovered, is likely to cross the
Mississippi at any moment and do
what Sully has done this year, With
Jbe additional feature that the effect
On PRICES vail he permanent. They
sssS5w that If tie weovil does come
prices will remain high, and that the
danger of the pest is an elas"nt In the
situation. ghsy realize that they
Mant diversified aud intensified farm
ms, and, knowing this, they have sue
eseded il establishing near tie heart
OF the State, diver>ifcatioa farm No.
l, by the Federal government, under
the boil weevil appropriation.
Further, knowing the need Of in
sslligent labor, the State has estab-
ished its department of agriculture,
commerce and immigration. at the
head of which l have beer placed for
foar years, with the view of inducing
desirable investments and settlers
from European and American points
to come to South Carolina-the real
garden spot of the world, possessing
a soil and climate producing some
crop the year round. We have thou
sands of acres of land lying idle at
this time, and it is the province of the
new department to bring about their
development.
foch ion.