The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-07-08
IMMIGRATION MUST BE
URGED TO THE SOUTH.
LABOR MORE PREFERABLE.
The Vicksburg Herald Gives Good Reasons For Seek
ing White immigrants, and States the Situa=
ton as it COnfronts the Southern Farmer
In the Following Editorial.

In discussing the Southern need OF
immigration the Manufacturers Rec
ord says:
''The South desires immigrants. 1t
has lucrative work in the fields, its for
eSts. its factories and its mines for
twice Us many men as are now en-
plOyed. Hundreds Of thousands or
the fertile acres are awaiting the first
touch of the plow. Millions Of tons
of its mineral wealth in iron, coal,
phosphate, oil, building stones, clay,
etc, are to be brought to its surface.
It's cotton mills and factories, its
farms and plantations are undermann-
ed, with the world calling for their
products. The South cannot look to
the natural increase in its population
TO answer that call. 1t must draw
other men unto itself. But the South
will have human sewage under no
consideration. 1t is convinced that
it must not sacrifice a great future to
meet Il present emergency. 1t feels
that in this particular Of immigration
there is truth in the saw that where
there is less haste there is likely to be
the greatest speed.
There is in this concise statement
of a commonly accepted fact the text
for great deal Of practical thought
and discussion. As to the cotton
fields of the black belts, there can not
only no dependence be placed lin the
natural population increase the in
crease" =" but for depicting the SUR
raunding sections OF the cotton states
of their already insufficient labor
force, would be decrease. Or late
years the labor stringency of the Del
ia plantations, the unreliability, the
costly nOmadism Of the negro popula-
tion, has compelled planters to look
abroad for supplying the labor inSutli-
cheney. The subject is OF greater
moment and urgency than ever before.
1t indeed decidedly lost favor only a
| few months ago. When it was recOg-
niZed that Il gathered cotton crop OF
| over l3. 600, 600 bales was not only
| possible but en- accomplished fact,
and the price dropped from 10 cents
TO below cents. and it was feared 1t
would 90 even lower, there was a
great cry of OvcrproductiOn. 1t was
loudly proclaimed, and generally be-
| lieved, that the South had raised two
or three million bales Of cotton more
| than the mills Of the world could con-
| sumo. There ensued a clamCr for an
| artificial and concerted acreage reduc-
/ ton in which we all Joined. But the
i whole situation has changed changed
| marvellouSly and most unexpectedly.
! SpinnerS takingS Of new cotton have
1 shown that there WAS no OyerprO-
duction: and instead Of sinking below
| cost Of production, in the face of the
NEST phenomenal buying in all cotton
history, prices have advanced above
4 9 cents.
There may be other surprises in
| store for us, bat dealing with the
facts as they are and the situation as
it seems, the one paramount argu'
/ ment from the revised estimate OF the
| worlds demand for cotton is for niOre
labor. And the question as to where
and how to obtain it is uppermoSt with
planters in their thoughts Of the fu
ture. Their attention and preference
is mainly fixed upon Italy as the coun
try from which to attract the most
suitable and abundant. tenantry
The popularity OF the italian as
cotton grower has grown with object
lessons furnished by number Of Ak
perimentS on the cotton plantations
of the Delta. The Sunny Side colony
is more than an experiment-it is the
demonstration Of Il thorough test
We speak with knowledge in saying
that there are hundreds of planter:
who are calculating or arranging to
securing Italian tenants for supply
ing their labor shortages. Nor are
they moving blindly. Mr.. Chas
Scott, for instance. the largest plant
er in the state, will visit Italy soor
.