The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-12-04
THE RIGHT PROMOTION OF
SOUTHERN IMMIGRATION
Commissioner Watson. Of South Carolina, Tells of His Ex-
perienoes and His Hopes.

.uh.. <st
toner f. y Nat.u - :hs south
carolina giraffe" lee r2rt~ss
talked freely and f-lnAsf @..a a~ t-
taE about sh. practical ~ars Ae
doing fs- immigration and ~att 'HAt
ag ta. Manufacture Es s~9 tN sN
'a- sag.. ~ tse south G. t4.5"r aHte
~lsnatH- So 10. ext-mek
economic sue~tsu.- Involved II BIS
tn. l-.ts3 ~.a-.. understand ha~
deeply the movement -estatt aA-
rated affects th- welfare I'D tas .s.srs
country. IL ~aI--
haye long b.e close SUDDEN
us the economic conditions tas
country particularly a- relating Re
ta. south and b Il Hi4~frfs.
t.r41 ana commercial 8~yNsls8.av.
When tae department - the state
government 81 which j aH A
head. ua~ established frsr.t
through the forts 81 6aNt-as
Hayward. o. greatest ns4 ~A~
people. studied closely ,a lH-
migration problem i'm all t1~ ga1
quickly SAW that la. rlGht pitt# fr
Ellis Island Was eH lhe other ~ste
IMPLY giving care a@ 20 thy admission
~ people to tho American -41s.
turning them loose With Ea regard ~
their future - become tae prey
labor sharks aaa started on iAl pam
u undesirable citizenship immediately
upon admission. / SAW THAI tl place
for restrictive and scIcettNe NaFk
was At the port of departure rather
than the port Of entry. l saw thas
the system prevailing was causing a
couge-ted condition ia tAe great ports
and centers Of population that Were
developing 2 strong restrictive SenL-
msnt. and that under the system
prevailing there was no hope of BRING
desirable immigration south. Thee
came the recommendation % Com
missioner General Sargent and lat#.
the message OF the President on I'M
same line. Seeing IN the provision III
the L. ~, allowing states TO operaia
abroad the possibility IF setting pa
foot work that would IT 2 anu the
same time provide restrictive n se-
lectiye measures. secure q better class
Of immigration. give to the South the
class Of labor she vas demanding =
the bettcrment Of the ucgr" labor,
and bring about the yery kind of
distribution that the whole country
was demanding. with the promise ol
relieving the congestion At he ceHlcrs
Of population and send the aliens ar
irving into the territory where
hey could be readily absorbed and
assimilated without d~isruptiuE. but,
on the contrary. lettering existing
conditions, ] csolVcd To make the at
tempt. ] could not afford 10 make the
attempt untimcIy.
Laying the foundations ~gratGualty
by opening Offices in Europe, run by
men of whose appointemant and ;ha
T state Department Of the United states
was notified. the psychological mo-
ment was awaited. 1t MAS ncct SsitN
TO take a moment when international
and national trade-botn industrial
and commerciai-conditiouS offered
a chance to establish transatlantic ser
vice into the South Atlantic Sta1es
with a reasonable assurance Of sue
cess. Patience was required, but last
August, after d|illigent inquiries, IT
became evident that the hour had
come. and | went to Europe. The
reception accorded my Suggestions
proved that the selection Of the tiG"
was a happy one. IT is needless to
discuss the result, how success came
with each step. This is being freely
discussed by the press Of the
try from Maine to Florida. Tha re-
ception in the South of the undertake
ing is best indicated by recent action
of southern bodies, and the activity
III this line by the Governor Of my
own State. who was the first to Sug-
gest the establishment Of a full de-
partment of state government charged
with this work.
4 do YOU see any permanent results
ahead?'
IloSI dSSui GUY we ndNC D#f3i
trying to build for the future. 1t aas
not been 4 matter Of the bringing Il
4 few selected immigrants into tha
South. we have given greatest at
tention to the building up Of a com
mcrce with foreign countries, the di-
rect hauling Of the cotton crop and
other agricultural products of tn
South to European countries where
there is a great demand for them.
This means a saving Of millions Of dol
lars annually 70 the producers and t.
Southern railroad lines now wasted IN
unnecessary freight charges, and 4
like saving in the expectation OF prod
ucts from these countries upon which
much is likewise wasted i'm frcigh,
charges that there is no necessity al
paying. Pursuing this plain bushes
proposition, we have realized it meant
the establishment of the coveted
transatlantic service. and that with
such a service once established We
would find our immigration problem
solved: that for each ship there WOuld
be plenty Of passengers offering. and
that undcr State Department control
our supply Of immigration would DO
full, making it necessary for our rep
resentatives to do only saIcctive work.
"AnyOnc familiar with Europeap
customs and conditions WiI see this -
q glance. In other words. / am con-
WINGED that the foundation has been
laid for select Immigration into the
south III q continuous stream. WIfhou'
the necessity of expanding in 4 waste
full manner the thousands of doIIar
that our people OF the South have been
wasting for years in conflicting and
misguided efforts, Let them but rally
to the support Of the transatlantic ser
vice into South Atlantic ports as q
plain business prouOSltlon. and they
viii have. with State DEPARTMENT.
to do the selection. what they want
in immigration. q the ~couceetal
centcrs VIII find an automatic dis
tributIon and , relief heretofore
sought in vain. and. furthermore
the nation will fi4d itself getting q
better class Of immigrants and the
relief that the whole people are
demanding. To make this most -
fecive the sparsely-settled Souther'l
States. rich in and pro
ductive power. should have STATE
Departments. and Congress should
be asked to make such changes IN
existing laws a Will give then
greater powers with the sanction 81
foreign governments to conduct So