The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1907-06-29

from AS much as we need them, in
stead of the negro, we had better see
our fair fields grow into wilderness
rather than bring into our commonwealth
the Malta and Secret Societies. | want
to say that if | am intrusted with this
high position of Governor that this ques-
ton will be closed thoroughly my friends,
against these undesirable people, no
matter how much they are needed.
Having said so much my friends, l in
tend, instead of recanting what | have
said on this important subject, to say
boldly that | am cordially in favor of
the right sort of immigration. | know
that my saying this will make me lose
votes, but if lose every vote in Missis-
sippi | should not hesitate to speak
boldly for what I think is the best for
| Mississippi. With no immigration here
we simply must leave our fields go to
ruin. For what purpose is immigration?
you ask, for csfnpetition?, If not for that,
| for what other purpose, because Of the
| indolent negro who is growing more
useless from year to year, month by
month and day by day, and especially
those negroes engaged in agriculture.
! We have, my friends. speaking in round
numbers 3,0OO,0 900 OF these immigrants
who have been "brought under the ploW"
| to borrow an expression from the Italian.
Suppose, as suggested, immigration
had been stopped twenty-five or fifty
years ago, where would these ladies and
gentlemen have been. Why, we all
descended from some nationality. Take
nv name, Scott. You will know with
out any more words that my ancestors
were Scottish, my father was Scot and
my mother half Scott and English. And
so with every lady and gentleman, your
ancestors came from somewhere.
Another question that is Of great i'm
portance, is
THE RACE QUESTION.
The statement is made that there are
| 100000 negroes against 100000 white
men. 1t is just as fixed and irrevocable
that the negro will cease to be an indus
trial or agricultural factor Of the State
and | want to say to you that when he
ceases to be an industrial factor in our
midst, he will first leave the corn and
cottou fields and go to the railroads and
| factories and cities and then he will
finally pass the Mason C Dixon line and
go to the North and West, and when
| that time finally comes, | want to say
| that | agree with John Sharp Williams
and Governor Vardanan that when that
time finally comes, it is going to be bet
ter for the negro and all the better for
us, because we will then settle at once
the Race Question and the Labor Ques
ton, SO far as the negro is concerned,
| but we should not hasten that time.
| Another thing, the doctrine of Noblesse
| Obligee extends wherever man is placed
and as long the negro is in our midst,
it is our duty to see that he is protected
in life, liberty and property we must
take time by the forelock and to do that
we are simply compelled to bring here
! the right sort of white men, men with
families to cultivate our fields There
thousands of acres of uncultivated land
in the Delta left for the want of labor
and that brings me personally to this
great question.
| HAVE BEEN MISREPRESENTED
outrageously on that subject, and 1t has
| been stated tnat | wanted to flood the
country with criminals Of the Italian
cities. Why, the very statement refutes
itself. Suppose that any gentleman in
| this audience had $4,000 acres OF land,
and that he was compelled to go to
!
scum of the great Italian cities where
his family resides? Why, it would be
like throwing money to the dogs. Now,
these are the facts of the case: | had
Is, 600 acres of land as fine as you ever
saw, that was uncultivated. | couldn't
get anyone to cultivate it for love nor
money; nor could | get any white la
| borers to do it. I did get few farmers
from Indiana, but it was like drop in
+! the bucket, as the saying goes. What
would you have done in my place?
| This is what | did: Instead of bringing
here, as my enemies have charged me
with doing, the criminals of Italian
cities, | was so particular that | would
not risk taking families from the ship
sides, as many others do. Sometimes
the families are very good, but | went
in person year before last to Europe to
investigate the labor conditions for my
brother farmers, just exactly as Hoke
Smith did before he was elected Cover
nor of Georgia and commenced his
term. Alter looking over the whole
situation, looking over almost every
country, found that conditions for far
mers in Northern and Central Italy were
congested, and, for that reason, the ma
tives were desirous of making their
/ homes in America, Now, these people
come from the country near the River
Poe, that grand and beautiful place de-
scribed by Lord Byron. The country
is very malarious, almost Identical with
conditions in the Delta, where I am
situated. Why, now, did undertake
to take the Italian? For two reasons:
| first, | want to say because, literally
speaking, the Italian farmer from Cen
| trail and Northern Italy has been known
always as fine farmer, and, gentlemen,
no less a person than Thomas Jefferson,
years ago, before the Revolutionary
/ War, said that we should send to Cen
trail Italy and bring over good, honest
Italian farmers to cultivate our fields.
You will see, my friends, that the peo-
pie selected were from there, and as
we are greatly troubled with malaria in
| the Delta, as you well know, you will
see that, instead OF bringing the scum,
as my competitors charge, | brought no
city people at all, neither from the city
nor near the city; but all city people
are not criminals, whether they live in
France, Italy or any other country; but
brought no city people, | selected. far
mers. And right here I want to say
that, so far, the experiment has brought
satisfactory results. One Italian from
that section is worth from three to five
negroes, and they are people that we
have no trouble with; and, again, re-
4 peat, the
EXPERIMENT HAS PROVEN SATISFACTORY.