The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-04-13
SCANDINAVIAN
IMMIGRATION
TO BE ENCOURAGED TO THE
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
Literature, Setting Forth the Advant-
ages of Southern States Will be
Widely Circulated in Scandinavia-
Mississippi Should Wake Up

A concerted movement IS being
made to induce Scandinavians to emf
CRATE to Mississippi and other South
ern states. This movement was
started by the editor of the American
Scandinavian magazine, published al
| Brooklyn, N. Y, and the next July
issue of this periodical will be issued
from many of the most important
cities of Scandinavia, and this issue
will deal altogether with the South
ern states as an ideal place for the
people of that country.
Some correspondence has been GO
ing on between the editor of the
Observation-Disclosures and Commits
sioner Blakeslee, of Mississippi, but
it seems from the correspondence
that Mr.. Blakeslee has been a little
slow in taking advantage of this op-
portunity, and the editor of this mag
azine complains of Mississippi in gen
eral as lacking interest in the move
ment Some Southern states have
not been so backward and have eager
ly grasped the opportunity by taking
space, in which they set forth the
advantages they have and still others
have been as slow as Mississippi Mr..
Blakeslee may have not been so fav-
orably impressed with the idea, but
it is certain he will when he is fully
aware of the advantage this publicity
offers.
The work of inducing Scandinav-
ians to emigrate here is hard task
The campaign waged by the states of
the West and North against the
South, has been so vigorous and so
mislea ding that it will take the united
to clear the prejudice that exists in
that country against the South. An
other thing that handdcaps the inn
migration bureaus over there is the
false reports circulated that tend to
exaggerate the claims we make, and
the few who have come South send
back unfavorable reports. Stringent
laws have been enacted
in Scandinavia because of this exag-
geration, but even with this handicap
an honest presentation of the South's
can be circulated through
the magazines, and it is hoped by
this means to inaugurate a campaign
of education throughout that country.
The Scandinavians make desirable
settlers. They are peaceable and law
abiding, clean and industrious. When
once they locate, they stay, make
their homes, and the almost universal
opinion that they do not want to To-
cate in warm climes is false They |
are no more adverse to locating in |
warm climes than are people of the |
North to coming here What is need
I'd to induce them to come South is |
'or our people to offer inducements |
hat equal the advantages and liberal
offers made them by Northern local |
ties. In this connection Maj. George
Helm, of this city, offers 40 acres of |
Is good land as is found in the Delta
% settlers who will agree to CONS
lere and make their homes by staying
/ certain number of years. This is
he only condition and it is a very
LIBERAL one. Giving away land on
uch conditions should bring these
if other planters will
make the same offer. One patriotic
md liberal planter can not accom-
,lish much alone. 1t needs the con-
:erted action of every landholder.
nd it is the duty of our immigration
nd agricultural officials to advance
along this line
Mississippi has plenty of room for
thousands of immigrants. The state
wants good, hard working foreigners
nd there is no reason why this mat
er should not be taken up at once
nd vigorously pushed to finish