Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-09-25
HOLDING THIS SECTION BACK.

The Albany Herald engages in an
elaborate discussion of the chief
drawback to Gods country" that is,
south Georgia.
With its usual directness of aim the
Herald goes at the heart of the ques-
ton.
The chief drawback to the progress
and prosperity of this immediate sec
ton, its development to the high pitch
that it's conditions justify it in look
ing forward to, is the continual with
drawal of the best white blood from
the country districts to the towns and
cities, the surrender of many of the
finest farming districts virtually en-
tirely to the negroes.
This current is noticeable in prob
ably every county in the Southern sec
tion of the state. 1t may be more es-
pecially noticeable in southwestern
Georgia In Sumter county everyone
can tell of fine old home places on
which there is not now a white resi-
dent. The same is true of adjacent
counties. The Herald says that in
Dougherty county life on the farm
and all that it implies has been almost
wholly abandoned by the white people
who own most of the lands and the
agricultural interests are for the most
part in the hands of the negroes" 1t
is not that bad in Sumter. There are
many large and small white farmers
scattered all over the county, but it is
unfortunately true that their number
is not as large as it should be, not as
large as the conditions attending ag-
riculture in this county justify.
While Sumter is suffering in a less
marked degree from this drawback
than Dougherty, Lee and some other
counties, there is still a world of truth
in what the Herald says. It's express
sions are more or less applicable to a
score of counties hereabouts. Says it:
Under these conditions the country
cannot hope to realize even a modicum
of its opportunities nor make any
progress in material growth and the
requirement of wealth.
Southwest Georgia is ESSENTIALLY an
agricultural region. Nature with a
kindly hand, seems to have so de-
signed it, and here a greater variety
of farm products and foodstuffs for
which there is an increasing demand
in the markets of the world can be
produced with a margin of profit to
the producer than in any other part of
the South. That farming pays" in
this goodiy region is abundantly at
tested by the prosperity and increas-
ing wealth of the comparatively few
land owners who live on their farms
and make farming a business. This is
such a splendid farming region that
men do make farming pay even when
they DO farming by proxy and without
giving their personal attention to it,
but those who live on their farms and
apply intelligence and give personal
attention to farming operations are
growing richer every year.
So much for the conditions that
now obtain in the greater part of the
most fertile region of Southwest
Georgia.
Now, how can these conditions be
changed? How can the drift of the
white population from the country to
the towns and cities be arrested? Or
how can we induce more of the young
men who are leading aimless and un-
profitable lives in the towns and cities
to go to the country and engage in
the respectable and profitable voca-
ton of farming? The problem is one
which should command the serious
thought of every man of affairs in
this section, whether he be resident
of town or city or country. More en-
couragement and inducements to
young men to go to the country and
engage in farming should be extended
by those who are in position to do so.
The man: of affairs who induced a
young man to engage in farming
would not only be comforting a great
favor upon the young man, but would
at the same time be contributing
something TO the prosperity and ma
terial wealth of his section.
OF course the desired changes in
the deplorable conditions to which we
have briefly referred cannot be
NAOuSul III q udy llOI III a year. NOT
can such changes be made arbitrarily.
We can't say to the people in the
country that they must stay there,
nor can we drive people from the
towns and cities to the farms. 1t is
not worth while saying, either, that
unless more white people move to the
country and engage in farming we
shall all soon go to the bowwows.
What is needed and the way to ac-
complish the end desired is for our
landowners and men of affairs gener-
ally, whether in town or in the coun-
try, to help make conditions of life in
the country better and more inviting.
One way to do this is for the land
owners to put good comfortable dwell
lings on their farms. Another way is
for the man who has more land than
he can cultivate or rent out to desir-
able tenants to put reasonable price
with liberal terms upon it and try to
locate some industrious young man on
it, giving him term of years in which
to pay for it.