The Jones County news., 1909-10-29
GREATER MISSISSIPPI
BY
H. +. BLAKESLEE.
White Farmers Demanded.

AhNA VI LHb t1DubuEIu arm tfuAbLkes
gives out the following very strong
editorial on the subject Of acquir-
ing homes by the white farmers Of
The South. In this editorial Mr.. Poe
sounds the note OF warning that IL
might be well TO take heed of.
I'VE hope we have seen about the
last Of Southern white farmers leav-
Ing the farms 10 take work in cotton
mills, We are anxious to see the
manufacturing enterprises or the
South build up, but We are more anx-
ious to see the farm lands Of the
South held BY prosperous small white
farmers now, and 10 see these small
white farmers have their part IN the
great agricultural awakening going
on,
Some one has wisely said that In
all ages and all countries the men
Of the classes who own the land soon
er or later made themselves the aris-
tocracy oi that country We have not
come to this condition so rapidly ia
America as In other countries, be-
cause Of the abundance OF cheap land
resulting from the neWness Of settle.
ment and the sparseness Of popula-
tion as yet, but in the long run the
history Of other countries must be
repeated here.
These thoughts came very forci-
bly, to mind as we rode through
cotton mill village the other day and
saw its hundreds OF white employees
men, women aud children who
have left the farm to become the
homeless hirclings OF the cotton man
ufacturers The negroes, finding no
place In manufacturing for them, are
left on the farm and are becoming
landowners IN rapidly increasing
numbers. Not only this, but the ne
gro children are going to school and
developing healthy bodies In the
open air and healthy surroundings OF |
country life instead OF being shut
mp in cotton mill, over-worked, un-
dor-educated, and poorly developed |
physically as the tendency must be |
In all cotton mills so long as the leg
islatures OF the South are too sub |
servlent 10 the less humane mill own |
ers TO enact needed laws for restrict !
ing child labor In the mills the
less humane mill owners. we say, be-
cause there are many thoughtful and
far-seelng mill owners who heartily
favor stricter regulations.
we have no ill-will toward the
cotton manufacturers we have no Ill
will toward the negro; we do realize
very strongly, however that the safe
ty of the South depends upon the
presence OF large white rural pop
ulNtion, The drift from the farm
TO the cotton mill not only affects
this directly, but also Indirectly be-
cause when once the population OF a
community becomes predomipantly
negro. the small number of white
people left may be forced to move
out in order to find sufficient num-
bers for a society OF their own. IL
was wise saying OF James divers
Happy is the land that is titled by
the man who owns IT, and the great
need of the South today Is to en-
courage to holding OF small farms by
white farmers. We repeat that we
say this In no ill-wlll to the negro,
but because the best interests of both
races demand that the rural South
maintain its large white population
Unless this Is done the negro him
self will not prosper as rapidly as he
will with white guidance, and,
unless this is done the cities OF the
South must inevitably go backward
"We urge every white tenant far
mer, and especially every white man
who for any reason is thinking OF be-
coming somebody's hired man in
town instead Of owning his own home
in the country. to buy land. We must
encourage the spirit of home owning
with every man sitting under his
own vine and fig tree, and we must
especially encourage the development
OF n great class Of small white farm
ers, The saving OF the rural South to
the white race is one OF the most
important 9roblems now before the
people OF the cotton belt.
''ln this connection there is anoth-
er thing that ought to be mentioned,
and that is the problem OF lmmlgra-
ton The Farmers Union and other
farmers organizations are right in
protesting against the coming OF
large numbers OF italians, Russians
Hungarians Poles, etc. This would
only make bad problem worse and
complicate matters still further
what would help, however Is the
coming OF a large number OF wide
awake Northern and Western farm
ers, buying small farms among us
and making their farms object les
sons in stock raising and other lines
OF diversified agriculture. These
Northern and Western farmers will
also set good example for our
Southern people in that they are
ready and willing to do all labor As
a southerner reared on farm and a
descendant OF generations OF South
ern farmers, we must confess the
need OF our people at this point, and
the help that we would get here from
an increased number OF wide-awake