The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-02-02

efforts to promote the cultivation of
cotton in India, Egypt and in it's
African colonies. The trouble seems
to be a lack of energy on the part of
the natives and the difficulty of Sc
curing other labor. The Assouan
dam on the Nile, which was intended
to develop by irrigation a vast area
of desert land, has not thus far been
taken up and several companies have
been formed for the colonization and
irrigation Of the surrounding coun-
try only small proportion has been
sold to actual settlers and the cotton
crop Of Egypt shows no increase in
volume. Indeed, the total for 1909
Is smaller than for several previous
years, which Is accounted for by var
ious local reasons. but is significant
because 1t shows that the opportu-
mites offered by the Assouan dam
have not been taken advantage of to
their full extent. Although the dan
cost a large sum Of money, and is q
monument Of engineering skill, sew.
eral Of the reclamation projects of
the United States government in the
far west have been more expensive
and will reclaim a larger area.
Although Egypt swarms with pov.
erty-stricken fellahs, as the peasant
class is called. 1t Is very difficult to
make them work, and several enter
prises intended to take advantage Of
the irrigation facilities Of the Assou-
an dam have failed because of the
inability to securel abor. An Ameri-
can gentleman who purchased a
large tract of land attempted to Sc
cure colored immigrants in the United
States. but was only partially sue
cessful. and the people he took over
soon abandoned their American ha-
bits and fell, into the indolent ways
OF the natives. This was not due to
the hookworm or any other internal
cause, but to the influence Of the cli-
mate and environment. And the
same trouble prevails throughout all
Africa wherever the British, French
or German authorities have attempt
ed to extend the cultivated area and
produce cotton, sugar and other trop-
ical crops.
= On both the east and west coast of
Africa the cotton experiment has
been tried with the. same results. In
India the natives do not produce
enough raw material to supply their
own factories. although they have
had the hearty encouragement and
support Of the government and q
ready market at the maximum prices
for every pound Of cotton they were
able to produce. The Germans have
made an effort to induce the natives
In their colonies on the west coast of
Africa to plant cotton, and have been
no more successful. Both the Ger
mans and English have taken expert
cotton planters, both white and col
ored, from the Southern States to su-
perintend their plantations, and have
demonstrated that the soil and the
climate are admirably adapted to the
purpose, but they can not persuade
the natives to work. That Is the
trouble In Liberia, where repeated
attempts have been made to introduce
cotton culture ever since the colony
was founded seventy-five years ago.
Life Is too easy, the climate Is too
enervating and men who can live
without labor are very apt to do so.
The Germans. the French, the Bel
CLANS and the Portuguese as we'll as
the English have tried to solve the
problem and have failed. Imported
white labor will not thrive in that
climate. and colored immigrants who
have been brought in from the South
ern part of the United States and
other countries usually abandon the
habits Of industry and thrift in which
they were bred, and adopt the indo-
lent customs of the natives within a
short time after their arrival.-Wm
f. Curtis in the Chicago Record
Herald