The Comrade. (Winnfield, La.) 1890-1914, 1910-09-23
Louisiana's Big Undertaking.

CAO AIeNh''"AA ~
of this generation in Louisiana IS
the proposed Worlds Panama
Exposition. 1t is a work requiring
five years of active preparation
and the expenditure of many mil
lions of dollars in order to prepare
the stage for the great drama
which will be participated in by
every nation Of the civilized world,
and by millions of our own citizens
During the period of preparation
and while the Exposition shall be
in progress, the worlds attention
will be focused upon Louisiana to
an extent which it would be impos-
sible to bring about in any other
way: and the scrutiny Of the State,
her resources and her possibilities
cannot fail to be of vast permanent
benefit. When the man who IS
eking out a bare subsistence upon
a rocky and barren farm in many
of the older States, find out for
instance that he can come to Lou
isiana and realize twice as much
profit for the same amount of labor
and at one half the investment,
nothing is going to be allowed to
prevent him from coming here.
He has been kept away by the
wild and sensational stories clrcu
lated by ignorant or malevolent
persons concerning the alleged
unhealthfulness of our climate.
When he shall come to understand
that the drainage and cultivation
of the lands destroys the mosquito;
that the mosquito has beenrespon-
sible for the yellow fever, malaria
and other forms of disease; when
he shall understand that it was in
| New Orleans that the battle was
fought which relegated yellow
fever to the hygienic junk pile and
sounded the death knell of the
pestiferous mosquito when he
learns all of these things, the sinai
farmer on the thin soils Of the
older State where men toll and
slave half Of the year IN order t
provide food and clothes to enable
, them to keep from starving anc
freezing during the remaining hall
Of the year, will pack his house
hold goods and come to Louisiana
And they are going to learn tbes'
things from the publicity that vii
result from the Exposition. There
fore, it is not an exaggeration t
assert that the understanding
: which the people have in hand i
the biggest thing that Louisian
has ever engaged in during tn
!. life Of the present generation
Does the reader grasp to the flu
extont what it would mean to a
. the people if Louisiana had
) population of ten million, instea
Of the less than two million sh
! now has? If she had even one cit
> that had a population Of one mi
: lion or more, and half do7e
others ranging in population fro1
fifty thousand to two hundred fit
Z thousand? It would mean acti1
markets for tho products Of far
i and garden, dairy and orchar
" pasture and field. It would inca
9 quickened demand for everythir
: that one might have to sell, fro
toothpicks to flying machines, fro
hickory nuts to original ideas.
would mean aeadamized roads
4 !. over the State, at cost While
ty would not be burdensome becau
1 1e the expense would be distribute
to among millions os tax payers.
= would mean the finest technic
and trades schools, in reach
= every boy and girl in the State;
= would mean good society ,churcht
= opportunities for the intellectu
- development Of everybody al
n + r. . = + ~. IA