St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1912-11-23
LOUISIANA At THE CHI.
CAGO LAND SHOW

Otk0U LtHES6 OAsOU
The Louisiana agricultural pub
licity committee, appointed by
Gov. Hall last month, is work
ing earnestly and strenuously to
obtain by popular subscription
enough money to enable Louisi-
ana to give and maintain at the
United States Land Show at Chi
cago, Nov. % to Dec. s, an ex-
hibit worthy of the State. The
sum needed for this purpose is
$4,000, and the subscriptions to
date are less than half that
amount. Unless more liberal
subscriptions are made. Louisi-
ana will appear to great disad-
vantage at the Chicago show,
will neglect and throw away a
splendid opportunity to undo the
damage of the late overflow and
to bring to the State the capital
and immigration SO greatly need
ed for its development.
Louisiana made an excellent
exhibit at the last land show in
Chicago, and we can appreciate
the benefits that resulted from
it. Throughout the Central West
There are thousands of farmers
looking for new homes and
new farms. The country is
over populated, the price of land
is too high and they are looking
elseWhere-to the South, to Can
ada and to the far Western
States. Of these inviting sec
tons, the South is infinitely
the more popular, for it offers
not only cheaper land, but a
more fertile soil. better climatic
conditions and better surround
ings. The bulk of this immigra-
ton will turn in this direction
if we make the case clear to
them, and among the Southern
States none has proved more at
~tractive than Louisiana or has
secured a larger share Of these
settlers.
The Chicago land show has
helped materially in bringing
this about, for Chicago is one Of
the best immigration distributing
points in the country, where all
the big railroad systems maintain
immigration Offices. For those
who are looking for the actual
facts, to whom the exhibits Of.
soils and their products carry
more weight and conviction than
more circulators, maps, ETC., the.
Chicago Land Show appeals, and
Louisiana wants to do in this
connection what it can easily do
if it has the money, prove to ev-
cry one of the thousands of vis-
itors to the exposition that no
State in the Union boasts of a
more fertile soil, and none pro-.
duces a greater variety of crops,
more abundant or Of higher
grade and quality.
As we have said, Louisiana dis
played its resources and products
to advantage at the last Chicago
Land Show; but unfortunately it
did not get the full benefit of
what it did there, because of the
unfortunate overflow which came
in the spring. The extent, dam
age and effect of that overflow
have been greatly misunderstood
and exaggerated throughout the
country. We must correct the
misunderstanding that have
arisen. The belief seems to be
general that a very large part Of
the State went under water, in
stead of a fraction Of 3 or 4 per
cent, and that the overflow was
destructive If not ruinous. These
erroneous and misleading impress
sions must be removed by show
ing how comparatively little land
was flooded, how much of Louis
lana is above overflow, and by
showing, though the exhibition
Of samples, the splendid crops
that were raised even on the
overflow land after the water
had rnna dovyp