The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-04-25
immigration Organization.

The immigration meeting held in
DonaldsonVille Sunday, at which
| there were present the governor, the
| state commissioners of immigration,
Donaldsonville Sunday, at which there
were present the governor, the state
commissioner of immigre ton, the
| head CT the state conservation COM
mission, and the experiment station,
immigration representatives of the
railroads and others, tells Of the in
fluences that will be brought to bear
upon the legislature to secure from
that body encouragement and assist
ance. The meeting was we'll attend
ed, the speeches were to the point.
1t was decided to hold another work
ing conference at DonaldsonVil1e next
Sunday, composed of representatives
from the neighboring parishes of
Ascension, Assumption, Iberville and
st. James, to organize a district i'm
migration bureau.
| This movement, like others Of the
same kind in the state, is the direct
result Of the changing conditions in
| agriculture and the necessity i'm
posed upon our planters and farmers
of adapting themselves to these
changes. eve should devise means, y
Gov. Hall pointed out, "by which to
demonstrate our resources to out
siders. We have rich natural ad-
vantages and should make an effort
! to change our habits and methods to
suit the circumstances. = We
| have got to change our whole sys-
! tenn and make this section seIf-sus-
taining''
The other speeches were on much
| the same lines. Some suggested
! dalrying as an industry that would
help to develop the state; others
| urged stock-raising as offering the
best of opportunities. Commission
| er Denechaud favored dividing up
| the big plantations into twenty-five
acre farms, and placing desirable i'm
migrants on them. The spirit of the
| meeting was to the effect that Lou
isiana must adapt itself to changed
conditions, and that white immigra-
| ton was an important feature of any
new agricultural movement.
The question of labor and immigra-
ton came up in the Donaldsonville
section some weeks ago, as We noted
at the time, when a considerable
emigration of negroes formerly en-
ployed on the sugar plantations turn
ed toward the cotton sections Of
| north Louisiana, Caddo, Bossier,
Tensas and other parishes. This
| movement aroused much opposition.
The labor agents to whose efforts it
was attributed were warned to leave
the country, and at Donaldsonville a
demonstration was made against the
departing negroes, which, however.
was disaVoWed and repudiated by the
people of that section. II the negroes
leave the sugar district in any NUM-
bers because of demora lization in the
sugar j nduslEg. and zal ipnsl
are in consequence compelled to-
turn to other crops-to fruit grow
ing, truck-raising, dairying or any of
the other agricultural industries to
which SO fertile land could be de-.
voted-it would need white labor to
cultivate these crops properly and
profitably. A steady flow of white
immigration has turned in this direc-
ton for some years past. To meet
the changes that seem likely, this
movement must be given greater i'm
petus and encouragement. Some
earnest and cooperative efforts must
be made to develop and increase it.
The plan decided on in Donaldson
vile of district committees or bodies
to work with the state toward bring
ing in settlers is obviously the best,
and indeed the only plan that can
be made effective. Each section of
Louisiana can best look after its
own interests, for, as shown in the
case of the emigration Of negroes
from south to north Louisiana, there
are sometimes conflicting interests as
between the parishes.
AS we have noted already a steady
drift of fWhite immigration has set
toward Louisiana. To raise ibis
movement to its right proportion bet
ter organization is needed and great
er activity The work in that direc-
I