The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-06-11
ImmlEratiOn to the South.

men who have as yet failed to solve the
problem as how to discriminate between
the good and the bad, and how to secure 1
the desirable and eliminate the undesirable, /
and it should be studied with greater care,
for it is immigrants that we need, and /
surely it is a puzzling question that con-
fronts not only the learned, but all of us to
know when we are admitting the class we
are seeking.
We need a class of people who will assim-
ilate with our people, make this country
their home and work for its welfare.
Because of the extensive acres of cul-
tivated and uncultivated fertile soil in the
South, which is being deserted by our farm
ers for city life and which demonstrates to
us the need of an influx of people to de-
velop our resorces, we seek immigrants
from the North and West who have spent
years of hard work trying to produce prof
table crops on soil that is not suited to
farming and who have studied the occu-
patton more thoroughly than the South
erner, who in his mild climate, as it ap-
pears to the immigrant, merely puts his
seed into the ground, and they grow.
We realize the advantages to be derived
from the coming of these immigrants, we
offer them every inducement to influence
and encourage the right kind of immi-
grants to settle with US; we send speakers
who represent US in land shows, provide
for demonstration cars and have home
seekers excursions, etc. We must seek the
immigrant, not have him thrust upon US,
and therein lies the difficulty.
We desire immigrants from the North
and West on condition that they assimilate
with US and adopt our manners and customs
and become thoroughly identified with US.
The South has much to offer besides
farming. Louisiana has its great salt and
| sulphur mines, its many oil fields, large
fisheries, extensive tracts of timbered lands,
hundreds of lumber mills and many other
untold treasures. All of these industries
and many more employ thousands of work
men and we are looking for the best class
of employees.
The brave and hardy English, German,
Swede, Irish, and most of the other North
ern European inhabitants make desirable
citizens in our country. In the first place
our ancestors, the founders of our present
Constitution and Government, were immi-
grants from these countries and came here
to be free in every manner, especially in
their religious rights. No one can think
of them as not being desirable, when they
|
dured hardships of all descriptions, such
as hunger and terrors of numerous enemies,
how bravely they fought for our country
and for the freedom of their children.
Every one is proud to know or learn that
his ancestors were among the early set
tiers of this country.
i But, we do not seek all the immigrants
from Europe, nor do we wish those from
Asia and Africa. Such immigrants as the
Italians, Sicilians, Greeks and Jews are
very undesirable. They are not home
builders or land tillers, they do not make
satisfactory workmen for our lumber mills,
(which are numerous in Louisiana, Miss
issippi and the other Southern States, and
these are the places where the people from
| Southern Europe and Asia land, for thew
are accustomed to mild climate.
!. The Italians and Sieilians are undermine
4 ing and do not assimilate with our people,
i but form colonies in our cities. They bring
4 with them their secret societies, the Black
Hand, Malta and several others, which
they use for numbering any one whom
they think might be an enemy to any one
of their class.
! The Chinese and other Asiatics can af-
ford to work for such cheap wages without
detriment to their standing that it puts
many honest American boys out of work.
They cannot live on such wages and do
not care to compete which such laborers.
This class of people accumulate wealth
and return to their native country.
Our Ancestors made grave mistake
when they brought the African here, but
they little thought of the lives, trouble and
waste of property he would cost them.
There are many laws now existing, re-
stricting immigrants, that would go far to.
ward preventing such an influx of unde.
sirable immigrants, if they were properly
enforced. But when we consider the thous.
ands of immigrants that are annually fore
ing themselves upon us the difficulty and
task of executing these laws is stupendous.
The appropriations made by the Govern
ment for carrying out its regulations are
too small to have sufficient number OF
physicians, specialists and interpreters for
the examination of foreigners. The hos
pitfalls are inadequste for the proper care
of the aliens who are defective. There are
governments that prefer paying the travel
ing expenses Of their paupers and depen-
dents to this country rather than keep them
as public charge at home. Some crimi-
nails are given their choice of living in pris-
on for life or of going to America. The
head tax should be Increased and the il
literacy test applied.
We are opposed to the bureaux for dis
tributing the immigrants, for there are so
many in several of the Northern States that
they are burden to them and would be to
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