The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1915-06-19
immigration in the South with Special
Reference to Louisiana and
Mississippi.
By Robert J. Badon

When civilization steps back century, when militarsm
takes the ead when nations against nations for rhes
it is then that life becomes uncomfortable in those countries
and that their citizens will leave and find place where civil
izaton still exists where still regns and where
perty abounds
In the present almost worldwide conflict nations ex-
haustng themselves of men and money! they contract
ing debts which will have to be paid after the
by this generation and later generations After this
doubt there will be increase of immigration This influx
will be caused by two things First the governments debt
will have be paid and taxes will be heavy Second
result of the war; there will be many crippled for lfe
Those will have to be taken of by individuals who
already overburdened Consequently many will leave
their mother country and where they will not wretch
etness ruin and desOatOn
Under our present economic conditions they will sail to
America and enter the port of New York where immigration
concentrated At New York the immigrants taken by
the railroads and distributed their various branch lines
where the country is already overcowded Instead of dir
Getting this of immigration to New York and Boston it
should be directed to Savannah New Orleans and Galveston
where good farmland may be found close at hand and at
nominal prices.
In the fiscal year ending June 90 1913, 1ly7 1872 aliens
admitted to the United States OF these, 9O67
South which less than onehird of per cent About
10000 went into the Central and Western States which
proves that large number of people dumped the
already congested Eastern States
The South has tracts of tllabe land which lying
idle. Louisiana has 22,OOO,OOO of such lands. A
variety of profitable crops be grown this land the
right cultivation of which will make the farmer ndepend
emily rich within few years.
In regards to the past conduct present motives, and
health of immigrant shall leave these the Federal
Government and hail discuss immigration to the South
with spec al to Louisiana and Mississippi under
three headsrs distribution If immigrants; second
sons for slow immigration; and third immigrants desirable
for Louisiana and the South.
Justin F. Denechaud Secretary Of the Louisiana State
Immigration Department says that Louisiana 220OO
600 idle of able land; barely one-th of her cult
vabe soil being present utilized That is say that
Louisiana could supply 100000 immigrants with farms
ssng of forty EACH and these figures do not take
consideration the fact that there thousands of
being wasted thru attempt the part of most of
farmers occupy land than they properly cult
vate Furthermore Louisiana has enough recIamabe lands
to accommodate 100000 farmers. As shown above,
the distribution of immigrants has been greater in the
gesgd districts where the cost of land greater per
the land less fertile the of improvement higher and
the shipping and marketing facilities no better.
There has been within years a monopos agree
ment between the big steamship companies and the rail-
roads whose centrazng points at New York. This
makes New York port of entry for the bulk
foreign immigration, resulting IN greater economy for the
steamship lines and greater profits for the railroads. thereby
depvng the South of her rghul share of immigration