St. Tammany farmer., 1922-07-15
MAKING A NEW ST. TANIMANY
PARISH.
(Cont.nued from bag,

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fields, AMI tnare is no place wher,
have less de.jre to live. They ar,
dirty and black, sordid and unpleas
| ant; with no charm and no attrac
| ito excepting that OF a feverisi
gambling spirit st. Tammany i!
naturally beautiful; for residence i
is ideal. But an oil strike wouIt
destroy its beauty and its desirabili
! ty as a place to live in.
However,, 50 long as there are not
far more indications than anyone
probably knows at present, it Is fool.
ish to speculate on lands or any.
thing else in st. Tammany parish IN
the expectation of sudden develop,
ment Of OIL fields here. II there is
anything the matter with q lot OF
st. Tammany people it is an un-
reasoning disposition to wait for
something TO turn up or for some
Yankee to come in to turn things up.
There is nothing more idle than 20
trust to such luck, and it results
only in postponing the day Of real
achievements.
II st. Tammany parish ever real
ICES its opportunities, it will be when
the people here stop day-dreaming
about outside capitalists coming here
to make investments. At the pres
ent time the: is very little likelihood
OF any big capitalists coming to St.
Tammany parish to sink any OF his
money mere. There are opportuni-
ties to be sure, but there are also
too many handicaps in the way.
The greatest handicap is the lack
Of cooperative organization in the
parish. 1t is not sufficiently realiz-
ed here as yet how wide is the con-
lrast between our community AMI
such progressive communities as one
inds in California and many parts of
the North IN respect OF capacity to
work together tor common ends.
l have recently met here native
Louisianian, a graduate Of Tulane
University, who has lived over twen-
ty years ot his life out of the state
and for quite a time in California.
He now returns with that enthusi-
astfc love for the state of his birth
place which only one who has long
been away can feel in the highest
degree. 1t would be a godsend to
St. Tammany parish if every native
would go travelling for a while and
come back. 1t is only such who
fully reaiize what good country
this is to live in.
many parish, but this native taugh,
me somewhat about the superior
merits of this country as nature.
made it IN comparison with Cali
fornia. He came back filed with
the idea that If we only ma ke half
the effort Californians are making,
the tide Of emigrants which is now
flowing to tie far West will turn
this way. But he fully realizes that
it is not California but Californians
who attract immigration.
We have to come also to the real
ization that # anything is to be done
for st. Tammany parish to show its
merits-of climate, as a health re-
sort, for agricultural purposes
that something must be done by US.
We must advertise, we must boost.
Another mistake we are apt 20
make, and that is that advertisement
means only talk. No, We have 60
advertise by Going something. We
have to show people.
If we ever build a bridge, it will
be because we can show not only
hat it woald be a good thing-we
all know that now-but we wilt
nave to show it is practicable, that
IS, how to build it, how to finance
t, how it viii pay, and who viii |
make money out of it.
We have to show in what respect |
,ur climate is better than that OF |
California and Of Florida The peo-
lie of the North don't know. Well |
lave to tell them. and as a matter |
# fact, most people right here aau
n New Orleans don't know. We've
;ot to got the facts together, ana !
how them u2 convincingly.
II we ever get farmers from the
forth or from anywhere else to come
n here AMI clear up these cut-over
ands, We have to show them how,
how them WEy it will pay, and no.
My that. For, II all we succeed in
ding amounts to no more than
kin-gamo talk, if the farmer fails
Q make il pay, why we will have
allied too.
Now, likely enough, somebody
ays, Mr.. Briggs thinks he knows
ow to do :ll this: why, let him do
). The fact of the matter Is that
obody can do all this without the
Ill cooperation of st. Tammany
eople.
We must have new organization
ere for cooperating together. /
A goool beginning has at last
cen malo Lv the farmers of the
arish in the organization Of the
arish Farm Bureau. It Is not like
1t will show &ny great results dur
lg the clrrea: year, but next year
le Farm Bureau should be In posi-
on to be very helpful to the few
.rmers We now have in the parish.
nd more than that, the organiza-
on now made will be a nucleus
'ound which to group and organ
e the ae.S iarmers who may come
to the parish when the proper in
'ntives are offered them. With a
bod, substantial farmer at the head
the Farm Bureau and the CO
,eration of the best farmers of the
irish, this organization should soon
doing its lart for the develop
ent Of the parish.
But 50 far there Is not even