SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 21 



it be born of self-interest, we also feel the added responsibility which 

 the coming of these people places upon us. We begin to see that we 

 of the South owe these people a certain duty, 'the best interests 

 of the Nation, as well as these of the South, demand that as they 

 come to make their homes among us, we meet them with kindness, 

 with fairness, and with an appreciative understanding of their needs. 



We must make Americans of our immigrants in the South and not 

 allow them to be the assimilating forces. We must meet them with 

 an unprejudiced mind, an honest purpose, and a welcoming hand in 

 order to lead them into the close union of our national life. This is 

 a duty which the future places upon us and from which the patriotic 

 manhood of the South can not shrink. 



As the Slavs have already demonstrated their ability on southern 

 farms, and have won recognition as desirable agricultural settlers, 

 why then should we not encourage as well as welcome their coming ? 

 Can anyone deny that the vacant acres of the South do not need 

 these people? If not, then why should our encouragement of their 

 coming among us remain passive, almost childish in its impotency? 



Whether the South will put forth an effort to properly people her 

 vacant, man-hungry acres or not, sooner or later she must face the 

 consequences of an alien immigration if she would fully attain that 

 industrial and commercial supremacy for which our leaders are clam- 

 oring and which destiny seems to have ordained. A greater indus- 

 trial development of the South is coming as surely as the day follows 

 the night. Effects of its coming are already being felt in our social 

 life, and the time for useless protestations against the changing order 

 of things has passed. Intelligent action is now needed. 



Let us assure ourselves, then, that there will be no "immigration 

 problem" in the South, for it is within our power to avoid these 

 so-called dangers if we will only face the situation squarely and 

 properly. We know the kind of people who have demonstrated 

 their acceptableness in the South, and, with an intelligent under- 

 standing of their needs, we can easily fit them into our economic 

 and social organization. It thus becomes the duty of the South to 

 bend our new citizens to American civilization in the mold of 

 southern ideals and to wisely utilize their brawn and their intelli- 

 gence in the building of our future economic and political estate. 



o 



