The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-07-22
THE LABOR QUESTION

| few practical thoughts TO utter on the suDJec'
in its bearings at this immediate time upon
the interests of Texas. Labor is honorable,
and ii is invested with dignity that always
commands respect. The divine mandate is
that man shall earn his bread by the sweat OF
his brow. God Himself, made man la
borer, no matter what sphere in
life he may all. By the toll of his body,
the cunning of his hands, or the processes
in the alembic of his brain, every human be-
ing must struggle TOR his existence in this
world and the possessions with which he sur
rounds himself This year we see railroad
enterprises all around us; the extension of
the Texas & Pacific railroad, the completion
of the Dallas & Wichita, the building of the
| Trunk Line, the construction ofthe road from
Marshall to New Orleans, the con-
nectlon of Texas with that city;
the building of the International ~ Great
Northern from Austin to San Antonio; the
extension of the "Sunset" route from San
aubOIlO W GOIt Nlathi tuO WOlh WI tlC
Colorado Il Santa Fe; the reaching out of the
Texas Central to Eastland and the northwest;
the construction of the Dallas & Cleburne;
the extension of the Denison 81 Southeastern;
the building of the st. Louis Il Texas
Narrow Gauge, from Texarkana to
Tyler and on westward; the ex.
tension of the Texas East Line
from Sulphur Springs--all these roads are
in process of construction, and are in the
builders hands. Thousands of men are ad-
vertised for, for grading, for tie chopping, for
bridging, for track laying, etc. Men and
teams are wanted and high wages offered, and
the men are not to be had to do the work re-
quired. In addition to this, Texas this year
has an overwhelming crop of corn and fod-
der and cotton, and the question, a serious
one, arises, where is the labor
to be had to save these crops?
It's not in this section of the country. The
hundreds of negroes entced to leave Texas
and seek homes in Kansas will be prevented
from returning here if possible, that their
votes may be had in the presidential contest
No labor can be obtained from the other
southern states of the union, because there
are the same big crops everywhere that there
are in Texas. Raw European labor, if it be
obtainable, although better than nothing,
can be but very inadequate because
of its unskillfuness in the work
required, from lack of knowl-
edge. The question, what are we to do'
ls Il grave one, u question worthy the serious
aud immediate consideration of the states
man and the political economist, for the az
ricultural interests of the country form the
basis Of its prosperity and its material well
fare in every respect. If there ever was
time when tho state government, when he
governor could be of service to the state, to
his people, it is right now. His
policy throughout the administration
has been hindrance to immigra-
ton; it has retarded the settlement
of the state and kept surplus of people from
us, although he declares to the contrary.
Now if he really favors immigration, if he in
deed wants to see Texas prosperous and peo-
Piled with an Industrious population, let him
devise some means whereby to secure in part,
il not in whole, the labor 80 necessary for
Texas in this year of her superintendent
crops and her unparalleled railroad develop
ment and enterprise. 1t is not for us
to tell him how to do it; it is
not our province, but if he is the statesman
able to fill the position of chief magistrate
of this commonwealth and is the friend to its
development that he claims, let him be equal
to the emergency. Some labor, skilled and
unskiled, can be obtained from ..abrosd;
some of the labor that has left the south for
| Kansas and Indiana, and some of the white
people in the eighteen famished, starving
counties of Kansas, and some of the raw ma
terial from Europe can be brought
to Texas through the efforts of
the governor, efforts too, that will
be constitutional and legal, and some can be
obtained by the single efforts of individuals
and by the efforts of railroad corporations,
communities and other means. But then
there win not DO enough The deficiency
can be still further lessened from sources
right in our midst. The idle young men of
the towns and cities, if they have genuine
manhood in them, can find work TO their
hands in the fields of tho state. The labor
may be irksome, the sun hot, bat true man
hood stops not at such obstacles. And then
there are countless children, boys in
cities, towns and country who can do light
work in the fields. They can pick cotton,
they can pull corn and fodder, and what each
one does is that much saved. These little
ones, this seed corn OF the land, should not be-
overtaxed, but they can work according 10
their strength, and they can do much good.
Make it fashionable; counlenance and COM
mend it TO everyone, and mothers and faith
ers will be willing for their boys to work, and
the children themselves will take a pride and
an interest in it. In New Jersey, in the
cranberry season, and when blackberries arc
ripe on the great berry farms of that
state, the children turn out by hundreds ard