The morning news., 1899-06-25
ON LUCK AND LAzINESS.
J. j. HILL DISCUSSES THE LABOR
QUESTION AND GIVES ADVICE.

MIR. HUI says Livery
who Is Idle in the United States
To-day Is so From Choice-Jobs
Hanging From 1925 TO So and 81
Day Are Awaiting 100000 Men
in His Part of the COuntry-The
WiufuIIy Idle May BE Multiplying,
Rut There Is IA SeIf-Acting Remedy.
"ThoSe who VIII Not work Can
Not Eat"-IIe EuIOgizes the Japan
ese as Road Buiiders-Dirt and
Drunkenness COmbiued Makes
White Labor Unsatisfactory,
Though Man for Man the Whites
work Better Than the Orientals.
ST. Paul. Mimi, June 22.-James J. Hin.
president of the Great Northern system of
railroads which crosses the territory be-
tween st. Paul and the Pacific and covers
part Of it with a yeritable network of
tracks is short and broad in person; in
New England they would call him
'stubbed," making two syllables of the
word.
In complexion he is dark, almost TO
swaFthiness, and his face is full of rugged
lines inscribed by the strenuous hand of
experience. His eyes are dark brown,
possibly black; sometimes they glow like
Two GOdlEs his jaws anu Aik'S arc NcfNASN
with a rough growth of whskers. His
hair, slightly gray and thinned at the top,
is almost long enough TO brush his coat
collar. His dress is unobtrusive, a rough
business suit, the coat Of which is a short
sack being his favorite. His hat is soft
and has a broad brim. He smokes with
enthuiasm when he talks, and he talks
well on any topic you are likely TO
broach avoiding himself if possible, but
always ready to discource about his rail-
roads and the Northwest. He believes in
hard work mixed with thought, good COM
pany in business and luck These three
things have helped MIN, who began life
poor boy on sterile Canadian farm, 10
become one of the four or five greater ce-
velopers and railway monarchs OF the age,
Sitting in hst 81. Paul office the other
day, Mr. Hill discussed with the writer
the future of the country, present chances
for young men, and other topics of current
interest. Incidentally his talk threw
much light upon his own life and person
slity. Mr.. Hill is an opumist as you
would expect a man of his type and
achievements TO be, though ne isn't blind
80 the fact that many new and difficult
problems have been brought into existence
by modern business and social develop
ments. In spite of these, however he
says there are still innumerable opportuni-
ties for young men 10 win financial sue
cess in the United States. The develop
ment of the country has only begun, so to
speak, and there'll be plenty of chances as
long as development is going on. But the
man who desires to get his chance must
work and persevere in his work.
steady Workers In Demand.
1.-The crying need Of the Northwest to-
day" said Mr.. Hill, lis men who have the
gift of continuance. We have sent 150Ol
track laborers out in the past twelve
months, and yet we have not had more
than 2.500 al work a any one time. The
majority of the laborers now al work in
the Dakotas and Minnesota are Italians
and Poles. The Italians are highly unsat-
isfaetsry. As rule their object in coming
here is solely 10 get enough money togeth-
er to support them in idleness at home, and
they hoard their earnings 10 the last pos
eible degree For this reason, and because
they come from a land where food as not
abundant, they rarely eat enough or wei
enough and so have not sufficient physl-
cas strength to stand the strain Of long
continued labor. The Poles are much more
satisfactory They are strong, hardy and
willing, moreover, they are anxious 10
leave off working for wages as soon
possible Conditions of political and person
al freedom in Poland are not TO their lk
ing, and consequently they do not desire TO
return TO The old world as the Italians do,
but are prone 20 settle down on land IN
this country as soon as they get money
enough TO do so.
West Of the Dakotas we use more Japs
than men of any other nationality. We
did not begin the employment of the little
brown men from the Orient from choice,
but because We were obliged to; we
couldn't depend on men of any other ma
tionality Il is only right 10 say that,
having tried the Japs, we find them the
most satisfactory laborers we have. They
are willing, cheerful and strong; they
work a little cheaper and that Is
point, Of course, but the great advantage
Of the labor of the Japs over any other
Dor now available IN the Northwest is
their reliability. 1t comes mainly from
their temperance and their personal clean
Most white laborers. and especially
Italians, simply will not keep themselves
and the places they live in clean. The
result is disease. We have great trouble
to keep typhoid fever out of the camps
exactly as II was hard to keep it out OF
the volunteer army camps last year. Dis
ease and iutemperance incapaciiate
large proportion of white laborers much
OF the tune. and few Of them are busy
through. We have been at our wits end
% remedy this tremendous drawback TO
the development of the country They will
work along steadily for a week perhaps
accomplishing more and better work than
can be done by the same number of men
IN the same time anywhere else in the
world, Then comes Sunday the day they
should rest, clean up and accumulate
strength for the next weeks work, but
tney aon't clean up, and, instead of rest
ing, they make love TO the tiask. The re-
suit is disastrous, both TO themselves nd
TO US. for nothing will break men down
more quickly than dirt and drunkenness
combined. We have tried the plan OF
Keeping our white laborers busy through
out the entire week, seven DAYS at a
stretch, without giving them any time to
get drunk, hoping in that way to pre-
serve their health, but they can't stand
the strain. Many Of them become tramps
dirty. disreputable and lazy living from
hand TO mouth. moving about from place
20 place, stealing railroad rides whenever
they get an opportunity and frequently
losing their lives under the wheels or be-
tween the cars. There isn't a week in a
year that some of them are not killed on
our lines, through no ones fault but their
own: With the Japs ii is different When
sunday comes they make things clean.
ana take their rest like sensible fellows
Perhaps they can't do as much work,
Inan Tor man, as the whites. and so a
larger force may be required but thev
are always cheerful. always healthy. al
tramps
Is There work for All.
There is much talk that men cannot
get work 60 40 in this country. 1t is not
so Every healthy man VINO Is idle Ia the
United States to-day is SO from choice.
l do not say that every carpenter can gel
carpenter work TO do or that every
plumber can find JOB at his trade, but
II ne VIII take what he can get every idle
man IN the country can 90 TO work s
soon as he Is ready TO. AZ this mornen5
In