The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-16
From the Washington Times.
 N MOTHER great tragedy is re- (PDA corded in Featherland

P1 corded in Featherland.
 According to the statement is- sued today. Robin Redbreast" is about to join the vanished birds of America.
 From all parts of the northern states have come inquiries as to why the robins have not arrived in the towering apple and peach orchards and green meadows of early spring.
 The ornithologists under Secretary of Agriculture Wilson made an investiga- tidn by telegraph, and learned that the great slaughter of robins in southern states during the winter may practically exterminate them. It seems that the soulless Arcadian, or "Cajun,' as he is called by the other inhabitants of Louis Jana. and the 'cracker" of Texas, Ala bama, Mississippi and Florida has for several years been slaughtering the friendly redbreast in myriads, the in- creasing population having driven the larger game birds into the vast marshes and swamps, where they cannot be reached.
 This slaughter has been going on about four years The winter just ended, how ever, will be historical because of the number of birds killed.
 Thousands of the lowest class of Italian laborers are locking into the gulf states where they are displacing the negro on the large sugar plantations.
 It seems queer, but Is nevertheless the truth, that the northern men who invest in the plantations and other industries seem to have no use for the negro. When they obtain control of an industry the negro has to move on, and his place Is taken by cheap white labor from Europe.
 The genial, warm climate of Louisiana and her sister states is about the same as that of Naples and the Italians like it. Consequently they prefer the gulf states to any other locality. The northern men are more than willing to hire them. They stand the heat well, aEd best of all for the employer, their labor is cheap fin fact 1t Is at times cheaper than that of the negro.
 The northern investors like those who own the immense Wentworth plantation. in St. Bernard parish. Louisiana, explain that they can make good citizen out of the Italian in a few years, whereas generations of negroes will have to live and die before they will become imbued with the white mans understanding of what constitutes citizenship.
 Thus the Italian is said to be better for the state than the negro, but he is the worst for fatherland.
 Because of their superstitions, the ne- groes kill few song birds. and very rare ly a robin. which apparently resembles some bird in their native African forests which was regarded as sacred. The older negroes handed down to their children a fear of the bird. which preserved 1t. With the Italian. however. it proved to be different Anything wearing feathers looked like food to him. The friendly red breast, who hopped about his sugar. lum- Der or rice camp, or the back yard of his home, was to him game obtainable too easy to lose. Countless cheap shotguns were brought into play, especially last winter, nearly a hundred thousand Jtai- ians having arrived in less than a year, and the awful slaughter began with ,h- first arrival of the robins frsn the na,th. So ruthless was this war of cxtermna