Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-04-29
The LABOR QUESTION.

We take the following extracts
from letter of Hon. j. ii. G. Bev.
erley to the fredericksburg Free
Lance. Mr. Beverley is the member
from this district of the State Board
of Agriculture, and its President.
His remarks on importing labor are
very pertinent today when the labor
question has become so serious, and
will aid somewhat the movements on
foot throughout the various counties
to import labor.
CHANCE, ESSEX, Co, VA.
referring 10 editorial In your issue of
I4th, under caption, What the South
Needs" your reference to scarceness and
lntf1ciency of farm labor aud suggesting
securing desirable immigrants by sufiici.
emily advertising our resources and ad
vantages is most pertinent.
believe negro labor, AS il was before
oelng ruined, the best farm labor the
South will ever 6Ave; but that is a thing
OF the past, and the property owners of
The South are To- blame foI this. We have
paraly Zed his muscle by poisoning his
brain. Virginia has become practically
the Incubator troode T xnd winter feeding
ground Tor Tire negro When he has
become hedged he takes his flight i'm the
spring to regions where he fancies he has
better opportunity to live by his wits.
always returning 20 his feeding ground |
Ia the winter New thus as to the remedy. |
L believe it must come through two
classes of immigrants.
L. Those With means to buy small |
farms, thus reducing the acreage owned |
oy one man and worked by hired labor |
=. Those without means, who will live |
as hfreo laboTers. The first class is to be |
secured principally from the West aud |
Northwest. The second, from foreign |
importation. Neither class of these peo-
pie Will hnd their way blindly TO Vir-
ginia. Our resources and advantages
must be placed before them.
To this end the Executive Committee
OF State Board of Agriculture, the repre-
sentatlves ofthe railroads and the repre-
sentatives OF Virginia Real Estate Asso-
citation, helda conference in Richmond
In FebruaIyand formulated a plan of CO.
operation for advertising Virginia's re-
sources ana cauvassing the West and
Northwest, distributing literature, etc.
In order to accomplish this we asked
the Legislature for an appropriation of
80 1000 TO assist us The writer. rrnre
senting the State Board of Agriculture
and several other gentlemen went before
the FINANCE Committee of the House and
asked that this amount be placed at the
disposal OF the Board of Agriculture for
lhis purpose. We were unable to i'm
press the committee with the Importance
~ the measure. IL failed. The Board of
A agriculture is doing what il can with
limited resources to advertise and secure
settlers, but the plan of cooperation.
above referred to, believe would have
proven very reflective.
Now astosecuring foreign immigrants.
Ihefe was introduced in the u. S. Senate
his session, through the u. s. Commits
'ioner General OF Immigration, a bill
Senate bill AIS, which send you) which
mink would be of great assistance In
securing immigrant labor 1t provides
or the establishment at Ellis Island, In
New York, OF a bureau OF information.
Each State Is allowed to keep an agent
here, who Is to furnish immigrants with
III necessary information as TO resources.
climate, wages, demand for services, etc
III such bureau is established any ,
community wanting such labor could ,
combine and place with their State agent
TO number, etc, char acter {
II immigrants wanted, wages To be paid. II
tc. {
Now as tocomplaint OF low wages paid
arm labor In the South, made bv Italian
gent, mentioned in your issue of 10th.
think II will be found on investigation s
his Is moreapparent than real. believe 9
or the quality of labor we pay in the :
south high wages. Most of the service I
endered in the South by farm labor s
would not be tolerated in the North and s
Sorthwestat any price. If you will esti- ,
nate 'he cost OF work by the price you
VII md that our day wages for the SER
ice rendered Is high. Figure on your {
orn cutting or husking by shock or bar I
ei, sheep shearing by head, etc, and YOU q
will find we are paying more AT our an
'arent low day wages than is raid for :
lmilar service In the North or West. l
'he iarmers of the South will gladly pay
nore Tor more efficient labor Every
armer Knows II is cheaper To pay two
ihcient lsOorers the wages three infli-
lent ones. receive. Let the foreigner
ome In and demonstrate his efficiency !
nd bis wage will adjust itself. Then 5
gain, while the South's wages seem low I
onsidering the cheaper living, milder /
Innate, etc., the laborer can save more ;
han IN the North or West. Aud again.
N account of cheap land a provident a
'age-ealner can become q landowner a
ooner In the South than anywhere in the u
Jnited States. Considering these things q
he wage Garner is better off In the South
han In any other section. All we need
to have the advantages and resources a
the South advertised; at present our il
ght Is hidunder hushel q
]. II, O. BEVERLEY, =
President State Board Agriculture. Il