Arizona republican., 1904-06-15
The south Demanding chInamen.

difficulty Is not one of wages, but of labOrers at any price. More and more,
 each year. the negroes are fiocking to
 the towns. and the younger generation
 manifests an increasing dislike for
 rural life and for hard work of any
 kind. in fact. Voicing the growing
 sentiment in the south in favor or im-
 porting Chinese labor. the Southern
 Ruralist of Atlanta saysi
 ''The writer of this article would not
 have it inferred that he is in favor of
 unlimited, indiscriminate immisra ton
 10 this country; but he wishes IL dis
 tinctly understood that he is in favor
 of fair play and believes that all na-
 tionalities should be treated alike.
 Moreover. he would much prefer that
 the immigrant laborer coming to the
 south be of class that is sober. indus
 trious and tractable. These qualities
 the Chinese possess in the highest de-
 gree; but it is these very virtues which
 started the storm of opposition to his
 coming here"
 The Ruralist would, if practicable.
 admit the coOlies only to such states as
 by act of their legislatures, invited
 them under proper restrictions, thus
 enabling California, or other states
 that favor Chinese exclusion, to main-
 tain the present status if they so de- sire. It believes the agricultural states of the south would eagerly admit linn tied number of the Asiatics, and in consequence. greatly increase their ag- ricultural products and prosperity.
 The Ruralist says further:
 Tt is very doubtful if any number of white foreign laborers can ever be in- duced to come south, and work in com petition with the negro. The China man, however. would have no such scruples, and we are of the opinion that he would prove a potent factor in solving the so-called and much discuss ed race problem" Be that as it may, we know he will work and work is what we want. The wonderful re- sources of the south can never be de- veloped without labor. The negro can not begin to supply the requirements of our growing industries. and the white laborers at the south are so few, they cannot at present enter into the calculation of the labor supply"
 Discussing the same subject, the At lanta Constitution. which is the lead ing as well as the most intelligent ex- ponent of southern thought. says:
 From reading our agricultural ex- changes it is plain that the labor prob lem in the south has become acute. The dearth of adequate farm help was never more keenly felt than this year, when southern farmers are unusually ambitious to raise large crops, psr- of cotton. The burden of subscribers letters to the agricultural press is that enterprise and large operations in the part of the ener- getic farmer are out of the question so long as the negro will not work or will only half work. Much of the CO., ton which by hook or crook was planted, in many instances by a bonus or the labor that planted it, will lan- guish in the crabgrass or yield but partial harvest because of the farmers Inability to secure hands at the proper time to save the crop. The agricul- tural development of the south is dan gerously near a standstill from this cause. Even a normal progress is out of the question until more and bette" laberers can be secured for the fields |
 ''The agricultural papers of the south l which are in close touch with the | rural population, are quite agreed that | the remedy must be found by giving the negro competition in tho shape Of | foreign immigration, although opinions | differ as to the desirability of certain | of immigratons. The Itai- 1 Ian would come in the face of a de- | cided prejudice, although 1t is evident | he has some things, climate adapta- | bility among them, to recommend him. l Much the same objections are urged | against the Hungarians, and almost | the sole hope of turning foreign emi- | grafton this may lies in southern Eur i ope. The north Europeans, who have | done so much to build up the prairics | of the west, are no longer much of a | factor in emigration statistics.
 Tt Is hardly surprising that some of our leading planters are openly advo- eating Chinese immigration as the | most practical solution of the south's | agricultural labor problem.
 There is widespread complaint in | California, also, that the restrictions | against Chinese immigration are too oENGict anu HldHy LOiIllSI duNOCdLGS VI absolute exclusion are now advocating the admission of a few thousand Chi nese in order to relieve the sitaution in that state. It is a well known fact that in California as in the south, there are certain lines of work in which American la5orers will not engage, and It is simply question whether encour- agement shall be held out t. the least desirable immigrants from Europe, or to the Chinese. If the southern states, with their powerful voice In the affairs of the naticn demand q modification of ] the exclusion laws, it IS possible that in l time there will be a change more fla vorable to the Chinese. But the reo- pie of the United States will never con- sent to unrestricted immigration from | China.
 The Question of Floating Mines.
 There is so much play for the imagin- ation in discussing the question of |