The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-12-16
FARMER AND PLANTER.
An Ever-Prcsent Problem For
which Various Solutions
Are Being OHered.


Are Being OHered.
It is a significant circumstance that
leading southern newspapers have COM
menced to argue the desirability OF
Chinese and Japanese immigration Tor
the southern ctates. The Charlotte OBJ
server says ii is ready to commit itself
to the advocacy of such immigration.
at if be true" it says. that the south
needs more labor-and everybody says
1t does-what foreign labor half SO
good as that it could secure from the
orient, except for this exclusion law!
We would chance it ten to one a
preference to that we might secure
from Europe"
The Charleston News and Courier,
while not ready to commit itself to
orienetal immigration, is heartily in
favor of better treatment Of the Chi
nese, recognizing possible state OF
affairs in the future that might rem
der Chinese labor quite desirable in the
south. Other southern newspapers
consider the subject worthy OF the
most serious consideration.
That the south has labor problem
on its hands, none can deny. Unless
cur great cotton industry Is to suffer
greatly, the time is not far distant when
the labor question will have to be set
tied. 1t is clear that there is possible
trend of both whites and negroes from
the farms. The negroes, for one rea-
son or another. are, however, leaving
the farms in great volume. Already
it is difficult to obtain cotton pickers
in Texas, and 1t has come to the point
where the negroes have little to do
with the cotton except pick it. The
planting and working is done now al
most entirely by the whites. Similar
conditions prevail in some of the other
cotton growing states. and in the black
belts o; Mississippi and Alabama, large
planters are beginning to secure Eu-
ropean labor to take the places Of the
negroes.
There is no way to compel the me-
groes to remain on the farms, and II
they prefer to leave. which is their
right, other labor will have to be Sc
cured to take their Places. The negroes
are not being forced away. They are
simply getting tired of hard work and
prefer the ease incident to living by
their wits. When they leave the farms
he viewer. they are surely cutting the
ground from under their feet.
The cotton industry is going to be
maintained In the south. 1t Is In the
beginning Of its development. In q
few years the world will demand 25,-
000, 900 bales, and before the century
IL half gone. probably 100000 bales
will be necessary. The south is going
to supply the demand, however great
1t may become, and this means that
the south is merely In the beginning
of its labor problem. This labor will
have to come from southern Europe OF
from China or Japan There is nc
doubt about that, and as matters lool
now the orient seems to be the sures'
source of supply.
The anti-Chinese sentiment on the
Pacific coast will be strong enough to
keep the orientals out for awhile, but
there need be no fear that when the
choice is between admitting the orr.
entails or sacrificing our cotton, the
voice Of the nation win be for the ad-
mission of the orientals.
Is it not strange that in the begin
ming of the labor problem there should
be protests against showing the Negro
out of his rightful employment. The
fact Is. however, the negro is show.
Ing himself out. II he is to continue
his primacy in the labor establishment
Ct the south, there will have to be 9
great change in present conditions. The
outgoing negro tide will have to Sc
ir toward the cotton fields again, and
the change can not come too soon t.
save the situation for the negro. Mer
may say the negro will always be with
us, and will always constitute oul
| principal labor in the south, but thu
assertion is puerile In the presence o.
the concrete fact that the negro Il
abandoning farm labor in all part
of the south, and the planters are pow
erless to keep him at work.
The Post prefers that the first ex
pertinent with foreign labor for thu
southern farms be made with Euro
pean labor. If we can not induce thu
Europeans to come in sufficient mum
hers, we may eventually be driven Il
the Chinese labor market.
| When Europeans or orientals TAX
the places of the millions Of southern
negroes, what is to become Of the lat
ter? That is another question. Fo
the present it need only be said tina
the south will have her cotton industry
-Tri-State Farmer.