The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-24
WILEY TALKS ON LABOR QUESTION Oriental Markets Must be En-
 outraged MODIFY THE CHINESE ACT Says That the Black Belt of Alabama Is In a LamentabIe Con-
 diton as to
 Labor.
MODIFY THE CHINESE ACT

Washington December G5'-(Speclal'|- On the questions of domestic labor and
 foreign markets, Representative Wiley Of Alabama today said
 ''These are twin questions. They go hand in hand. They are companion pleces' That no country can be prosperous With out markets is so undeniably true as to be axlomatic-a self-evident proposition Labor to produce, without markets III which to dispose of our commodities, is worse than useless. China, with her 5Vo'- O00.O0O population, to all the leading ha- tions of the earth has come to be couh- try of intensest commercial concern' our economic cry, therefore, should be- on to inc tropics.' Our direct trade with Asiatic countries at this time is only about II per cent, which will be stlll 1ur- ther reduced in the near future unless some intelligent endeavor is made and speedy action taken by the present Con eress to remove the fierce and far-reacn- ing boycott now going on in China against American goods and southern cotton It has assumed gigantic proportions ana has now reached an international crlsls' This boycott comes from the Chinese eX- clusion act, which offensivey designates the coolie by name as being unworthy to land upon our shores.
 Hard to Obtain Modification.
 "The influences behind that law are so potential as to render it well-nigh inn possible to obtain any modification, how ever light insofar as to admit Moh- golians in limited numbers, even II there was anything like a general demand In th that class Of laDOrerS 10 serve as farm hands and domestic ser vants In my district, particularly Tn the black belt we are in a lamentable con dition as to labor.
 ''It Is not difficult to find any number of negro men idling around the streets of city like Montgomery any day Tn the
 week who will not work for wages and who are fed from the kitchens of our peo- ple who try to keep house in the towns
 In many of the beats in the several coun- ties constituting the Second Congressman
 district no negroes can be employed at any price: and therefore the labor problem has taken on an acute aspect. mere
 is not doubt that when the Chinese
 boycott of American goods and southern cotton abates, it will require 40,00O,0OO bales
 to supply the worlds demand, and the
 fleecy staple will go up to 10 cents per
 pound, provided we can get enough la
 borers to produce desirable results, ana
 can secure proper trade relations with the far east.
 Cannot Solicit Immigrants. "There is another fact which the farm CTS of the south seem to have entirely overlooked towit that under the general alien law. no person, firm or corporation can solicit or employ laborers Tn foreign countries to work in the United States; cannot contract with them or offer any in- d,o 10 here as Ia borers; and if any foreign laborers visit our shores under a contract or upon any inducement to pay them wages upon their arrival here, they will promptly be de- ported, and the man who brings them into this country will be fined 5000 Tn cash in each case. By reason of this law no good laborng classes receive any en- couragement to come into our midst, and the south is made the dumping ground for the slum and refuse of European nations. Immigration agents delight to islander our people, This invasion of our section with European pauper and criminal classes Is, | in my opinion, a more serious problem, especially to the people of the south, than | the so-called yellow peril The only rem | edy for this distressing condition of af- | fairs is the creation by our state of an | immigration bureau. The law under con | sideration does not apply to a common wealth If Alabama had commissioner of l immigra ton we might do something In l the near future towards securing able | bodied, healthy Swedes and Germans to come into our midst. l am glad to ob- serve that our people are becoming aroused on this important subject "1'he outlook is lamentable. but we are l compelled under existing legal limita- | tions to sail slowly if we would weather | the gale and escape the shoals in our | pathway of the sea-