The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1905-11-09

James II. Patten, OF Boston, Assis-
tant Secretary of the immigration Res
friction League. In a most interesting
address The South and the Immigrar
| tion Problem" favored restriction. He
| sketched the history of immigration,
pointing out how different in character
ana attainments were the immigrants
of the seventeenth and eighteenth GEN.
turtles and those of today. Then they
were the pick, now they are the scum
Of Europe, said he. He discussed the
political and economic phases Of the
and the body social are already Inn
periiled by reason Of lax immigration
laws. He quoted the late Francis A.
walker. who said that our immigrants
nowadays have no history behind them
to encourage them. They are beaten
men from beaten races.
Great Need Of the South.
what the South most needs and
wants today, said the speaker, "is not
the newly arrived, ignorant ana PEN
niless alien. but the settler with means
of purchase, preferable one who has
already resided in the United States
for some years, and who IL familiar
with American customs. Intelligent
immigrants. with some money. coming
from Northern Europe, skilled and
diversified farmers or In some trade.
VINO can u0V9uQ Oh HE OWA GRoEbAOn1s
1.-THE newer farms throughout the
South have been purchased very largely
by farmers from the West and North
west, either native Americans who
have sold their old farms or foreigners
who have lived in the country for
good many years 'pre-digested' immi-
grants, as one Of my correspondents
has called them.
Thousands Of immigrants of these
most desirable classes have recently
been brought into the South from the
Western and Northwestern States ana
from Northern Europe. showing In
most striking manner how easy 1t Is to
secure desirable immigrants. IL the
effort Is made. Intelligent, industrious,
strong, thrifty, skilled immigrants, es-
pecially farmers with some money. are
the most to be desired.
Where unskilled labor Is needed IL
should be sparingly introduced, under
careful supervisicn by the State, as has
been pointed out by your able. wide
awake Governor: which has already
been christened the Alabama plan, so
that wholesale importations of cheap
and undesirable labor may be impos-
sible.
The lessen which the North has
learned In this matter. as we'll as your
own cruel experience may well serve
as warming Investigations which
clearly that the employers of unskilled
or partly skilled labor In the South.
outside of agriculture, ere pretty fairly
agreed that the remedy for the pres
emit shortage of labor Is t, be found In
the migration of individuals from 9TH
err parts of the country or from North
ern Europe.
Existing Laws Inadequate.
"our existing laws are inadequate
but however Inadequate they are, att
tempting to improve the character of
immigration or to weed out the very
worst elements, will be met by q per-
feet cyclone OF opposition on the part
of csrta.n selfish interests, such as the
foreign steamship companies. They
will rray themselves in sack cloth and
ashes and plead with the cause of long
suffering humanity and will tell you
with deep pathos how this country has
always been refuge for the oppressed
and an asylum for the outcast.
Now even IL it be true, as they say,
that we are a charitable institution, an
international free lunch primarily for
the benefit of the rest of the world, still
we should not cultivate poverty merely
for the sake of exercising ben violence.
ut Is clear that great advantages
which the South should gain in the flu |
ture from the incoming of honest in
dustricus. Intelligent, thrifty, assimi- |
lative and physically fit aliens can only |
be secured by making a careful selec- |
ton of these immigrants and by pre-
venting the infiowing stream from be- |
coming vast and destructive flood of |
ignorar ce, pauperirm and debility.
THE North would be glad to have |
MANY of it's city slums emptied into |
the South and would rejoice selfishIy |
as would Southern Europe. IL the South |
would take its full share of the in /
coming tide OF aliens who are of poor |
physique, who are illiterate. who have |
criminal propensities and an indefiect- |
ible tendency to congregate in the |
worst quarters of the large cities, who |
do not pay their own passage and who |
are ursssimilative and united for |
American stendari of citizenship. DO |
you wan. that kind of immigrants"
Representative Oscar w, Under
woods views on immigration, as set
forth in the Underwood bill, were en-
dorsed by Representative Richardson,
and by Mr.. Patten.
Forests OF Alabama.
Alfred Gaskill, Assistant Forester
of the Department of Agriculture at
Washington, spoke interestingly of the
saying that Federal and State author,
tiles should unite in their efforts to
conserve and preserve this great asset
of the State.
National control of Southern quar-
antine,. was the subject of Judge Rich
ardsonS speech. He advocated a policy
that would safeguard public health
and at the same time preserve the
rights of State authority and mini
mize Federal power. Continuing he
said: The practical question for con-
sideration is, can a Federal quaran-
tine law giving the Federal health au-1
thorities supreme control be framed
within constitutional limits for the
protection of persons and property and
not interfere with the positive rights
of the States?
Many eminent and disttn suished
men contend that this may be done.
That this is a doubtful proposition
seems to me to be patent, when we re.
member that Federal Jurisdiction of
quarantine is exercised primarily In
the interest of commerce and that To-
cal or State Jurisdiction Is exercised
primarily for the protection for life
and health in different communities
and secondarily, in the interest of
The Association formally thanked
the Business Mems League of Deca-
tur for its hospitality, the Southern
Bell Telegraph and Telephone Compa-
ny for free use of Its line, and ]. II.
Patten for his interesting and instruc-
tive address.
Resolutions were adopted appointing
B. M. Allen of Birmingham to petition
for a $250,000 appropriation |
to get deep water at Mobile Bay.
The Association selected Gadsden as
the meeting place of next years con-
The ensuing year: President, A. G.
Forbes Monf0Omnrv. Ufra prasi6Anfa |