The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-10-07

we rail- TO produce THIS LABOR and de-
ve1op our u without the ne
cessity of importing alien labor? We
fail because the overwhelming major
ity of our people live in cities under
crease in population. It is the dense
ly populated rural districts of the
world hat have produced the men
for war and for industry through all
the ages. While England yet nae a
vigorous rural stock we enjoyed a
ton. English agriculture has atrop-
hied and today the alien hordes en-
tering our great seaports come no
longer from England, but from the
densely populated rural districts CT
Italy, Austro-Hungary and Japan. The
railroad section gang is the pulse of
our immigration and today we see
they are in the east italians, Palish
and Hungarians, in the southwest,
Mexican, and in the west and north
west, japanese. Aother instance is
in the fruit orchards and celery fields
of California where Chinese coolie
labor finds employment. And today
comes the cry from the Portland.
Oregon, Chamber of Commerce that
we admit annually Chinese coolie Ia
Dor to the extent of one-tenth of one
per cent of our population at the
time. That would mean $4,000 China
men the first year and an increasing
number each succeeding year. 1t is
argued that we need unskilled labor
and that the development of the coun-
try awaits the introduction of this
class. They say these laborers can
not compete with skilled white labor
This contention would not be borne
out in practice, for the Chinese are
lot an inferior people in comparison
with us, and though the coolie is a
a coolie so long as he stays in over
crowded China, where there are no
opportunities, he no sooner reaches
this country and accustoms himself
to the new ways than he displays
training and thrift and industry. No
n who has een the Chinese cool
lie turned cook, excel his white breth-
rem and crowd u all competitors,
Or apply his native skill in agricul-
ture and monopolize the field in mar
ket gardening, can believe that the
Chinese coolie will never compete
with skilled labor. 1t is more a u
ton whether he would not eventual
ly completely displace our own skill
ed labor.
But granting that coolie labor and
other alien races will not deprive our
own people Of an occupation, are
we sured that their importation
Two centuries g the southern
planters imported unskilled labor to
enable them to expend their cotton
raising industry. From the standpoint
of the wealthy planters this brought
nothing but benefit. But today we
have the poor whites and the negro
question as the result of this short
sighted policy. Who can say thai the
descendants OF those planters lay
not paid and do not suffer from this
unfortunate solution of the labor pro
blem in the south two hundred years
ago? What assurance have we that
there is no unforeseen menac in the
ever-increasing inflow of alien C
on both coasts and from owe the
Mexican border, beyond our powers
of assimilation? This is a democracy
and it will be in peril when we nave
an alien problem brought on by the
presence of a numerous body of infer
ior and unassimilated foreigners in
our midst.
We are short of labor because our
own tremendous activity in a land
hardly touched as yet has created an
immense demand for them, and while
we have created a great market for
labor we have entirely overlooked
the necessity of supplying the demand
So we have to look to foreign coun-
tries at this day and accept an in
ferior class of labor that must even,
tually have a radical effect on Ameri-
a society and government. A con-
tinued inpouring of this alien labor
is a serious menace to US and a dan
ger to u government. We have
brought on a national crisis and orr
future hangs on our solution of the
problem. 1t S for US to decide wherh-
er we shall import labor or produce
our own. With a population greater
than that of Germany and France |
occupying half a contin-
ent, and admittedly the wealthiest
people in the world, why is it that |