The Florida agriculturist., 1905-11-01
Southern Labor.


deficiency of laborers throughout the
south. The Tri-State Farmer pub
fishes an interesting article about it |
which we quote:
1t is a significant circumstance
that leading southern newspapers
have commenced to argue the desira-
bility of Chinese and Japanese i'm
migration for the southern states.
The Charlotte Observer says it is
ready to commit itself to the advocacy
of such immigration. eff it be true"
| if saws. that the south needs more
iabor-and everybody says it 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 in prefer
ence TO that we might secure from
Europe"
| The Charleston News and Courier,
while not ready to commit itself to
oriental immigration, is heartily i'm
favor of better treatment of the
Chinese recognizing a possible state
of affairs in the future that might
render Chinese labor quite desirable
in the south Other southern news
lpapers consider the subject worthy
of the most serious consideration.
That the south has labor problem
on its hands. none can deny. Unless
our great cotton industry is to suffer
greatly. the time is not far distant
when the labor question will have to
be settled. 1t is clear that there is a
possible trend of both whites and
negroes from the farms. The negroes,
for one reason or another, are how
ever. leaving the farms in great vol
ume. Already it is difficult to obtain
cotton pickers in Texas, and it has
come to the point where the negroes
have little to do with cotton except
pick it. The planting and working
is done now almost entirely by the
whites. Similar conditions prevail
in some of the other cotton growing
: states, and in the black belts OF MIS-
! sissippi and Alabama, large planters
are beginning to secure European
labor to take the places of the negroes.
There is no way to compel the
negroes to remain on the farms, and
if they prefer to leave, which is their
right. other labor will have to be Sc
L cured to take their places. The ne
1 groes are not being forced away.
They are simply getting tired of hard
L work and prefer the ease incident to
living by their wits. When they
leave the farms, however, they are
surely cutting the ground from under
their feet.
u The cotton industry is going to be
maintained in the south. 1t is in the
beginning of its development. In a
few years the world will demand
y %, 100000 bales, and before the cen
|. tury is half gone, probably 50,OOO,OOC
:. bales will be necessary. The south
J is going to supply the demand, how
:. ever great it may become, and this
means that the south is merely in the
beginning of its labor problem. This
I. labor will have to come from southern
Europe or from China and Japan
e There is no doubt about that, and
rs matters look now the orient seems
Il to be the surest source of supply.
d The anti Chinese sentiment on the
y Pacific coast will be strong enough
o to keep the orientals out for while
E, but there need be no fear that wheI
e the choice is between admitting the
% orientaIs or sacrificing our cotton
~ the voice of the nation will be fol
It the admission of the orientals.
4 1t is not strange that in the be
III ginning of the labor problem there
Is should be protest against showing
q. the negro out of his rightful employ
-e ment. The fact is, however, the negrs