Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-02
EASTERNER'S EXPERIENCE
AS AN ORANGE PICKER
Claims He Could Not Get Work
Among the Growers Around
RedIands
REDJANDs, Cal, Jan. 81.


REDJANDs, Cal, Jan. 81.
Editor Herald:
In this mornings Herald is an article
on the yellow peril in Red1ands, to
which I wish to reply and, in the be-
ginning, will state that have no SYM
pathy with racial prejudice.
Your editorial states that there Is a
scarcity of help in the orange district.
Four weeks ago friend and myself
left Los Angeles for Redlands, stop.
ping at Pomona and Cotton. AT
neither of these places could we find
work, and in reply to our applications
were told that there were more pickers
than jobs; that picking had stopped or
that there would be no picking until
there was an Improvement in the mar
ket. which was not expected for sew
eral weeks.
We arrived at Redands and found
men on the street idle. We asked the
teamsters at the packing houses for
work, as is the custom, and could get
no satisfaction. We walked the coun-
try roads but met with no success.
Even the orchardists to whom we ap-
piled knew of no one who was scarce
of help in this district where such scar
city is being continually advertised III
the press of Southern California. ]
know of several persons who have come
here from San Diego and were here for
week, when one happened by chance
to secure a job.
Now, Mr.. Editor, there is help enough
In the Redlands district to do the pick
ing and there are laborers enough In
Southern California to meet the de-
nand without misrepresenting facts.
Misrepresentation Is bringing to this
state men who sometimes are compelled
to resort to practices which are Grim
inal in order to live when the last cent
is gone. The so-called hoboes were
once law-abiding citizens in the east,
induced to migrate to this state by
glaring inducements as to scarcity and
high wages of labor, both in the city
and country. They soon find that the
statements are false and if they wish
to earn a living and save money they
must tramp the country roads with a
pack on their backs working in this
place and in that place d month. AS
result they save little and are COM
pelled to adapt themselves to a lif.
hitherto unknown.
| I believe from my observation that,
! while there are men who are careless
and independent, there are more who
can be depended upon. And further let
me warn the ranchers that these jan
anese will in time become as inde-
pendent and careless. I worked in
dry yard at Colusa year ago, where
dozen of the yellow men were em-
| ployed. They went on a strike several
days a week and were just as capable
of trickery, carelessness and deceit as
the rest of mankind.
| Now, Mr.. Editor, I think you should
make a distinction between the so
called hobo and the laborer who has
been induced to migrate to this state
by golden rewards for labor only to
spend his savings trying to secure
position and when his savings are gone,
| is compelled to live in cheap lodging
houses and be Dummy" There is no
necessity of socialism in California, but
| the attitude OF a certain CLASS OF people
imbued with a commercial spirit is
encouraging the spread of the doctrines
of that party and creating Socialists
every day Of the year.
AN EASTERNER.
| In the above communication the
writer says II believe from my obser-
walton that while there are many who
are careless and independent there are
more who can be depended upon"
That accords, in the main point, with
the complaint of the orange growers.
They do not charge that all of the
white orange pickers are not reliable.
Our correspondent is a man of educa-
ton and evidently of the class of de-
sirable workers 1t is his misfortune
to suffer by reason of the shortcom-
ings of others, and he would subserve
his best interests by breaking away
from the many, as he says, who are
careless and independent" as charged
by the growers. EDITOR.