The Forrest City times., 1905-11-17
FARMEk AND PLANTER.
SOUTHERN LABOR.
An E,er-Pr~xeut pro,,,., , Which Various solution.
 Are Being offered.


 'eaaihg southern newspapers have com meneed to argue the desirability of Chinese and Japanese immigration for the southern states. The Charlotte Oh server says it is ready to commit itself 10 the advocacy of such immigration.
 It II be true" it says, that tho south heedS more labor--and everybody says It does-what foreign labor half SO good as that it could secure from inc crlent. except for this exclusion law 9 We would chance il ten to one in preference to that we might sccure from Europe
 The Charleston News and Courier. While not ready to commit itself to orienetal immigration, is heartily in iaFor of better treatment of the Chi nese, recognizing a possible stste of affairs in the future that might rem der Chinese labor quite desirable in the south Other southern newspapers consider the subject worthy og tbe most serious consideration.
 That the south has q labor problem on It's hands, none can deny. Unless Cur great cotton industry is 10 suffer greatly, the time is not far distant when the labor question will have 10 be set tied. | is clear that there is a. possible trend of both whites and negroes from the farms The negroes. for one req son or another, are, however. leaving the farms in great volume Already It IS difficult to obtain cotton piclxers In Texas. and it has come to the point where the negroes have little to do with the cotton except pick it. The planting and working is done now al most entirely by the whites. Similar conditions prevail in some of the other cotton growing states, and in the black belts of Mississippi and Alabama. large planters are beginning to secure Eu- ropean labor to take the places of the negroes
 There is no way to compel the ne groes to remain on the farms. and if they prefer 10 leave, which is their right. other labor will have to be se- cured to take their places. The negroes are not being forced away. They are simply getting tired of hard work and prefer the ease incident 10 living by their wits When they leave the farms, however. they are surely cutting the ground from under their feet.
 The cotton industry is going to be maintained in the south. It is in the beginning of it's development. In a few years the world will demand 25,- O00,000 bales. and before the century Is half gone, probably 50,000, 600 bales will be necessary. The south is going to supply the demand, however great It may become, and this means that the south is merely in the beginning ot its labor problem. This labor will have to come from southern Europe or from China or Japan. There is no doubt about that, and as matters look now the orient seems to be the surest source of supply.
 The anti-Chinese sentiment on the Pacific coast will be strong enough to keep the orientals out fer awhile, but there need be no fear that when the choice is between admitting the ori- entals or sacrificing our cotton, the voice of the nation will be for the ad- mission of the orientals.
 Is it not strange that in the begin ming of the labor problem there should be protests against showing the negro out of his rightful employment. The fact is, however, the negro is shoy- ing himself out. If he is to continue his primacy in the labor establishment of the south. there Will have to be great change in present conditions The outgoing negro tide will have to set in toward the cotton fields again. and the change can not come too soon to save the situation for the negro. Men may say the negro will always be with us, and will always constitute our labor in the south, but the assertion is puerile in the presence of the concrete fact that the negro is abandoning farm labor in all parts of the south. and the planters are pow erless to keep him at wort,.
 The Post prefers that the first ex- pertinent with foreign labor for the southern farms be made with Euro pean labor If we can not induce the Europeans 10 come in sufficient num- ters, We may eventually be driven 10 the Chinese labor market
 When Europeans or orientals take the places of the millions of southern negroes, what is to become of the lat ter2 That Is another oueSfiOn E0r the present 1t need only De said that the south will have her cotton industry. -Tri-State Farmer.