Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-03-30


dreds of kilograms and letters re-
questing the veto of the entire aprpo
priation bill because it contained that
proviso. Frankly, l found it difficult
TO believe that you were writing and
telegraphing with any kind of knowl
edge of the conditions in the case. !
believe emphatically in the eight-hour
law for our own people in our own
country. But the conditions of labor
SUCH as We have to work with in the
tropics are so absolutely different that
there is no possible analogy between
item and an eight-hour law for the
Panama canal is an absurdity.
Driven to Extremities.
Everyone Of you know that we can
rot get white labor, can not get labor
from the United States to go down to
Panama and work. We are driven to
extremities in the effort to get any
kind of labor at all. Just at the mo-
ment We are working chiefly with ne
gro labor from the West Indies. The
usual result in the employment of
those men is that Monday and Tues
day they work fairly well; Wednes-
Cay and Thursday there is a marked
falling off, and by Friday and Satur
day not more than a half, sometimes
less than fourth of the laborers
will be at work. The conditions that
|. .s.~l,t L.
have no possible reference to the con-
ditions that make the eight-hour law
entirely improper there. The condi
tons are so utterly different on the
isthmus as compared to here, that it
/ is impossible to draw conclusions af-
fecting the one from what is true about
the other. You hamper me in the eff
fort to get for you what | think you
ought to have in connection with the
etght-hour law when you make a re-
quest that is indefensible and to grant
which would mean indefinite delay and
injury to the work on the istnmus.
CAS- to the violations of the eight
hour law, Mr.. Morrison, you give me
no specifications. At your earliest
convenience please lay before me in
detail any complaints you have Of VIC
lations of the eight-hour law. Where
have power l will see that the law
Is obeyed. All ask is that you give
me the cases. l will take them up,
and if they prove to be sustained by
the facts / shall see that the law is
enforced.
Exclusion Of Chinese.
Now, about the Chinese exclusion.
The number of Chinese now in this
country is, if remember Alright, some
10000 or 10000. So far from there
being a great influx of Chinese, the
fact is that the number has steadily
than there were ten years ago; fewer
than there were 90 years ago; fewer
than there were 80 years ago. I'm
questiOnably some scores of cases &C.
Cur each year where Chinese laborers
get in either by being struggled over
/ the Mexican and Canadian borders, or
by coming in under false certificates
but the steps that We have taken, the
changes in the consuls that have been
made within the past few years in the
orient and the effort to conduct ex-
aminations in China before the immi-
grants are allowed to come here, are
materially reducing even the small
number of cases that do occur.
But even as it is, the number of
these cases is insignificant. There is
no appreciate influx of Chinese labor
ers, and there is not the slightest nor
the remotest danger of any; the whole
scare that has been worked up on the
subject is a pure chimera. 1t is my
dep conviction that we must keep out
CT this country every Chinese labor
or, skilled Or unskilled-.very China
man of the coolie class. This is what
the proposed law will! do.
Good Treatment for Travellers.
1T will be done as effectively as un
uCT lue present law, anu Iut pIcScHC
law is being handled with the utmost
efficiency. But l will do everything
in my power to make it easier and
desirable for the Chinese of the bust
ness and professional class, the Chi
nese travellers and students to come
here, and will do all can to secure
their good treatment when they come;
and no laboring man has anything
whatever to fear from that policy.
Il have the right to challenge you
as good American citizens to support
that policy, and in any event I shall
stand unflinchingly for it, and no man
can say with sincerity that on this, or
indeed and other point. he has any ex-
ouse for misunderstanding my policy.
As to immigration Laws.
you have spoken of the immigra-
ton laws. I believe merely that not
only all proper steps should be TAX.
en- to prevent the importation of Ia
borers under any form. but I think
that this country ought to make a res.
Quite effort from now on to prevent
the coming to this country of men
with a standard of living so low that
they tend, by entering into unfair COM