The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-12

may he we'll for us to bear in mind. In the first place, this immigration, or immigration in any form, is not going to come as rapidly as we would desire. It will take time. This should not be a reason for relaxing our efforts to get it. It should be reason for in- creasing them. But it should also be reason for doing all in our pow CT to get the best possible results out of the labor we already have.
 'T think I fully realize the irritatio1~ and exasperations of the labor situation as 1t now exists. It is partly due to the fact that the prosperity of the South has made such a demand for labor of all kinds that the supply is running ont. It is true that there are many negro 1oafers. Quite a number of these are loafing because the higher wages they have been receiving makes it possible for them to knock off work after laboring only a few days in the week. Much of this loafing, however. is due to an increasing unwillingness to work at all for white employers. It is useless to disguise the fact that. while our better classes of negroes are holding worthy course and are do- ing we'll the great majority of the race-who are wholly dependent upon the work of their hands-are losing the yHlpdlHS bI IldHy ol our pest ptODIt, are adding eXasperation to exaspera- tion, and are gradually teaching the South to do without their labor. If the South should learn the lesson, it will be to the negro's irreparable loss. Their preachers, who are really their dominant teaching force, should see the emergency and should speak to them wisely and strongly.
 "On the other hand. no white man should assume that his own race is wholly without fault. Much of our journalism and much of our political campaigning has been on q low plane. If the negroes are restless let us re- member that no race can eyer be en- couraged to cOntented industry when kept in an atmosphere of reckless abuse and under the whip of bitter and undiscriminating passion While many | of our peopl" are just and geneous l employers, there are others who have | taken constant advantage of the ne- | gros ignorance and helplessness. In | the old days master who was brutal to his slaves very soon felt the dis | approval of the masters who were 1 kindly and just. I wish there were | more of thai sentiment now.
 "Ther" will always. however. he much occasion for irritation between any class of employers and any class | or employees This is the second point l wish to make. We suffer much annoyanc' and provocation with ne- gro lahor but we will suffer also with any labor N" ran get. Let us not imagln" that tho employing class will ever S'" "gain--here or anywhere-an lndustf1al paradise. There are labor troubles everywhere. Whether we look to south Afriot-where the vast min
 ing investments of England are suf-
 terlng enormous losses through labor
 dlhcultIes-or to London. with it's
 marchlhg thousands of the unemployed
 and the lntn. ar to the mining sections
 ot fenhSNlFafla and Ohio. or to New
 1ork city, where labor troubles have
 'held hp '''H he erection of school houses Tor 'h' children--it Is the same story of Industrial turmoil, Immigra -
 tlon will come and ought to come. but 1t Will bring no escape. from labor diff
 hcult'es l' wll simply give us new
 ones mst"A. of the old ones
 I thnk. moreover, that no amount 'ot immigra'Ion-however large it may