The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-22
ITALIAN LABOR ISSUE
IN THE GULF STATES
Has 1t in Politics Sixty Thousand
italians in Louisiana and Not an Unem-
pIoyed Man Among Them.

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 1.-The cam
paign for governor in Mississippi now
under way, seems likely to turn upon
a race issue, but a race issue in which
the negro is little concerned. The TIA
liam quarter has suddenly come to the
front as the principal theme of discus
sion.
The negro has so far been barely
mentioned in the campaign speeches,
and the general sentiment is that the
race question, as far as the negro is
concerned, is settled. Gov. yardaman
is about the only man Of prominence
who thinks otherwise. His announce
ment that he intends to make the
campaign for United States Senator
against John Sharp Williams on the
negro issue and the repeal of the Four
teenth and Fifteenth amendments has
not called forth a ripple of response.
Campaigning in Mississippi is pecu-
liar By the primary law the nominal
lions are left entirely to the voters, no
political convention of any kind being
allowed. The candidates have therefore
to go directly before the voters.
The last campaign lasted two years,
that time being required to enable the
candidates to visit every one of the
seventy-six counties The present
campaign has been shortened to seven
teen months, the candidates having
announced themselves in July. 1906, and
the election being held in November,
1867
Seven candidates came out for gov
ernor and the campaign was opened
this would have been impossible in any
State except Mississippi-at a small
county fair at Philadelphia, a village
of a few hundred people, miles from
a railroad Here all seven candidates
spoke, each giving his views on various
questions.
As they were all Democrats there
was not great variety in their news
Then in the last few weeks the Italian
has suddenly bobbed up as a new race
question for Mississippi TO solve.
The Introduction of this issue is at
tributed to Charles Scott Of RosedaIe.
who is generally regarded as the
strongest candidate in the field. Mr..
Scott is a resident OF the Yazoo delta,
where the population is overwhelming
cation and refinement.
In the delta the great question is
that of labor. There is not and never
has been enough labor. The negroes
are leaving the cotton plantations. and
it has been impossible to get other Ia
Dor in their stead.
Mr. Scott suggested that italian Ia
Dor be employed as in the adjacent
States OF Louisiana and Arkansas, and
he has thus brought before the voters
the question, Do you want the Italian
in preference to or as a supplement to
the negro? And II he is brought in,
what will be his social and political !
status? The issue has presented itself
more vigorously as the campaign has
and il looks now as though |
The election Of 1907 in Mississippi would |
De referendum as to whether the tia |
ian is wanted or not.
Mr.. Scott is the chief advocate OF |
italian immigration Judge Truly and |
Mr.. Brewer argue vigorously against
the low browed Italian" The other
candidates are apparently investigating
he subject before committing them
selves. Two have come TO New Or
cans to look into the Italian situation