The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16
IMMIGRATION PROBLEM
 IMPORTANT TO ALABAMA

uuent elevation of these occupations to a higher plane of competitive eff ficiency with other sections of the country, as well as with foreign coun- tries.
 Will Make Good Ci4izsns.
 And these migrants will make good citizens. Carefully selected on the other side of the water. they will be men and women who come here to make permanent homes, tc work in furnaces, mills and mines, and gradually acquire enough to buy a home of their own, or they will bring with them money sufficient to buy land and earn liv- ing from the cultivation of the soil They understand thoroughly that this Is a land where man prospers to the extent that he $ industrious and law abiding. They come here to better their condition. They are told that this is a land of freedom and equality be- fore the law. They will make the best use of these possessions.
 One of the best characteristics Of the majority of the immigrants who come to this country is the deep interest they take in education. Men who in- sist on the best educational facilt- ties for their children can be trusted to make good citizens. Good schools nstitute one of the strongest at fractions for immigrants. In fact 1t Is very, ulIIlcuu to Bel hieh oA laliilN " go to points where their children s mental training will have to be neg lected. Unfortunately this is one of the drawbacks that Alabama has tc contend with, for the public school sys- tenn IS not as extensive as that of the North or West But the introduction of good immigrants will itself help solve this question.
 Farmers can add to the value of their Iu nd hNy having TeliaOlH labor. and unoccupied land will take on the value of improved property. The open ing of new mines and furnaces will add millions to the tax value of the State. and money to expand and inn prove the school system will be one of the first results of the coming or a new population. .-..
 Become Good Americans.
 It does not take long to make a good American out of an ambitious foreigner of the right class. One gem eratton frequently does 1t, and two always does. I was struck with this fact recently in reading a letter from a gentleman who was describing some German immigrants he had brought down to this place. He said; They ap- pear to me to be about the same class of men that peopled Georgia and the Carolinas 75 to 125 years ago" Surely no better proof could be needed that Din these newcomers Alabama has an added source of wealth.
 The importation of foreign labor has had a remarkable and happy effect on the negro that was not foreseen, is the experience of many of the em- ployers in the Birmingham district The newcomers are like clockwork In their regularity; never late to work and they never lose an hour The negroes working with them take notice of this and they too become more reg ular in their work. They think their joh Is in danger!
 The immigration problem Is big one. It cannot be solved in day. Ii needs careful investigation and ex- pertinent, and 1t must be solved in the right way. Alabama is going to solve it and in doing so. proposes to profit by the experience of her sister States; to initiate the methods that are a proven success and avoid the mistakes, We want 10 learn which are the na- tionalities best adapted to our climate and surroundings, and to do the work to be done here. The importation of foreigners is hedged about with var ious laws, and 1t has been onr aim to study these and be tn a position