The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-23

in the effort to get any kind of labor
at all'' in Panama, and that the gov
ernment is working chiefly with negro
labor from West Indies and he COM
mented on the habitual dropping of
from work
You hamper me-" he said, ''in the
effort to get for you what l tAlak
you ough. to have in connection with
the eight hour law, when you make
reaest that is indefensible and TO grant
such would mean indefinite delay ant
injury to the work on the isthmus.
"As to the violations of the eight
hour law, Mr.. Morrison, you give me
no specifications. At your earliest con-
venience please lay before me in detail,
any complaints you have OF violations
of the eight hour law. Where | nave
power [ will see that the line is obey
ed. All I ask is that you give me
the cases. will take them up and II
they prove to be sustained by the facts
II shall see that the law is enforced.
REGARDING Chinese exclusion the
President said that the number OF en-
nese in the country has steadily de-
creased and that there are fewer III
this country than 80 years ago. He
added:
"Unquestionably some scores of cases
occur each year where Chinese labor
ers get in either by being smuggled
over the Mexican and Canadian borders
or by coming in under false certificates
but the steps that we have taken. the
changs in the consuls have been made
within the last few years IN the OIL
ent, and the effort to conduct examl-
1ofo ha Inn o. n =
are allowed to come here are material
ly reducing even the small NUMBER OF
cases that do occur. But even as 1t is,
the number of these cases is lnslgnln-
can't There is no appreciable Influx
of Chinese laborers, and there is not
the slightest or most remote danger CT
any, the whole scare that has been
worked up on the subject is pure
chimera. It is my deep conviction that
we must keep out of this country
every Chinese laborer, skilled or un-
skilled-every Chinaman Of the cooile
class This is what the proposed law
| will do, it will be done as effectively
as under the present law, and the
present law is being handled with the
utmost efficiency. But l will do every
| thing in my power to make 1t easy
and desirable for the Chinese OF the
business and professional classes, tie
Chinese 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. |
have a right to challenge you as gool
American citizens, to support that pol
| icy. and in any event | shall stand
unflinchingly for it, and no man can
say with sincerity that on this or la-
deed on any. other point, he has an eX-
| cuse for misunderstanding my pol1cy
| You have spoken of the immigration
laws. believe not merely that all
possible steps should be taken to pre-
vent the importation of laborers under
any form, but I believe further tnat
this country ought to make a resoIule
effort from now on to prevent the
coming to the country of men with a
standard of living so low that tney
Itend by entering into unfair competl-
ltion with, to reduce the standard OF
living of our own people. Not one o1
WI can 90 further than | will In the
ieffort steadily to raise the status or the
American wage worker, so long as
while doing it, l can retain a clear
iconscience and the certainty that an
doing what is right. l will do ali n
nv power for the laboring man excep
to do what IS wrong, and | will not dt
that for him or for any one else
1--WE must not let our natural sen1l
ment for succoring the oppressed ane
unfortunate of other lands load u
into that warped moral and mental at
titude of trying to succOr them at INT
expense of pulling down our own peo
ple. Laws should be enacted to KEEL
ont all immigrants who do not snoV
that they have the right stuff in then
tn enter into our life on terms or lie
cent equality with our own citizens
This is needed first in the interest
of the laboring man, but Furthermore
in the interests of all of us as Amer
can citizens, for gentlemen, the bona
; that unite all good American citizen
are stronger by far than the dlnerenca
which l think you accentuate altogetn
er too much, between the men VINO C.
: one kind of labor and the men Wn
do another. AS for immigrants, we can
not have too many of the right killt
: and we should have none at all or IN
/ wrong kind, and they are OF the rlsl
: kind if we can be fairly sure that thcl
= children and grand children can mee
on terms of equality, our children an
3 grand children, so as to try to be de
5 cent citizens together and to work te
< gether for the uplifting of the repuf
e lie.
Now a word as to the peutlonlns
= employees to congress. That stano
i in no shape or way on a par with ca
q petitioning of men not employed by tn
f government l cannot have and WI
|, not have when l can prevent 1t, me
I who are concerned in the admlnlstrs
e ton of government affairs going
l. congress and asking for Increased pa
< without the permission of the heads
the departments. Their business -
come through the heads OF depar
+ ments. This applies to postmaste
and to army and navy officers, to cieri
:. i'm the government departments,
: laborers, it applies to each and all, al