Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1906-07-07
immigration as a State Issue.

Charles Scott touching the ques-
ton of immigration IN Mississippi
and his attitude in the matter
His enemies accuse him of desir-
ing to deluge the State with Dagoes
and some of his friends defend him
but III so doing place him as adj
vocating Italian immigration in
his platform, Both are wrong.
Mr.. Scott has not advised the i'm.
portation of a single Dago, nor
is there one word In his platform
concerning foreign immigrants.
The fact is, the matter of immi-
grafton is without the province OF
state powers, and entirely within
the Jurisdiction and powers of the
national government, Mississippi
can bring into her borders not a
single foreigner who IS inadmissi'
BILE under the national immigra-
ton laws, nor can she debar from
coming here any one who passes
through Castle Garden if he wishes
to settle in the state. The state Is
powerless in the matter, With
her and her people it is an indus
trial-an economic question en-
tirely, and not a governmental or
political policy. The proposition
is so plain that it needs only to be
stated to be plain to every one,
and Mr.. Scott has not been care
less enough to put the question in
so out-of- away place as a political
platform,
Some years ago Mr.. Scott spent
year In Europe, much of his time
there being devoted to a careful
personal investigation OF agricul.
ture and agricultural labor condl.
lions there. Upon his return, on
request, he contributed to the
Manufacturers Record an article
on the question Of labor in the
South, wherein he advocated the
encouragement of Italian peasants
settling in the South. Here, and
not in a political document, did
Mr., Scott promulgate his views.
And is he right about it?
Mississippi has nearly ten mil
lions Of acres OF arabic land (al-.
most as much as is now regularly
under the plow) uncultivated for
lack of men to work it. AS agri-
cultural methods improve the nat
ural increase of labor can best be
employed in more careful and
thorough working of the present.
acreage; with no loss to laborer.
farmer or landlord the land now
in cultivation could be made to
produce threefold its present out
put. 1t is doubtful wisdom under
these circumstances to postpone
the growth and development of
the state that would follow on the
use and occupation Of her waste
lands until indefinite Prosperity
comes to want them. The wealth
that would come with the ingress
Of good, industrious labor would be
magnificent. What Mississippi
needs and will need for decades to
come is not more land but more
good men to work the land, and
convert its latent resources into
patent assets. These assets are
pleasant homes and productive
farms, greater production and
greater wealth, larger business In
every branch of tradeIand more nu-
merous and larger bank accounts.
With the increased taxable as
sets the general Golfers of the
state would be filled, which
would mean better roads and
better schools and colleges in. |
deed a general betterment of so.
cial and economic conditions that
would benefit the state and citi-
zens of the state.
Objection has been made to the
class of immigrants named-the
Italians. Such objections, for
the most part, come from lack OF
thought or sheer ignorance.
There are Europeans who think
all Southerners are negroes; their
ideas of us are scarcely more at
fault than the ideas of those who
confuse Italian peasants with
what we know as Dagoes. As
well compare street boy from
the Bowery in New York with
farmer boy of Mississippi. The
Dagoes are the street gamins, the
human vermin from the crowded
alleys OF Rome and Naples or
other cities of Italy. They never
had a farming implement in their
hands, and never will unless per-
chance they get into a peniten-
tiary. They sell bananas and
candy, or tell fortunes in street
fairs. But the Italian peasant is
a far different being. For untold