The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-04
THE RIGHT PROMOTION OF
 SOUTHERN IMMIGRATION
C,onmlssionr Watson of South Carolina Tells of
 His Experiences and His Hopes.

the cotton crop and other agricultur- al products of the South to European countries where there is a great de- mand for them. This means saving of millions of dollars annually to the producers and to Southern railroad lines now wasted in unnecessary freight charges, and a like saving on the exportation of products from these
 countries upon which much Is likewise wasted in freight charges that there
 necessity for paying. Pursuing this
 ,lain business proposition, we have realized it meant the establishment Of i the coveted transatlantic service, and that with such a service once estab- 1ished we would find our immigration problem solved; that for each ship there would be plenty of passengers offering, and that under State Departv ment control our supply of immigra- ton would be full. making 1t necessary for our representatives to do only se- lective work.
 Anyone familiar with European customs and conditions will see this at glance. In other words, am con. vinced that the foundation has been laid for select immigration into the South in & continuous stream, without the necessity of spending in waste full manner the thousands of dollars that our people of the South have been wasting for years in conflicting and misguided efforts. Let them but rally to the support of the transatlantic service into South Atlantic ports as 8 plain business proposition, and they will have. with State Departments to do the selection, what they want in im- migration, and the congested centers will find an automatic distribution and a relief heretofore sought in vain; and, furthermore. the nation will find itself getting 8 better class of immigrants, and the relief that the whole people are demanding, To make this most ef- fective the sparsely-settled Southern States, rich in resources and productive power. should have State Departments, and Congress should be asked to make such changes In existing laws as will give them greater powers with the sanction of foreign governments to conduct selective and restrictive work at ports of departure. We have work ed on these lines. anticipating almost such steps being taken, and the char acter of the shipload of people landed at Charleston, I think. demonstrates the soundness of the proposition.
 'No precaution that human foresight could indicate has been neglected. All our representatives abroad have been duly commissioned, after being care fully selected for their fitness. The State Department at Washington has been notified of each appointment, with the request to have each government to which the appointee was accredited duly notified through the American legations. The cooperation and sane ton of each foreign government has been requested, and the request n many instances most gladly granted. In several countries was this not only granted but the advice was graciously given: Take our best people; leave the bad for us to handle" and in one country at least the government au- thorities aided in the selection. when I went to Europe I did so with proper naners from the State Department. Strictest instructions were given to all agents as to selection and as to re- training from misrepresentation or any character. Precautions were even taken to better the hours of labor ana conditions of our own laboring people and to protect their interests asainse ns fine introduction of foreign people. While abroad, and even before l went, deemed it wise to advance passage to deeIrable persons who could not secure sufficient money for the passage or all the members of their large families Tor the first few sailings.
 s'Vigorously, strenuously, l endeaV-
 ored to get from the Federal Govern
 ment a construction of the law on tnls
 point, a States powers being open to some question. Not @ move In this direction was made until from the
 state Department at Washington came
 a cable message signed Adee con struing the law to the efrect, in plain English. that advance passage by the state were not in conflict with the alien contract labor law, but that the 1 alien must afflrmatively show that he would rot become public charge. | had accepted contributions to the funds | of the department in strict accord with
 the State statute, and with these' pro-