The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-15

build monuments to them, we scatter
flowers over their graves, gentlemen that
is for the dead and the memories of the
dead, which is right; but we should make
It possible for the living to pass their
last days in comfort and peace.
immigration.
The curse of Alabama has been cheap
labor More than 40 per cent of our
population are negroes, and, from the
very nature of the case furnishing a low
order of labor, and this Is certainly a
sufficient burden on the white men of the
state to educate, take care of and build
up; and | can imagine no greater curse
to the state than the Introduction of n
low class of white labor. | understand
that there will be a bill before the house
for the state to establish bureau and
send agents abroad to secure labor, and
with the stated broadness of field reach
ing from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.
and with the apparent purpose of going
to that congested section which borders
the Mediterranean and bring the lowest
class of labor that comes to the American
shores. and against. which the whole
United States is crying today. / would
caution you of the danger with our pres
ent surrounding of 40 per cent negroes cf
bringing into our state. introducing and
amalgamatng a great horde of cheap la
Dor from that section. What law we
make. certainly, we should make 1t so
restrictive as to make those who come
fit associates for our own yellow haired,
blue-eyed people. Alabama is Just emery
ing from the mpoverishing condition of
low price labor. and for the first time we
are approaching the standard of price
paid by northern states, and it would be
u calamity TO throw an underlying
qucksand foundation OF this lowest class
tod Il nt. r
the Mediterranean shore. Make the con-
ditions in our own state SO rructifying
that our own people will stop emigrat-
ing and give the natural inflow and In
crease, that will come from improved
conditions, chance. and this Will largely
rectify the proper demand for labor. Some
100000 our our own people have emigrated.
1t will be a calamity TO put In competi-
ton with and push out, those who are
here, substituting a mass of this low
price stuff which this bill proposes to In
troduce Five-eighths of the labor of this
state is white, fve-eighths of the cotton
crop is made by white labor. The first
effect of this flood of cheap labor would
be a vital blow to the white labor in our
midst, this white labor which reaches
from our northern to our southern boun-
daries, whether engaged in production or
manufacture.
Immigrants, yes, we want them. but
we do not want immigrants for the pur-
pose of reducing the price of labor. we
want them for citizenship. Why did 1t
not suggest itself to ask you to secure i'm
migrants through your agricultural ana
state departments, to send with the seal
of the state an agent to Norway, Sweden.
England and Germany. and some other
sections that we could name? Already
the country is being hurt by the introduc-
ton Of certain classes of immigrants, and
we ought to pass laws rectifying and lin
iting that.
Alabama should not be among those
which are clamorfng for low priced and
peonage labor. This scarcity Of labor Is
accomplishing the very thing that we
have hoped for. prayed for, that Is high
price production and high price product
II Is tr1le that this scarcity of labor will
hurt a few men, but the Introduction Of
the low class of labor. contemplated In
the bill. will hurt 100000 people, and
that is practically the population of ou-l
state. and our first duty is to guard the
interest of the millions, and not the few. Z
Education.
We have paid too little attention to,
education Education is the basis of CIV
ilization and the foundation of success.
The state could. have no higher or greater
asset than educated citizenship. From all
sides comes the statement OF neglected.
conditions in our educational system.
These conditions should be carefully in
yestigated and corrected. The states
school system Is divided into seven great
parts the common or rural school, the
normal school, the school for the deaf
dumb and blind. the Girls Industrial
school. the agricultural schools, the Poly
technic institute and the university:
1t Is a fact that many people from