The Washington times., 1907-10-14
URGING PRESIDENT
TO HELP PLANTERS
Louisiana Planters Want
Good Workers Brought
to Their Section.
Object to Colored Laborers
Because of ShiftIeSs
HABITS.

O'HARA'S SWITCH, near STEAMBOAT,
La, Oct. John NJ Parker and the
other planters who are acting as Pres
ident ROoseyelt's hosts in the canebrake
camp, are engaged IN presenting some
torceful arguments TO him on the labor
and immigration questions. Unless
they can persuade the Administration
20 devise some plan which- will result
IN the importation of more and better
labor TO this section Of the country. the
richest part OF the Mississippi valley
threatens to become a waste. The cot
ton plantations are becoming poorer
producers every year, and. according TO
well informed authorities, the negro
laborers upon which they must depend
TO work the plantations are growing
more shiftless
we need foreign immigration down
here md must have II or our plantations
vii! become next 10 valueIess." said
James g. Pittman, one OF the largest
plantation owners IN East Carroll par
ish. IF the immigrants from Germany
and Scandinavia could only be con-
WINGED Of the wonderful productiveness
Of the land, I DC not have any doubt
that they would fork here BY the thou
sands. With a quarter Of the exerricn
required TO produce crops In their eli
mate. they might harvest ten times the
amount and value Of crops in Louisiana
Anything that viii grow in the temper
ate zone hourishes here. besides a great
many semi-tropical fruits that cannot
be produced farther north.
Laborers Are Shiftless.
The negro laborers VIII not work or
an average more than two or three DAYS
a week. As soon as they make enough
70 feed them for q few days they Quit
work, no matter how much they are
needed. 1t matters not 10 them whether
the cotton rots IN tfe field. They simply
won work II they have any money IN
thelr pockets. In order TO keen them
on The plantations the planter must
oifer them all sorts Of inducements. In
ne first place he must give them a
mousse and garden patch. Then he
must furnish them wiki 4 mule with
which 10 work the garden patch as q
matter Of fact the negro wants the rn,,la
% Ilde more than he does 10 work for
ne may be found n the saddle aI7,oef
any uine OF the day or night.
me pl, inter- must give the moro
S.eutl Ior everything he wants at the
store, and at Christmas must give him
a bit OF Christmas money 4 .bjt'
generally means so or $50 Woen Cfrfef
mas comes the negro Is genera nv daer.
~ ueot. but that matters nothing 10
NM lie must have his 'CbrIsfn,as.
money Just the same The result ~
ne negro extravaganza is that he is
never out OF debt TO his EMPLOYER. and
sid liSt ~ Is more, never SHOWS any inelina-
once is a very great while ,-o,,,,,
md one OF the hands who is forehanded
VINO saves his money. and who wants
70 70 MAKE something Of himself. That
hlnd OF q man Is worth a whole planta-
uoh tuil or the ordinary kind. and he
gains the respect Of everybody Ia the
neighborhOOd. The ordinary plantation
hang gets SO a month. When cotton
99lChlnS tine comes bis wife and chill
dren help IN the field. and they make
50 cents hundred pounds
Other Side of Story.
Of course, there IS the other side OF
the story-the explanation why the
planters cannot get desirable help under
prevailing conditions. II sturdy honest
industrious white men could come to
Louisiana and acquire farms OF 100 or
zoo acres, they would probably flock here
in great numbers. But this is II OF
the question. 1t is safe 10 say that
every acre Of dIlable land in this parish
East CarrolD is neld By the large plan
tation owners. and will be held by them
for generations. The only way aliens
from other States or countries can &C
Quire land is 10 buy the plantations in
whole. This the man OF ordinary means
cannot do, and il is absolutely out of
the question 10 imagine a poor immi-
grant, be he ever so Industrious and
ever so saving. gaining possession Of a
plantation. He could live four ordinary
lives, and still not have enough 20 buy
one Of the smallest OF the plantations
TIE only inducements that this section
of Louisiana can Cffer TO the imm grant.
therefore is his ally wage. He must
go farther north II he wishes TO become
independent In after years. and the fact
that he is not coming here proves that
to the North ne Is going. There is a
movement on foot which may or may
not result in anything to induce some
OF the large planters to agree TO eel on
portions of their plantations in small
lots to those who are willing to come
here and settle If this is done. IL S
argued. the country will become MOI
thiclly settled amt the CLASSIC residents
better.