Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-10-31
DECISION OF IMPORTANCE TO
SOUTHERN STATES.
CAN NOT PROMISE WORK
Advantages of Territory May BE Set
Forth and Passage Money of For
elgners May Be Paid.-contract
Labor Alone Barred by Ruling of
Attorney General.

S'"i' w. -hlSdppreDen
sion seems TO exist all through the
country about the recent ruling OF
Attorney General Bonaparte on the
right OF the states, as states, to di
rect immigration into their territory
from across the sea. The South espe.
cially is interested If immigrants
are willing to go South there is moth
Ing In the law to prevent the states
from offering them inducements and
from giving them material aid so that
they can make the journey.
There have been two or three rulings
On this immigration matter, one of
them, however, being little more than
an expression of opinion from the head
OF the Department of Commerce and
Labor, and this expression was based
on statute which no longer is the
law of the land. The rulings have ap-
peared to be contradictory, but the
latest one which has not been printed
for public distribution makes the law
clear and dispels doubt.
May Pay Immigrants PASSAGE.
In few words, this is what any state
may do under the law today: 1t may
pay the passage of one migrant or TO-
600 immigrants if it chooses to do so
as an inducement to him or them to
settle within the borders of state. It
may show the immigrant whom it
wishes to aid with passage money all
the printed matter it chooses setting
forth the resources of the state and its
wealth in timber, mines, farms or plan
tations. Ic may tell him that it is a.
land of milk and honey, and then it
may give him the money to make pos
sible his passage.
The only thing the state must not do
is to make specific promise of en-
ployment to the man or men whom it
seeks to induce to test fortune in the
new world. The direct promise of en-
ployment is barred as is any arrange
ment involving contract labor.
Should Get Enough Men.
On the face of the matters it would
appear that no state with plenty of re-
sources would have difficulty in Undue
ing immigration under the law. The
obstacles to getting white labor into
the South and into the rural districts
of the North are just the same that
they have always been; but with the
undeniable right of the states to pay
the immigrants way to this country
and to give him what other additional
money it may see fit there would seem
of the South and of the North cannot
get as heavy a flood of immigration as
they may desire. provided the exhibit
of means of livelihood is sufficiently
The latest ruling of Attorney General
Bonaparte was made in what is known
as the Garcia case. A farmland.
Geronimo Garcia, was landed at New
Orleans as an immigrant assisted by
the state. Garcia was sent back to his
native island because he had been
given a specific promise of work. The
law thus was violated, and no other
course could have been taken by the
authorities. II the promise had not
been made. and. of course, if Garcia
eould have proved that he was not
pauper, he would have been admitted
and some Louisiana plantation could
have profted by his labor This was
q test case, and it drew sharply the
line between what may be done and
what may not be done by state.
Must Pass the Same Tests.
Though immigrants are aided by a
state, they are subject to all the re-
strictions that apply to unassisted i'm
migration. They must pass the same
medical examinations and they must
prove that they are not paupers and
are not on the road to become such.
It goes almost without saying that no
state would assist immigration unless
It knew to a certainty through it's
agents that the immigration was of
the kind that would not be turned back
at the ports.
The difficulty the South will have in
obtaining the kind of immigrants it
wishes is to De found to an extent in
presence of the negro laborer. There
are signs also that there is a desire to
get only the northern European immi-
grant There is a feeling against Ger.
tain Of the southern Europeans and il
the states engage in the work of bring
ing over people wholesale it is said
they will make the attempt to get only
the better class of citizen.making ma
terial The shipload of foreigners
landed at Charleston. S. c., several
months ago was as good cargo of
European human freight as ever was
at an American port. II
the South could do as well with all Of
its importations ii and the whole coun-
try would be the gamer.
Better TO Give Facts Abroad.
migrants who land on American
shores today are given information