The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-02-16
ALABAMA'S NEW Chief
OPPOSES CHEAP LABOR
Progressive Southern Governor
Sounds Voice Of Warning
to State Legislature.
Deplores Number of Negroes
in State, But Says Scum of
Europe Would Be Worse.

Europe would Be Worse.
The Associated Press did not say
much about the message of the new
governor Of Alabama to the state leg
islature at its opening last month, but
it is SO full Of rich thoughts that it is
gradually finding its way northward.
Among other good things Governor
B. B. Conner touched on immigration.
What he said under that head was so
interesting and to the point, as re-
CARDS the future welfare Of our entire
citizenship, that we can not forbear
to quote q few extracts as follows:
The curse of Alabama has been
cheap labor. More than 40 per cent Of
our population are negroes, from the
very nature Of the case furnishing a
low order Of labor. I under
stand that there will be a bill before
the Assembly empowering the State
to establish an immigration Bureau
and send agents abroad to secure la
Dor. with the stated broadness Of field
reaching from the Baltic to the Medi-
OF going to that congested section bor-
dering the Mediterranean and bring
ing here the lowest class of labor that
comes to the American shores, and
against which the whole United States
is crying out today. I would caution
you Of the danger Of bring
Ing into our State and amalgamating
a great horde Of cheap labor from that
section. What law we make should be
80 restrictive as to make those who
come here fit associates for our own
people. Alabama IS just emerging
from the impoverished condition Of
low-priced labor. and for the first time
we are approaching the standard Of
price paid by Northern States, and it
would be a calamity to throw an un-
derlying quicksand foundation Of this
lowest class of labor from the con-
gested districts on the Mediterranean
shore. It will be a calamity
to put In competition with, and push
out, those who are here by substitute
Ing mass Of this low priced stuff
which this bill proposes to introduce.
The first effect Of this flood
Of cheap labor would be a deadly blow
to the white labor in our midst. l"
Why not secure immigrants through
your Agricultural and State Depart
ments, to send with the seal OF the
State an agent to- Norway, 1.5awed6n.s
CREST Britain and aef1nany. ana some
oth6r sections that we could name. ::
Immigrants we want, yes: but we
do not want them for the purpose Of
reducing the price Of labor; we want
them for citizenship. The
Introduction Of a low class Of labor
under the general labor conditions Of
the State today would tend to level
our present laborers and their pay to
that class. You could strike
no deadlier blow at their welfare than
to introduce a system Of immigration
that would tend to reduce the earning
capacity of labor, on the farm. or in
the office, or factory, or elsewhere. I
would caution you not to be led
against the best interests Of our people
and the future Of our State by the
clamor Of those who, to promote some
present enterprise, would lead you in
to the false position Of introducing in
would hurt our best interests, instead
OF amalgamating with our present
citizenship and improving the future
Of the State.
Alabama should not be among
those clamoring for low-priced and
peonage labor. The present scarcity
OF labor is accomplishing the very
thing we have hoped for, prayed for:
tnat Is, high-price production and
high-price product It is true that this
scarcity Of labor will hurt a few men.
but the Introduction Of the low class
labor contemplated in the bill will
hurt two millions of people, which is
the population Of our State, and our
first duty is to guard the interests of
the millions, and not Of the few
AS we intimated in the opening
paragraph, the remarks Of Governor
Conner on immigration and cheap la
Dor are peculiarly applicable to the
whole country at this time. What
with unrestricted immigration from
japan, Korea and other Asiastic coun-
tries. and from the least civilized Sec
tions OF Europe, there Is imminent
danger that our present standard Of
Anglo-Saxon civilization will suffer a
setback that may require generations
70 overcome. Add to this the unin-
torHlttent efforts Of a crowd of we'll
meaning but short-sighted, sentimen-
tai theorists to have the Chinese FIX.
clusion Act repealed or modified and
one may well admit that there IA
cause Tor apprehension for the ,f,,ture
OF this country on the part of thosa
citizens who are capable Of reasoning
straight from cause to effect. or vice
versa. HAWsERLAID BILL.