The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-04-10
COTTON FIELD LABOR.

ana OF tnc necessity 10 uCNls' hoHlt
means to provide sufficient labor in
the ncgros place Mr J. T. Slater. sec.
rotary Of the Commercial and Indus.
trial Association Of Selma, Ala, writes
to the Montgomery Advertiser as fol
lows:
"Thc conditions Of our country have
changed within the past few years
from that Of production alone to both
production and manufacture We no
longer produce raw cotton for the
Eastern spinner and let 1t 30 at that;
We also spin II and weave 1t into cloth,
thereby creating another drain upon
our labor resources. The seed which
a few years ago were deemed worth.
less. have become a valuable bypro.
duct. The mills. utilizing the seed and
weaving the cotton. draw their unskill-
ed labor from the cotton field, and but
for the improved methods OF cultiya-
tion adopted by the progressive plant
cr within the late years, this drain
ON the cotton field would have shown
a remarkable decrease in production,
easily tracoablo to the lack Of labor
As It Is now, the planter Is often put
to his wits end for labor to gather the
crop. His difficulty grows more acute
each season. and yet but little effort
is being made to relieve IT. The South
ern spinncrs are close enough to the
source Of production to forsce the In
evitablc result and are advocating i'm.
migration as remedy They should
not be- alone in this. for the planter
is as directly Interested. and, all
things considered, more deeply con.
corncd than the manufacturer lie
should awaken to the fact. while yet
there is time. that some speedy pro-
vision for the ncgro's place in the cot.
ton field must be made. or ne Will
have idle lands and no cotton to mar
kct I'm the fall Our legislature passed
an immigration bill at its last session.
and the Governor promptly signed It..
This Is start In the right direction.
\ beginning Of the solution: a remedy
for an impending cotton collapse
Those watching this immigration de
partment are hopeful OF great benefits
to come from H. And although its op-
|crations will be necessarily restricted
and hampcrcd by lack Of sufn tent
means to properly till it's purpose.
|still II It but demonstrates the ability
TO bring relief from tho present de.
pressed conditions II will be an easy
matter to enlarge it's powers. scope
and means to a point where we may
be able to see daylight penetrating the
present dense darkness. South Caro-
lima has awakened to the fact that
the only remedy is immigration. and
she has taken steps accordingly. Lou
isiana has read the handwriting un
the wall, which threatens 10 make idle
her rich cotton and rice lands, AMI she
has passed wise laws and established
commissions to aid and encourage i'm
migration. Alabama has taken a ster
only in comparison with these two
states but It is step in the right
direction, and shows that we are be
ginning to realize that something must
be done. or our cotton lands will be
Idle. II proves nothing to say the ne
gro Is the best cotton laboror To bC
had anywhere. II he will not work al
the trade. what benefit 10 II Is his Of
ficioncy? lie may be the best. or tn,
worst, we do not know. for we have
tried no other. But the time has com,
when we have got 10 try some other
or quit cotton.growing. The threaten
cd invasion of the boll-wcevil offers nc
such menace TO growing as the
increasing desortion Of the plantation
by the negro. II is folly to attempt tc
persuade him To stay; 1t is crimina
TO forcibly detain him. and the onl,
wise thing to do is to meet the condl
tion he is forcing upon us by provid
ing a substitute"