Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-08-07

I the rigOrs Of the climate there, bu
1t is only recently that the tide ha:
set In gradually" He siad he expect
ed 1t to develop considerably this fall
and steps were already in progress tc
conduct a vigorous campaign. The
only other immigration work that the
department had been doing for ovt 7
eighteen months was directed to the
securing of desirable English farm
irg families from the best agricul-
tural sections Of England, and now
a slow but steady and constantly
e. owing movement was in progress
Much protective work had been done
and many desiring to come here had
been actually kept away.
Touching the experiment in 1905
of bringing the German ship into
Charleston, Mr. Watson said that OK
pertinent was many sided; most peo-
pie believed today that the immigra-
ton feature Of the experiment was
the principal phase Of it. 1t was de-
signed to test the possibilities Of the
expectation direct to the consumer of
the south's cotton and cotton manu-
featured products, which he had al
ready explained; it was designed to
demonstrate to the shipping author
tiles that the south did have a CEN
trail deepwater port: it was designed
to accentuate in the public mind the
weakness Of federal laws. and, fin
ally, it was designed to secure to the
state thousands of dollars worth of
advertising that could not be obtain
ed In any other way. All Of these
ends were accomplished. Twenty
per cent Of the spindles were standing
idle in the spring Of 1906. The man.
ufacturers offered to pay the expenses
Of the experiment of introducing for
eign labor and demonstrating the
several matters pointed out, though
they were told that it was doubtful If
the experiment with wages labor from
abroad would be successful. With
out a string tied to their contribu-
ton the department was authorized by
the manufacturers to proceed. Before
doing so, however, the department
required a written pledge filed in the
office that In no case would a native
laborer be displaced by a foreign la
borer; and the manufacturers gave
the assurance voluntarily that the
nf 1oh hn RI
ten hours in the textile plants, and
that the scale Of wages would be rails
ed almost to a parity with those of
New England. The result Of the ex-
pertinent from the labor standpoint
was what the department had more
or less expected 1t would be. In all
other respects the experiment was
eminently successful. you have
heard politicians year after year"
said Mr.. Watson, promise the labor
ing people what they were going to
do for them. If you will look over
the documents on file in our office you
will find that without fight or fric-
tion the ten-hour day and higher
scale Of wages had come long before
Legislative enactment Of those things.
and that In reality the department,
against which the minds of many la
boring men have been poisoned. had
done more for them than all the pol
itcians had succeeded in doing in a
decade or more. And not one dollar
Of the expense Of this was borne by
the taxpayers or the people Of the
commonwealth as such!
"Now, a word as to the need of
immigration-and I mean by that the
introduction of a grown-up white
population into South Carolina, Of all
other states in the south. | really
don't want to argue the matter. but
1t is public duty. my duty as a pa
triotic South Carolinian, to call atten-
ton to a few salient points. to state
to you some startling facts with which
know you are not acquainted. And
must not be classed as a negro hater.
for many's the time I have befriend-
ed the worthy Of that race.
Our Negro Majority Of a Quarter Of a
Million.
There are in South Carolina a
quarter of a million more negroes
than there are white people, and the
median age Of that race Is only six
teen years-a rising generation mark
ing the passing Of the old-time dar-
key: a larger negro majority than in
any of the southern states save one.
The race is Of the age to seek educa-
ton, and Is seeking it-a smattering
in most cases. but enough to read and
write. There are more negro chill
dren attending the public schools to-
day than white children, sad to re-
late. l shall not discuss the birth
and death rates, for you are more or
less familiar with those. There are
in the state today only 130,375 whites
of the voting age, while there are
152,86O negroes of the voting age;
there are 5000 illiterate whites;
there are about $4,000 negroes oper-
ating farms in the state on their own
account, Fastening on to ownership
of these farms and some 5000 ne
groes have already attained the ow-
nership Of their farms in fee simple.
Are these not facts to make you stop
and think and see whether cries
against immigration are the part of
wisdom? Can't you see whittier we
are drifting?
A Step Further.
Remember also that there are
over a quarter Of million native born
South Carolinians who have moved
to and are living in other states. But
some will say as the negro is being
educated he is going to the north and
east and into other states, and that
this movement will. in the course of
time. settle our sociological and ra-
cial problem. Will it? Can any one
believe that enough openings will be
offered in the north to absorb quar-
ter of a million negroes in the time
necessary, not taking into considera-
ton the natural increase during the
process? You might as we'll believe
that water will flow up hill without
being forced.