Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-12
WHITE RANCHERS'
BURDEN

w prove n policy of appeal to race
prejudice, as an American news
paper 1t must call attention to the ere
alton and steady growth of conditions
in rural California that are in the ma
ture of menace to white Industrial
ism, and in the long run may be a
menace to international peace. These
conditions are rendered more annoying
by the supremely ridiculo s, unjust
and stupid method of applying and
levying the "peddlers license" tax,
which under present conditions is made
a tax on white industry, a discourage
ment to rural enterprise, particularly
to the practice Of ranchlng by white
men, who already by physical habit
are so badly handicapped that they
are competing at a marked disadvant-
age with Orientals even without the
added handicap of a particularly OBJ
noXious tax on industry.
Fruit raisers are not allowed to dis
pose of their product unless they Sc
cure a peddler's license. That is to say,
the ranchman coming in from his farm
to make a neighborhood canvass with
the object of selling his fruit and other
product without having to become the
tributary of a middleman may be treat
ed by some wandering Dogberry as If
he were a malefactor, halted at his
customers door with the stern demand,
Where's your license?" and if he
should not be able to produce this cer-
ti1cate of official permission to sell
the fruit he has raised and gathered
he is threatened with proceedings" or
with arrest"
Whatever may have been the origl-
nal intention of the county license fee
regulation, in its operation it is moth
ing more and nothing less than an
outrage, extremely discouraging to
white farmers and encouraging to Ori-
entail or "squatting" ranch laborers.
White ranchers in many instances will
haul fruit into the suburbs and sell IL
at a low rate, of which householders
get the benefit. Housewives are gem
orally eager to avail themselves of the
opportunity to obtain a supply of first
rate, unhandled, fresh fruit to can and.
preserve. BY their method of market
ing these men render a service to many
citizens.
Because they bring the wares direct
ly from ranch to consumer are these
workers to be handicapped by being
taxed? Consider the injustice OF it.
When they establish ranches and irrl-
gate and cultivate farms they improve
values, increase the productivity of
given areas of land, add to the wealth
and resources of Southern California
and In every respect become factors in
the economical problem that ought to
be encouraged. But they are discour-
aged by being classed with hucksters
and peddIers as soon as they load their
wares on their wagons and send them
TO their customers.
If there is to be a tax on the vege-
table and fruit raising industry of CAL
lfornia (for that is what the license tax
under present conditions really is) then
let it be levied on aliens who compete
with white men in the ranchlng busi-
ness; aliens, some of whom have no
intention of becoming American citi-
zens, and others-Orientals-w could
not even if they would. Release the in
dustrious white agriculturist from tax
alton. DO not compel him to pay tax
before he can personally market his
product.
The Orientals are by nature better
fitted to be cultivators on a small
scale than are white men. They are
better hunkerers. They can bunker
or squat on their haunches-for hours,
industriously wedding between drills
or picking or planting fruit. This new
kind of "squatter sovereignty" is al
ready beginning to affect California
fruit ranchlng. The white man is being
driven out of the business. In spite
of his superior mentality. his physical
construction win not permit him to
be hunkerer and to compete with the
laborious, squatting Oriental.
Nothing in the future is more GER
tain than that the white man will be
expelled from a certain class Of Cali
fornia ranches altogether If he is forced
to continue to compete with squatting
Oriental labor.
A movement which undoubtedly will
gain in strength as the facts relating
to fruit ranching become known is al
ready afoot for the passage of a
measure in California similar to
the Oklahoma law which absolutely
forbids aliens to own or lease agricul-
tural lands. american soil for Amer
leans" may yet become a slogan in Cal
itornia, and the disposition to begin Il
protective" movement is accentuated
by the fact the white man is taXea as
much as the Oriental when he tries to
sell his goods produced under condi-
tlons of competition which decidedly
favor the Oriental.
Take off this white mans burden
and encourage him to farm. Tempt
him away from crowded centers where
he is only too prone to huddle in pow
erty while the Oriental tills the soil
and becomes wealthy Take off the
iniuultous tax on the industry of the
Caucasian who completes with the
Oriental and give the white farmer in
California a square deal
TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH