The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-05-06
A Needed Federal Amendment

While California is agitating an an
ialien land bill and trying in short
sighted manner to crowd foreigners
off land, which, in many instances,
foreigners have made productive, and
of value to the community, Vermont
is seeking to bring the foreigner to
its farms OF course we are not seek
ing for Japanese, although the indus
trious yellow men where they settle
probably do much good and little
harm. We should find Europeans
more neighborly. If we could replen-
ish our green hills and valleys with
the sturdy farm workers who are be-
ing crowded out of living in the con-
vigorous, intelligent Swedes and Nor
wegians, whose kinsmen have built
up the West, the whole State would
blossom like garden.
We are appropriating this idea from
the state commissioner of agriculture.
What we are wishing for, he is active
ly endeavoring to obtain. But there
are obstacles which make the attain
ment of this end difficult. There is
one obstacle in the form of federal
law, excellent in its place, but in its
present form unintelligently broad.
The law against importing foreign
contract labor is not beneficial in so
far as it applies to laborers on farms.
The law within its province is I'M
doubleday right and helpful 1t would
be unfair to the laborers in American
mills and other industries to subject
them to competition with all the low
lived workers of all the crowded cit
les of the old world, so that employ.
ers might beat down the price of
flesh and blood service by the simple
device of dumping into their works
shiploads of cheap foreign labor. But
the case of farm labor is governed by
an entirely different principle and af-
fects the poor man of this country
from a Numerically opposite angle
The drift to the cities has left the
country with too few men to do the
work on the farms. 1t Is not case
OF lack of competition in this in
stance, but of an actual deficiency. In
the case of farm help there is no dan
ger of wholesale introduction of for
eign labor. The scattered conditions
of farm life, and the plecemeal char
acter of farm proprietorship would
prevent that. And in the case of the
farmer as with the craftsman and ar
fist there can never be too many
Each newcomer does not, crowd some
body else out but creates just SO
| much more. The productivity of the
land is practically unlimited and
| there is no end to the demand for
farm produce.
The other side of the same prob
lem is that the price of living in the
last analysis is determined by the
price OF farm commodities. IL some
| exception to the contract labor law
were framed to admit farm-laborers
| just as artists are admitted at pres
ent, the workingmen of this country
as well as all the rest of us would be
greatly benefited.
The advantage OF such law to 6
community like Vermont would bt
that the farmers of a locality, where
lack Of help at present prevents prop
er treatment of the land and harvest
ing Of the crops, could then send ovel
the countries whose inhabitants max,
most desirable farmers and choos,
for themselves the kind of immi
grants that really enrich a country in
stead of being forced to await her
and take what chance brings to them
Burlington Free Press.