El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-02-03
ANT-BLACK LIST LAW SASSA|LED;
ILLTERACY BILL IS PROTESTED At
Chamber of Commerce Urges Texas Legislature To De
feat One and the Senate of the United States
To Defeat Other; Budget Fund Campaign
To be Resumed in Earnest Tuesday.

blacklist bill'' as proposed in the Texas
| legislature, and kilograms were ordered
! sent to senator Hudspeth and represen-
! tatives Dudley and Thomasson asking
/ them to oppose the measure in its pres
! ent drastic form, which would make IL
/ a prison offence for an employer 10
I ask a man applying for a position,
! where he had worked before or TO show
! credentials that would prove him cap
/ able Of filling the position for which
Meeting Well Attended.
Action was taken upon both meas
ures after a meeting OF the directors
with heads Of local manufacturing con-
Present at the meeting were presl-
dent John NJ. Wyatt: first vice presi-
dent B. L. Farrar. second vice president
| o. c. Coles and directors ". H Shell
ton. E. NJ Hurd, H NJ Andreas, J. W
Kirkpatrick, Maurice Schwartz, g. A
Martin and Fl. Y. Ellis. and Messrs- w
\: Small and c. G. Hawkinson, of the
FL Paso Foundry and Machine com
pany: Kuno DOerr, of the FL Paso
smelter; o. J. Binford, of the South
western Portland Cement company;
Judge J. NJ GogEin and a. r Burgess
To Keep Posted ON New Laws.
The meeting was called to discuss
the 'illiteracy bill' and the antl-olack-
list bill was mentioned incidentally
and become. Immediately, as interest
ing an issue as the other.
As a result OF the meeting, secretary
Clements was asked to write to
Austin and have the chamber OF COM
merce put on the mailing list for copies
of all new measures introduced in the
legislature.
Following the discussion. the men,
hers informally discussed a continue
tion OF the budget fund campaign and
II. NJ Andreas, the new chairman OF
the budget fund committee, asked all
members to meet him next Tuesday
morning to resume the campaign,
which ne hopes to have completed in
ten days The directors will meet
every evening during the campaign,
discuss results and make plans for the
following day.
Can't Get American LabOrers.
In discussing the matter OF the IL
literacy bill" before the directors, Mr.
Doerr said it would be next to imPos-
sible to conduct an enterprise OF the
magnitude of his concern in this sec
ton of the country if il were, necessary
for all employees 10 read the English !
his common labor S1-72ls cents day
and some of the labOrers-men who 4.
unload ore cars and perform work OF
that sort-make as high as So a day |
yet he cannot get Americans to do the |
work He and Mr.. Small both declared 1
that they had tried importing negroes !
for their work, but found that they /
would not give as good satisfaction as 4
the Mexicaus, although these wages are |
much above those paid negro laborerS 4
in the south
Mr. Doerr said that he was employing !
a bout 500 men, two-thirds Of whom are
Mexicans, doing common labor. Few
Of these MeXicans could read or write
English though they probably were
to read newspapers or books
written in the Spanish language or 10
write fairly readable Spanish letters.
Their lack Of knowledge of the English
language. did not. he said, initiate
against their ability to do the work
required of them at the smeIter-
Would Hurt All The West.
Mr. Berkshire, supervisor Of immi-
grafton. with headquarters in FL Paso,
las told me-" said MI Doerr. that APP
1roximately $4,000 laborers passed
through the port of FL Paso every year
rom Mexico on their way. TO the har-
vest fields Of Kansas and Oklahoma
Utah and the railroads of almost every
southwestern state. The passage of
the illiteracy bill, now pending in
congress would have the effect to shut
will be to impair the gathering Of the
wheat crop Of Oklahoma and Kansas, |
he cultivation Of the sugar beet crop
# Colorado and Utah and the fruit
IL the mines and shelters in the
southwest.
u have no objection whatever to the 7
DUPLICATION Of the literacy test as a
qualification.
Many an immigrant who could not
cad the English language has become
good citizen in the United States ;
Iany of our leading people today are /
descendants from such immigrants"
Mr.. Small, Mr.. BinfOrd. Mr.. Hawkin-
on. judge Goggin and Mr.. Burgess
poke along similar lines.
AAnfi-BIacklist- Law.
In referring to the anti-blackiist
MEASURE now before the Texas legis-
ature. Mr.. Doerr said II was a dupli-
ate Of the Arizona measure Mr.. Doerr
Explained some Of the workings Of the {
-rizona law. I
The superintendent of the Hum
oldt smelter received, an application J !
Or position from a man who had
cen employed in Globe" he said 1.-THE
Osition applied for was an important
ne, commanding a good salary. and .
he superintendent asked the applicant | !
hat inquiry, the Humboldt smelter l
1perintendent was arrested, charged | q
18th violation of the Arizona anti I
lacklisting law, and is being forced to
nat law"
To Complete The Budget.
l have many reasons for believing
rat there are many men in Ell Paso ! 4
md, If they were only asked to do C
}, said Mr.. Andreas. referring to the a
1dget work. Only the high spots a
ave been hit by those who have been Q
'licttng budget fund contributions in q
lie past. That this is true is no ones a
ult particularly We pursued the :
ne OF least resistance and went after
lose We had reason TO believe would
On up I am as much TO blame as =
lyone, so no one need take offense at "
hat have said. I propose now to
'ply the fine tooth comb method and !
the close of the ten day campaign, 9,
hich win begin next Tuesday morn q
2. 7 hope to be able 70 say that every q
'ssibie contributor has been seen" .
Every member of the board of di-
ctors present pledged his support to
r. Andreas-
ANnETJ REALTY m NAG