The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1918-08-08


tee Of the American Cane Growers
Association now negotiating with our
own and the Mexican governnentsl
informed the writer that recently his
son, IN a motor-car cross-country trip
from the Sabine to Galveston, told
hlm that in all the cotton plantations
OF southeast Texas he had seen, in
that trip not q single negro field la
borer was visible in the fields; but
they were full Of Mexican field hands.
Probably further west the situation
is more Mexican field labor; and resi-
dent ranchmen Of the large ranches
Of west Texas have recently informed
the writer that their manual laborers
are exclusively Mexicans, even to
house servants.
For more than decade the writer.
himself, employed numerous Mexi-
cans in large sugar factory Of Louis
lana, and found them superior to ne
groes as heavy sack, (320ib), hand-
lers, ,truckmen, car-loaders, warehouse
men, etc. At the same time he was
brought daily in close contact with
several hundred Mexican fieldhands
in the canefields tributary to the fac
tory noted. While that Mexican field
labor was not quite fully up to first
class negro labor in cutting and load
ing cane, it at least equalled the aver
age of the large amount Of negro la
Dor thus employed These Mexican
laborers were quiet and peaceful, in
fact less turbulent and complaining
than any other class of considerably
more than a thousand laborers there
employed every season; and there was
never a cutting scrape or a killing
among them, which could not be said
Of Italians or Negroes likewise EN-
ployed; and they were all moderate
eaters.
TO successfully introduce the de-
sired several thousand Mexican la
borers into the Louisiana sugar-cane
region there must be a modification
in our present American immigra-
ton laws prohibiting the Importation
of contract labor from foreign coun-
tries, and the Mexican government
requires several important guaran-
tees as to the payments of transpor-
tation, and the fulfillment Of con-
tracts in this country. According to
reliable information furnished, the
American Cane Growers Executive
Committee is now busily engaged ia
with both govern
ments as to the desired amendment
Of our immigration laws, and the Of
fetal approval Of labor contracts with
the authorities of Mexico One item
Of such contracts might be OF interest;
the Mexican government requires &
cash deposit Of $40 per capita to pay
the cost of transportation and feeding
for each laborer leaving Mexico for
Louisiana. That would mount up to
quite a sum in securing the ten thous-
and Mexican laborers desired for this
year alone; but doubtless it would be
willingly paid under the desperate
labor conditions prevailing in the
Louisiana sugar region.
Mississippi mihgt be deeply inter
ested in that Louisiana experiment
Mexican labor is making a large pari
OF the immense Texas cotton crop, anc
has been satisfactorily employed Il
harvesting and handling the Louis
lana sugar crop for several years. Il
is docile, industrious and economical
as far as has been learned in practl4
cal experience; and it seems thai i
would be happy solution 81 the vex-
atious Mexican question to get ma
jority Of the productive element q
the population into our own well GOV
erned land so that the worthless thers
viii have no spoils to fight over in ths
turbulent land Of the Montezumas
A. W.