Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 66.djvu/175

Rh of any kind of laborers—even the most ignorant of newly-arrived aliens—is referred to in the newspapers. But this demand for the cheapest labor without regard to the effects which the importation of such laborers will have upon the community, apparently comes from a comparatively limited number of capitalists, and from the southern railroads. The majority of the thinking people of the south, if they know something about the evils which have come in the train of the newer alien immigration in the north, will not look with favor upon the wholesale importation of cheap and ignorant alien, labor. Several of the southern states have emphatically stated what nationalities of immigrants they want, and their preferences are for people from the northern United States and for northern Europeans. Thus, South Carolina, concerning which a leading authority on the south has said that there is no state in the Union in which 'there is a more general desire for more white men who are willing to work with their hands,' has, through its legislature, recently voted that its new commissioner of agriculture, commerce and immigration must confine his activities in securing new immigrants to 'white citizens of the United States, citizens of Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, France and all other foreigners of Saxon origin.' The general demand in the south and west is for the intelligent 'settler who has means of purchase,' not for the newly-arrived, ignorant and penniless immigrant, who 'would require the fostering care of government or of wealthy private societies.' The land companies and large private owners of land are in search of purchasers who have resided in the United States for some years and are familiar with American customs, or else of immigrants with some money, coming from northern Europe. To send out to other states thousands of aliens who are not really desired there, simply because we think we can thus relieve ourselves of an unpleasant burden, is much like throwing our weeds over our neighbor's fence, into our neighbor's garden.

There doubtless is need of labor in the south to-day; the Italian is unquestionably well fitted to do much of the work which needs doing; and in those parts of the southern country where Italians have settled, they have proved their ability and willingness to do work at least equal to that of the negro in the cotton-fields; they are praised as industrious, thrifty, good citizens, frugal, and as having increased land values. On some railroads, also, they are reported as being satisfactory laborers. On the other hand, it must be noted that the most successful settlements have been those of northern Italians; that the greater desirability of the northern Italian is generally recognized wherever experience has been had with both northern and southern Italians, and that thus far the number of Italians in the south has been small and practically none of the less happy consequences of the congestion of separate nationalities have been noted. The favorable reports which have