DISTRIBUTION OF IMMIGRANTS. 171 



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 com- 

 paratively limited number of capitalists, and from the southern rail- 

 roads. 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 whole- 

 sale importation of cheap and ignorant alien , labor. Several of the 

 southern states have emphatically stated what nationalities of immi- 

 grants they want, and their preferences are for people from the north- 

 ern United States and for northern Europeans. Thus, South Carolina, 

 concerning which a leading authority on the south has said that there 

 i« 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 govern- 

 ment 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 our- 

 selves 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 settle- 

 ments 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 



