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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE ORANGE AND CHINESE EXCLUSION. 
What State Masters Say. 
Some of our readers write us in opposition to the strict 
enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion act, because they 
say that it will deprive them of cheap and efficient labor. 
It seems to be legislation directly in the interests of the 
so-called “wage earners,’’ or town and city workmen. 
Do you think the introduction of Chinese or Japanese 
labor would be of real interest to the American farmer? 
Do you think the farmer should oppose the proposed law? 
i am in favor of the strict enforcement of the Chinese 
Exclusion act. 1 have no sympathy with the so-called 
cheap farm help. When you cheapen labor you cheapen 
the price of every commodity. Let us have good well- 
paid labor, and we shall have a prosperous country. 
Master Mass. State Grange. w. c. jewett. 
I think that the farmers can and should so manage 
their affairs as to live without flooding the country with 
Chinese or Japanese. I very much favor America for 
Americans. By organization and cooperation we farmers 
might help ourselves over many of the troubles which 
now exist. w . L - Richardson. 
Master Tennessee State Grange. 
1 am quite inclined to believe that while everyone else 
is allowed to come to this country the Chinese should 
not be excluded. As regards labor, if the farmer can 
procure any who are by nature industrious and frugal iu 
their habits, it would be a great help to our business. 
The lack of sufficient help at almost any season of the 
year is a great hindrance to our prosperity, c. j. bell. 
Master Vermont State Grange. 
No, 1 do not think that Japanese and Chinese would be 
of any real benefit to the American farmer; the farmer 
should not oppose the law. Anyone who comes to Ameri¬ 
ca, and will not or does not become naturalized, but 
works for a mere nothing and eats less, and then goes 
back with all the money he can gather, should be pro¬ 
hibited or excluded from ow soil. c. o. raine. 
Master Missouri State Grange. 
I do not think that farmers should oppose any taw in 
regard to immigration that is necessary to protect the 
best interests of this Government. While the farmers 
may need and could utilize more labor on the farm, 1 
am not in favor of allowing immigration without all 
necessary restrictions to protect the homes and the wel¬ 
fare of the entire people of this American Republic. 
Master Wisconsin State Grange. h. e. huxley. 
I am in favor of the strict enforcement of the Chinese 
exclusion act. That class of labor is not wanted on the 
farms in Kentucky, nor do 1 think it would benefit farni- 
ers in general. Keep them out, and some others might 
be kept out with benefit to our country, paupers, anarch¬ 
ists and all others not capable of making good citizens. 
We work mostly negroes here, and they are the best 
laborers for the South we have been able to get. 
Master Kentucky State Grange. J. d. clardy. 
In my opinion the introduction of any cheap labor, 
especially the Chinese, would be of no real benefit to the 
farmer. The Chinese never have, and perhaps never 
will become Americanized. Their presence in any con¬ 
siderable number in our country might be a temporary 
benefit to the farmer, but in the end would prove to be 
a curse instead of a blessing. The best interests of the 
farmer for the welfare of his children and the future of 
the country demand that more safeguards be thrown 
around the immigration door, now too wide ajar, that 
our country be not made the dumping ground for un¬ 
desirable people and paupers of the nations of the world. 
Master Alabama State Grange. hiram hawkins. 
The farmers have neglected their own interests, while 
all business and manufacturing interests have secured 
better environment, and are able to pay such wages 
that farmers cannot get necessary help. I am opposed 
to Chinese exclusion as a people, but favor a strict 
scrutiny of all those coming here from whatever country. 
The Chinamen here have never assassinated our rulers 
nor led in a revolt against our laws, and are now build¬ 
ing, I am told, a monument to President McKinley in 
their own country. The hired help question on the farm 
is the question to-day. We must have laborers. 
Master Ohio State Grange. f. a. derthick. 
I believe that the Chinese Exclusion act is a wise pro¬ 
vision, and should be supported by the mass of farmers, 
for the reason that it is a poor policy to admit any to 
our shores who will not make citizens, and we have 
little evidence that this class ever will fit themselves for 
the responsible position of American citizenship. This 
does not apply alone to the Chinese. I do not think that 
the admission of Chinese labor will be any financial ben¬ 
efit to the American farmer, nor add to the general pros¬ 
perity of the country, and on this ground 1 believe that 
the farmer should be in favor of the proposed law. 
Master Illinois State Grange. Oliver wilson. 
If the Chinese would furnish efficient and cheaper farm 
labor than can now be obtained it would be a direct 
advantage to the farmer, but as far as I know they do 
not go out to work on the farm, and if that be true in 
general their presence would lessen the price of farm 
labor only as it might displace laborers in other occupa¬ 
tions, and the original workers might have to seek labor 
on the farm. Unquestionably the Chinese in unlimited 
numbers would lower the price of nearly every kind of 
labor, and this might be in favor at first of the pro¬ 
ducing class, whether farmers or manufacturers, but I 
believe the result would be less efficient labor, decreased 
means of support for the workman, hence less ability 
to purchase either farm or manufactured products; less 
opportunity for self-improvement, and education of his 
children, and I cannot think it to be for the good of our 
country to have our large laboring class brought down to 
the level of that in Asiatic or even European nations. 
If not for the good of the whole I am opposed to any 
proposition which would tend to produce that result. 
As a Patron of Husbandry I am in favor of any move¬ 
ment which will tend to improve the condition of the 
masses of our people, and am opposed to anything which 
would have the opposite result. I do not think the in¬ 
troduction of Chinese labor would be for the real lasting 
benefit of the American farmer, and do not think he 
should oppose the proposed law. e. w. westgate. 
Master Kansas State Grange. 
In my opinion the benefits to American farmers and 
farming that would come from the admittance of Chi¬ 
nese people will not nearly compensate for the demoraliz¬ 
ing effect of their presence among our people. A China¬ 
man will not work on a farm except as a last resort. 
Instead of going to the country the Chinese would crowd 
into the cities and add still more to the congestion there. 
Even if inclined to an agricultural life the Chinaman s 
low manner of living, his menial attitude, and his lack 
of congeniality would all tend to depress the tone of our 
business, and to lower the character of our farmers. 
Neither we nor the Government can afford this. Our 
aim should be always toward educating and elevating 
the American farmer, i am satisfied that we farmers 
will do well to favor the continued exclusion of the Chi¬ 
nese people. The Japs are much more preferable, but 
such a scarcity of farm labor will not long prevail, i 
favor enduring a temporary inconvenience from it rather 
than to chance life-long infliction. w. f. hill. 
Master Penn. State Grange. 
It is true that during the fruit-picking season in this 
State there seems to be a scarcity of help, and many 
are glad to employ Chinese, Japanese or any help they 
can get. Just now the California Cured Fruit Associa¬ 
tion needs 50 women and girls to face prunes. Hundreds 
of women and children are employed in the canneries 
and in the fields picking prunes off the ground, and by 
fruit driers cutting fruit, etc. The Chinamen seem to be 
best for picking strawberries and like work, as they can 
squat on the ground easily. I think, however, that if 
we had more families in neat houses here it would be 
better for us than to have the Chinese. I never employ 
Chinese or Japanese. I do employ Italians. I give our 
own people the preference whenever I can get them. 
On the whole, I do not think that the farmer should 
oppose the proposed law. The Chinatowns are immoral, 
unsanitary places. We do not get the better classes of 
Chinamen as a rule. All Chinamen ought not to be ex¬ 
cluded. A few make good citizens. I think the Chinese 
are more honest than the Japanese. At present, in view 
of the fact that there are not enough Japanese to over¬ 
run us, I see no necessity of excluding the best of this 
nation. We should make fitness for American citizen¬ 
ship the test, without regard to nationality. That would 
exclude most of the Chinese. g. w. worthen. 
Master California State Grange. 
I introduced a resolution in the National Grange at the 
recent Lewiston, Me., session favoring the reenactment 
of the Chinese Exclusion act, which was unanimously 
adopted. At the present time, under present conditions, 
there would seem to be some excuse for the farmers of 
this country desiring some relaxation of the Chinese law, 
in order to provide cheap labor on our farms. For many 
reasons the argument from the standpoint is fallacious. In 
the first place, these conditions of scarcity of farm labor 
will not and cannot continue. 1 don’t know when, but 
in the nature of things the near future will see an army 
of unemployed men in this country, and when such time 
comes, as come it must, the more Chinamen we have in 
the country the greater will be the distress among our 
own people. But, assuming that present conditions will 
continue indefinitely, the scarcity of farm labor must 
curtail production until prices of farm products will ad¬ 
vance to a point where we can afford to pay better 
wages, and thereby attract labor from other occupations. 
Any argument in favor of the Chinajnan finds its legiti¬ 
mate conclusion in human slavery by some other name. 
As a farmer, I am dead against the Chinaman, and in 
favor of the reenactment of the Chinese Exclusion law, 
or the enactment of one more rigorous. 
Master W. Va. State Grange. t. c. atkeson. 
Events ot the Week 
sued a circular extending the prohibition against the 
importation of neat cattle from Australia and New Zea¬ 
land, so as to include Hawaii, it being a territory of the 
United States.Congress adjourned December 19 
until January 6. 
CUBA.—The trial of Neely and Rathbone, now in prison 
at Havana on charges of having embezzled large funds 
from the post office nearly two years ago, began January 
4 before the highest civil tribunal of Cuba, composed of 
natives with a native prosecuting attorney. The entire 
trial will be under direction of the civil courts of Cuba. 
The expenses of the trial are expected to be heavy on 
account of the large number of witnesses and the pay 
they will be entitled to for travel. Rathbone, who was 
postmaster at the time of the alleged robbery, will be 
tried soon after Neely’s trial is concluded. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—As a result of the intense cold 
and blizzard, the stockmen of Oklahoma and Indian Ter¬ 
ritory figure a 10 per cent loss in cattle. 
W. J. Spillman, of Pullman, Washington, has been se¬ 
lected to succeed Professor Lamson Scribner as the 
agrostologist of the Department of Agriculture. Mr. 
Scribner will take charge of the agricultural work in the 
Philippine Islands. 
The eleventh annual meeting of the Texas Live Stock 
Association will be held at El Paso January 15-10. 
The Secretary of Agriculture intends to ask Congress 
for an appropriation of $10,000 with which to experiment 
in silk culture in the Northwest. Silk culture has proved 
successful in Canada, and Mr. Wilson believes it will be 
equally successful in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the 
Dakotas. 
During the live stock show in Chicago, students from 
the agricultural colleges of Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, 
Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri met in 
the assembly hall of the Live Stock Exchange and or¬ 
ganized the Federation of Agricultural Students of 
America. The purpose of this organization is to unite in 
w'ork and good fellowship the agricultural students of 
America. This meeting is the result of a call made by 
the Agricultural Club of the Iowa Agricultural College, 
and was largely attended. 
R. W. Park, secretary of the American Galloway Breed¬ 
ers’ Association, reports that the sale of Galloways held 
at Chicago December 6, was the best for several years. 
The offerings consisted of representative animals from 
some of the leading herds of America, including 14 im¬ 
ported animals, consigned by Col. D. McCrae, of Guelph, 
Canada, and N. P. Clark, of St. Cloud, Minn. The com¬ 
petition for the imported stock indicated the strong de¬ 
sire of the breeders to infuse new blood into their herds. 
The imported bull, McDougall 4th of Tarbreoch, was pur¬ 
chased by C. N. Moody, of Atlanta, Mo., for $2,000, this 
being the highest price paid for a Galloway for a number 
of years. C. B. Rowland, of Rose Hill, Iowa, secured for 
$600 the next highest priced animal, the great bull Scot¬ 
tish Prince of Castle Milk. The highest price paid for a 
cow was $560, by N. P. Clark, of St. Cloud, Minn., for 
Imported Lady Harden 4th. The 16 bulls sold averaged 
$336, and the 17 cows and heifers $236, making an average 
of $285 for the entire offering of 33 head. Mr. Park says 
the Galloway breeders have reason to feel proud of the 
splendid record made by their cattle in Chicago 
DOMESTIC.—Mrs. Virginia Young, the oldest person in 
northern New York, died at Redwood, Jefferson County, 
December 18, aged 104.At Pittsburg, Pa., De¬ 
cember 19, an explosion of gas in a furnace, the result of 
a trifling accident, caused the death of 12 men, who weie 
burned to death on the top of the furnace.An 
explosion of boilers December 20 in the Black Diamond 
Steel Works, Pittsburg, Pa., killed five men, injured 12 
and demolished the plant, causing a property loss of 
$150,000.Secretary Long disposed of the Schley 
case by approving of the findings of fact and the opinion 
of the full Court of Inquiry. He approved the majority 
opinion where there is a difference in the court; he held 
that the court could not have entered into a consider¬ 
ation of the question of command at the battle of San¬ 
tiago, and he accepted the recommendation that no fur¬ 
ther proceedings shall be had. The Secretary also de¬ 
clined the application of Admiral Sampson’s counsel to 
enter upon an inquiry into the question of command, and 
notified Admiral Schley’s counsel of that fact as a reason 
for declining to hear them on that point. An order was 
issued dissolving the Court of Inquiry. The Secretary 
of the Navy also, by direction of the President, requested 
the resignation of Edgar S. Maclay, author of the naval 
history in which Admiral Schley was attacked. 
A boiler explosion at Pittsburg, Pa., December 21, scalded 
seven men, four fatally.Prospective settlers in 
the new lands opened in Oklahoma have suffered severely 
from the cold. Without food and generally without 
money and in a country sparsely settled, they have 
starved and frozen, in many cases death resulting among 
the children. The full blood Creek Indians have suffered 
from the cold and reports from Tulsa say very many are 
sick with pneumonia, a disease that usually proves fatal 
among Indians. 
CONGRESS.—The Secretary of Agriculture has had 
plans prepared for a new building for his Department, 
and December 18 Representative Mercer, of Nebraska, in¬ 
troduced a bill appropriating $2,000,000 for the proposed 
structure.The Philippine Tariff bill was passed 
December 18. The bill imposes the Dingley rates on 
goods entering the Philippines from the United States. 
It also provides for the collection of tonnage taxes on 
vessels plying between the United States and the Philip¬ 
pines, and that foreign vessels may ply between these 
ports until January 1, 1905. The duties and taxes collected 
under the provisions of the bill shall go into the Philip¬ 
pine Treasury, to be expended for the use and benefit of 
the islands.The Treasury Department has is- 
SHREDDED CORN FODDER IN MARKET. 
There is absolutely no demand or trade for shredded 
corn fodder on this market. We have tried it several 
times, and could not do anything with it. 
Pittsburg, Pa. daniel m’caffrey’s sons. 
Shredded corn fodder is not known on our market. 
It is impossible for us to state what it would sell for, 
but it is our opinion that it would rank in price with 
oat straw. There is one great difficulty that would be 
encountered in attempting to use it in the city; that 
is, the large amount of refuse that would be left. The 
butt end of the stalks would not be eaten by the ani¬ 
mals, and would have to go as manure, and manure, 
you understand, is something the feeders in cities 
wish to do away with as much as possible, as it is an 
expensive article to dispose of. That is the reason 
that rye straw commands such a premium over wheat 
and oat straw for bedding, as it lasts longer. As to 
the size of bales, we would recommend a 14x18 bale, 
weighing from 75 to 90 pounds. As to the best method 
of introduction, we presume placing 10 carloads 
throughout the city with the large feeders, and allow¬ 
ing them to pay whatever price they deem it worth, 
would be the best means of introducing it. Those 
who thought well of it would thereafter commence 
to be buyers, and the reverse would be true of the 
others. t. D - Randall & co. 
Chicago, Ill. 
POOR EATING CHESTNUTS.—Some day when you 
have not much to do inquire a little about the worth of 
those large cultivated chestnuts we see so largely adver¬ 
tised and so highly praised. I have never found anyone 
yet who was growing them for his or her own use, who 
had a single good word to say for them as an edible 
nut. We have them growing and they are fine, fat fel¬ 
lows, but not much more palatable than acorns. In 
countries where it is said they use among the poor flour 
made from chestnuts these large farinaceous nuts are 
no doubt quite an acquisition, but with us, who only use 
chestnuts as a semi-luxury, give me the little natives. 
Pennsylvania. w - T - s - 
THE COST OF WHEAT.—You ask how that statement 
on page 841 about the cost of an acre of wheat agrees 
with our experience. It seems very incomplete, as no 
account is given of the expense of harvesting and the 
depreciation of the different machinery used in the vari¬ 
ous operations, nor can we raise a fair crop of wheat 
from an application of $2 worth of any kind of fertilizer 
sold in our region. Few farmers with us use less than 
400 pounds of a well-balanced fertilizer per acre, costing 
from $25 to $30 per ton. On occasions when asked to 
make an estimate, for statistical purposes, of the cost 
of raising an acre of wheat and delivering it to market, 
I have placed it at $18 per acre. Unless we can run our 
yield above 30 bushels to the acre we are working at a 
loss, except for the straw. w. t. s. 
East Downingtown, Pa. 
