Florida Immigration—What Shall It Be? 
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BY CAPT. R. E. ROSE^ 
STATE CHEMIST. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
The subject assigned to me, “Florida 
Immigration, What Shall it Be?’’ is one 
that is not commanding much attention, 
not only in Florida, but throughout the 
entire South. We have recently had 
several conventions of representative men 
on the subject: Seldom do we have a 
gathering, or convention of any kind, 
agricultural commissioners, cane growers, 
turpentine producers, timber men, saw 
mill men, railroad men, ticket agents, 
traffic managers, farmers, cattle growers, 
agriculturists or horticulturists, but the 
subject of Immigration “crops out in 
one shape or another. 
In fact, the Southern States have agi¬ 
tated this question of Immigration—For¬ 
eign Immigration—to a very consider¬ 
able extent during the past few years, 
much has been said upon the subject, 
numerous plans have been proposed to 
turn the tide of foreign immigration, 
from the West, to the South. The estab¬ 
lishment of direct lines of immigrant 
ships, from Southern ports to Europe; 
with agents of the Southern States estab¬ 
lished in foreign countries, to secure im¬ 
migrants, is probably the most popular 
plan suggested. To avoid the “contract 
labor laws,” the States are asked to do 
ivhat the citizen (or corporation), is pro¬ 
hibited from doing; and also to tax the 
people of the State, to secure cheaper 
labor, to compete with the working men 
of the State. 
Florida, I am glad to say, has not be¬ 
come hysterical, or anxious, in this mat¬ 
ter. She has displayed no great haste 
to receive the influx of foreign immi¬ 
grants—Japanese, Italians or Chinamen, 
so ardently desired, and earnestly advo¬ 
cated, bv some of our sister States— 
urged on by Land Syndicates—mining 
and manufacturing corporations, desiring 
to secure cheaper, and more servile labor, 
than is now obtained in the South, out¬ 
side the cities. 
While the phenomenal development of 
the South, during the past decade, along 
all lines of industry, agriculture, mining, 
manufacture and transportation, has 
created a large demand for labor, and 
has largely increased the wages of our 
working people, it is questionable if it be 
for the best interests of the South, and 
particularly Florida, to encourage foreign 
immigration. 
The South is now the only distinctly 
American section of the Union; where 
the traditions, habits, prejudices, virtues 
and vices; courage, chivalry, indepen¬ 
dence and love of freedom so characteris¬ 
tic of the early settler or pioneer, can be 
found in its purity. Where the true 
American character, begat by the “pio¬ 
neer,” “Puritan,” and “cavalier,” can still 
be found. The descendants of those ad¬ 
venturous men and women, who at their 
