WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION 103

on a quota basis or otherwise would ereate limitations which would cut off sub-Stantially
 this source of labor supply for agricultural and industrial purposes.
You know, of course, that the citrus and other fruits, grapes, cantaloupes, lettuce,
and other vegetables, which are such an extremely important portion of the traffic
of the railroads serving the West and Southwest, particularly Arizona and California,
 are produced in great measure by Mexican labor. The climate in those
Sections is excessively hot in the summer time and the ordinary American citizen
will not work there when he can find employment anywhere else and to shut out
the Mexican would be working a very grievous injustice and hardship on the people
Owning property in these localities and in fact I can not see anything but disaster
to those engaged in agriculture if the Mexican labor is not available.
This matter affects us largely from a traffic standpoint but we have an additional
 interest in that we can get no labor but Mexican for our track work in that
territory. However, the feature of track labor really get back to the agricultural
feature because if the labor supply is shortened substantially what labor we get
will be taken from agriculture, and we would have no option in the matter be-Cause
 the products of agriculture would be valueless if the railroads were not in
position to move them.
I hope you will do everything proper that you can to impress this condition on
the congressional committees.
Verv respectfully vours,

W. B. STOREY.

The Cuarrman. That is signed by whom?
Mr. McInnis. W. B. Story, president of the Atchison, Topeka
% Santa Fe Railroad.
The CratrmaN. The Santa Fe has managed to get along all these
years.
Mr McInnis. Yes, the Santa Fe has got along all these years.
The Cuarrman. Mnd is prosperous.
Mr. McInnis. Fairly so.
Mr. Scuxemer. Does the Santa Fe Railroad use Mexican labor
only in the semitropical parts of the country to which you refer?
Mr. McInnis. More largely there than in any other section.
oe ScunempeER. To what proportion do they use mostly Mexican
abor?
. Mr. McInnis. I understand that the time allowed the witnesses
ts being rather sharply limited.
The Cuarrman. No; not quite so many witnesses, but time for
free discussion.
Mr. McInnis. If cross examination can be postponed so that I
tan make an orderly statement without interruption I will be grateful.
‘The Cuairman. We are going to give you a chance; but while we
are on these letters here is one that was sent out by the Atchison,
Topeka &amp; Santa Fe Railway Co., law department, office of the
Solicitor for Kansas, on January 3, 1913, to various Members of
Conoress.

{From the Congressional Record]

Tae ArcHisoN, TorErA &amp; Santa FE Ranway Co.,
Law DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF SOLICITOR FOR KANSAS,
Topeka, Kans., January 3, 1913.
Dear Sir: There is a bill pending before Congress known as the Dillingham-Burnett
 bill, which restricts immigration through the imposition of an educational
st.
Ihave not read the provision of the bill, but am informed that its passage will
Prevent the immigration of Mexican laborers, now relied on almost entirely by
the railway companies in Kansas and the Southwest.
Without this Mexican labor it will be impossible for the railway companies to
Secure men enough to keep their tracks in proper condition for effective service.
Ninety-nine per cent of these Mexican laborers can not read and write, but
after they have been in this country for a few years they adapt themselves to
Our wavs. and those with families send their children to school