[78 WESTERN HEMISPHERE TMMIGRATION

dreadfully, there, every five or seven years. Now, those conditions
will make an exodus from our section going up north. Even the
American people who moved to our section because of the milder
zlimate, had to go back to their own country.
Mr. Ruraerrorp. If this bill should become a law putting Mexico
on &amp; quota basis, would it not be possible to exclude a large number
of these people and thereby would not the tendency be to reduce
she acreage planted in cotton each year?
Mr. Canaves. If the thing is possible, Mr. Committeeman, it is
true. But here is the situation. You know that several persons have
tried by human law to overcome, modify, and changemnatural law, and
it is impossible to overcome natural law by human law there.
Congress may be powerful, but it can not change a natural law.
Look at that boundary there [indicating on map]. If you could
zo in there and see the windings of the river, and see the amount of
vigiliance and the number of people that you have to have in order
bo strictly watch that country in there, you would find that if there
is any other way which will give us the same result, one which will
cost us probably $10 for every $1 in good we get, it would satisfy us.
The thing is the impracticability of putting a law in there that you
~an enforce. You can get a law, but you can not enforce it.
Mr. ScaNeIDER. A while ago you were complaining about the department
 enforcing the law, to the effect that they were not permitting
Mexicans to come back into the country: and now vou are contending
‘hat the law can not be enforced.
Mr. CanaLes. No; it can not be enforced. The reason is this. I
do not complain because of the enforcement of the law now, but
because of the abuse of the law. Here is the situation. Thev go into
your plantation——
The CualrMAN. Permit me, a minute. Then where you have 8 or
L0 men who are legally, by right, there, 2 men are wrongfully there.
Mr. Canares. Why do they not come to you and say, “I want all
these men,” and investigate them and find out about them. But
stead of that they put the good ones and the bad ones and the
guilty ones and the innocent all together, line them up and bring
them in, incarcerate them in jail and keep them there, and meanwhile
 deprive you of their labor, and thousands of dollars to you.
What I want to do is this: Let them say to me, “Mr. Canales,
you have 10 men here. I want them to report to Mr. Brewster
there for examination.” “When do you want them?” “To.
morrow.” “To-morrow I am going over here and I will take them
personally there and I am personally responsible to you.”
I go there and present those men, and they can take the bad ones
and pick them out and leave the good ones. But they put them all
in jail and keep them there three weeks to a month, and it costs the
Government thousands of dollars for keeping those men in jail until
they investigate; and the other method would work better, if they
would only use a little common sense in the matter. But they do not
do that; and it is for that reason, the abuse of it, that we complain.
We want enforcement of the law, but they will not enforce it.
Mr. ScaNEIDER (acting chairman). I would like to have you answer
the question without making a long speech every time,
Mr. Box. A telegram came to this committee—several telegrams.
[ do not know that they came direct, but we got them. and T think a