452 WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION

failed to state, however, was that those mine operators paying the higher wages
quoted employ only white laborers because the efficiency of the latter justifies
the higher remuneration. Prior to the war contract labor law that admitted
Mexican laborers into this country under conditions never consummated by their
employers, practically all the men working under ground in mines in the South:
west were whites. In Arizona the average tonnage of copper ore moved to the
surface was 16 tons per man per day. Since that time Mexican immigrants have
been substituted to the extent of 80 per cent or more. White miners have been
driven out. Wages have been cut from $6.15 to as low as $4.15 per day. Yet
the cost of labor per ton of ore mined steadily rose as the Mexican laborers have
averaged only about 9 tons of ore per man per day. Furthermore, in view of the
fact that the Mexican is unwilling to work steadily, daily wages are no indication
of real wages. It is for the latter reason that a few mines employ only white labor;
it pays because of its efficiency. White miners did practically all the work in the
mines of the Southwest until recent years. Why should the same work become
repulsive to them so suddenly? There can be but one answer—American labor
can not compete with Mexican. It is a competition that kills. Yet the mine
officials admit they can pay higher wages! Do they not admit by the display of
such seemingly altruistic motives that the wages and living conditions of American
labor have been lowered by the competition of such cheap peon labor?
Another motive for the employment of Mexicans as miners seems evident from
the following statement given to me by a mining official in Arizona. °° When an
American miner ig killed the dependents can take their case to court and collect
compensation. When a peon or other alien is killed, even though it be the result
of neglect on the part of the mining company and no matter how many dependents
 may be left in Mexico or any other foreign country, the alien dependents
can not bring suit in Arizona or collect compensation for the death of their
supporter. I am of the opinion that this point is a large factor to the management
 of many of the large copper mining companies, and the motive for giving
peons a preference, or at least one of the motives.” The southwestern railroads,
being assured of a fair return under the transportation act of 1920, have even
less excuse for the employment of Mexicans on the maintenance-of-way crews to
the virtual exclusion of white laborers. Yet the wages paid and the living conditions
 are such as to make it prohibitive for the latter to do such work. The
recent almost innumerable applications of white laborers from all over the
country to work on the construction of a southwestern dam are convincing proof
of the mobility and ample supply of American labor and of its willingness to
work under trying conditions, if properly paid. The mining and transportation
interests must find better arguments than any yet advanced if they wish to convince
 the American people of the soundness and sincerity of their position.
This is evident from the statement of the chairman of the Industrial Commis
sion of Colorado. “I am opposed to the immigration of Mexican laborers for
the reasons that they are usually an ignorant lot of people and tend to cut down
the ‘price of wages in the southern part of the State. The majority of the big
coal mines employ large numbers of these Mexicans. Most of them can not read
or write any language. Large numbers of the Mexicans are hired in the sugarbeet
 fields in northern Colorado where they are emploved at less wages than the
average American will work for.” .
A prominent citizen of California advised me thus: “I built a home here and
invested my funds in mortgages some of which are on citrus groves and from
this derive my only source of income. So you see I do not want to destroy
California. I think it is too good a country to turn Mexican. especially when
the American population is available.’
Another stated: “The ones who are fighting restriction care nothing for our
country, our children, our schools, our homes, our laboring class of Americans.
All they are interested in is another dollar. They have groveled and bowed
to the dollars until they can see nothing fine in life, nothing but the dollars.
And, the strange part of it is American labor is cheaper in the end than the peon
labor. If they could get their eyes off the money question long enough to look
the thing square in the face they would soon be able to see that an American
is true to his employer and does three or four times as much work as a peon.
A peon can live on nothing and steal that. He can work for $1 per day and have
8 or 10 in the family. Give him $1.50 per day and he can work half the time
and lay off the other half. Every time the employer turns his back, the peon
will steal anything in sight, no matter whether it is something he needs or can
use or not. It is a habit with him. He can work two or three davs a week for
2 blind and peddle cheap hootleg whisky the rest of the time ’’