he method of procedure was to pass laws which either
regulated or prohibited the exodus of laborers through the activity of
labor agents. Many States already had such laws on their statute
books, and where this was the case these laws were revised or were
substituted by new ones.[81] These laws usually took one of two forms,
either excessive labor agents' license or requirements of State
residence. These were the chief qualifications of any who desired to
solicit labor to be employed outside the State so concerned. For the
violation of these laws anyone was subject to arrest and upon
conviction was either heavily fined or sentenced to terms of
imprisonment with hard labor.

A few examples will show how these laws operated against labor agents
or against any suspected of enticing labor away from the state. In
Alabama, when the labor problem became very acute, laws were passed
imposing heavy license fees upon labor agents. Any agent desiring to
operate in that State was compelled to pay a license of $500 to the
State and $250 to each county concerned. In addition, each city
required of him a license of from $300 to $500. Thus the cost of
soliciting labor in Alabama for each agent was upwards of $1,000. In
the "black belt" counties of this state a number of labor agents
caught operating in violation of these laws were convicted and heavily
fined, and upon failure to pay the same were sentenced to labor on the
public roads. The cities and towns of the State of Florida enacted
measures requiring a very high license of labor agents and providing
the penalty of imprisonment in case of failure to comply with these
regulations. In Jacksonville, Florida, for instance, there was passed
an ordinance which stipulated that labor agents each should pay $1,000
license fees for the privilege of recruiting labor to be sent outside
of the State. The penalty for violation of this law was $600 fine and
sixty days in jail.[83] Georgia also passed severe laws to check the
operations of labor agents. In Macon[84] the City Council set the
license fee of a labor agent at $25,000, and required in addition a
recommendation of said agent by ten local ministers, ten
manufacturers, and twenty-five business men. In several counties of
this State labor agents were arrested for violating these laws.[85]
Four Southern cities and as many States brought lawsuits against a
great Northern railroad for violation of the laws and ordinances
regarding the solic