Speech #480090831

It will be also observed that while we paid for educational purposes. in 1882. $1.63 per capita. Italy. during the same year. paid but 21 cents. and Hungary but 14 cents and 6 mills per capita for educational purposes. In view of these conditions. even voluntary immigration from these sources can hardly be regarded as an unmixed blessing. But when it is stimulated. encouraged. and "assisted" by great monopolies and capitalists. purely for selfish ends. regardless of the misery they entail upon others. and the permanent injury they inflict upon the country. the General Government should interpose timely and vigorous measures to check the evil. This becomes more apparent and urgent when an investigation of the statistics of the immigration discloses the fact that immigration from England. Ireland. Germany. and other European countries from which the better class of immigrants come. is steadily decreasing. while immigration from southern Europe is steadily increasing. When the pressure of population upon subsistence becomes sharp and severe. the immigration from the country where such pressure exists invariably increases. This is noticeable in the case of Ireland. From 1873 to 1880 immigration from that country steadily and rapidly decreased. but from 1880 to 1883. owing to the failure of crops. more. perhaps. than to political disturbances. immigration rapidly increased. the increase in 1880 over 1879 being over 50.000. Should like circumstances arise in italy or Hungary. or other countries of Southern Europe. in the future. powerful corporations could easily displace millions of American workmen by this pauper labor by simply prepaying the passage of people who would gladly flee from want and starvation. if enabled so to do. It may be well to bear in mind that the figures given above do not represent the actual number of these people now in the United States. The number is probably greater than the statistics show. A large number of this class of immigrants land in Canada. who subsequently find theirway to the United States. but are classed in our statistics as Canadians. The 3.000 Italians imlorted to work on the Canada Pacific Railway is an instance demonstrative of this prop. osition. Canadian statistics show that the foreignborn population of the four old and leading provinces of the Dominion in 1871 was 582.624. while in 1881 it is stated at 561.872.a decrease of 20.752 in ten years. Yet the same statistics claim an immigration during these ten years of 319.321. If this be true. it is evident that the greater portion of this foreign accession subsequently migrated to the United States. As evidence tending to show the efforts employers of labor are making to supplant American workmen with foreigners. and still further demonstrating the necessity for passage of this bill. attention is called to the following resolution of the WindowGlass Manufactirers Association. held at West End Hotel.