Speech #590091558

In less than ten years white labor will produce onehalf of the cotton grown in the South. In Kentucky and. as far as I am informed. in all the Southern States they want good white labor. I referred in the speech I made this afternoon to over 600 immigrants from Palermo. Italy. who landed at New Orleans. and after being inspected those immigrants divided. Some of them went to Louisiana. some to Missisippi. some to Texas. and some to Georgia. This shows that the question of having desirable immigrants from Europe come to various parts of the South is now being considered. The section to which the Senator from Wisconsin refers is for the purpose of attracting immigrants to every part of the United States. I did not name the Southern States exclusively. but in preparing the amendment I referred to all the States and Territories. The amendment provides thatThe Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall appoint a chief of such division and such clerical assistants as may be necessary. It shall be the duty of said division to promote a beneficial distribution of aliens admitted into the United States among the several States and Territories desiring Immigration. Of the 1.026.000 Immigrants who landed on the shores of the United States tie past year 700.000 of them went to five States. 315.000 went to New York. and about 250.000 went to Pennsylvania. I do not exactly remember the number. but over 200.000. Seven hundred thousand of those immigrants went to five States. as I said. and a very small number went to the Southern States. We desire to have a division with a chief of division and proper clerical assistants who will present to the immigrants at all points where they land the productions of the various States and Territories and the proper routes to get there. We desire also that where a State has a bureau of immigration. as a number of States now have. that there shall be a place furnished them where immigrants land so that they can come in contact with the immigrants and have an opportunity of explaining to them the attractions. the climate. the transportation. etc.. of the various States and Territories. It will cost. I do not know how much. but it will cost thousands of dollars to make the necessary preparations and to furnish all this information. This last amendment of the bill was drawn for the purpose of having immigrants who come to this country disseminated not in four or six States of the North. but sent all over the United States.