Every laborer who comes here is. then. a source of abundance. No matter what his disposition may be. under the very law of his being he must be a contributor to the common stock. because he must produce more than he himself consumes. Any attempt to restrict the number of immigrants coming to this country Is. therefore. an attempt to reduce the sources of our prosperity. I know that certain shortsighted persons say the immigrant. when he engages in work. displaces some American laborer. Mr. Chairman. I will not dispute that statement. It is true in one sense. Every immigrant who works on this soil does displace a. native laborer. But how? He displaces him not by excluding him from all employment. but by lifting him on his shoulders to a higher plane of industry. where he earns higher wages. Surely. sir. it must be obvious to every gentleman here that under the essential conditions of industry no immigrant can work without Improving the condition of everyone who dwells on the same soil. . The immigrant is nearly always an unskilled laborer. To live he must engage in what is called "days work "--that is to say. in the most poorly paid. though the most important. in the whole field of industry. He digs drains and ditches. he paves streets and sweeps them. he builds railroads. he engages in every form of work which requires the strongest muscular exercise and obtains the smallest compensation.
Identified stereotypes
All immigrants must contribute to the common stock because they produce more than they consume.