Speech #590098727

Does anybody suppose he could earn $5 a day. that any employer could afford to pay him such wages if twothirds of his time were spent in carrying bricks from the ground? But this an unskilled laborer can do quite as well. and perhaps better than a trained mechanic. And under the operation of our immigration laws. an alien. and Italian. a Hungarian hod carrier is glad for $1.60 a day to carry those bricks to the bricklayer who is thus left free to occupy every minute of his time in the higher form of industry for which he is specially trained. and therefore to produce the equivalent of his own wages and of his employers profit. While the high wages of the bricklayer are made possible by the laborer who carries his bricks. yet the skilled laborer is not benefited at the expense of the unskilled laborer. That Italian or Hungarian hod carrier never had wages onehalf so high as what he receives for aiding the bricklayer. The immigrant improves his own position considerably by performing the unskilled labor. while at the same time he contributes decisively to the welfare of the native laborer. In the light of these indisputable truths. what must be the effect of the policy which you propose on the prosperity of the American people? What will be the result of applying to prosperous conditions this jejune statesmanship. which. in the name of improvement. seeks constantly to disturb or modify the political system of a country whose history shows that its government is the best and its laws the wisest the world has ever known? Exclude immigrants from your soil. and what becomes of the bricklayer. what becomes of the engineer. what becomes of all the skilled workmen who must depend for their high wages upon the facility and cheapness with which they can secure the raw materials of their industry? If immigrants be shut out. obviously Americans must be required to do this rude elemental work. which can not be suspended without paralyzing the whole Industrial machine. This meanil higher wages must be paid for it. But if the hod carrier b.. paid more the bricklayer must be paid less.