Speech #590161977

In the first place. the Senate has heard this morning the Senator from Massachusetts. who is the great advocate of this provision. in which he argues as to the necessity of it that if the law can be construed as it has been construed by the Department of Justice. and other States can do what South Carolina has done. it would flood the country with an undesirable class of labor. evidently showing that the Senator from Massachusetts understands and intends that the construction of this law and the operation of this law shall be to utterly change the present law and nullify it so far as any proceeding can be had under it such as was had by South Carolina. Mr. President. if that is done. the possibility of immigration is gone. and I want to say right here that the Senator from Massachusetts argues as to the evils of contract labor and charges that this is giving opportunity for contract labor. The statement of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor is emphatic. and it is borne out by the statement which I have read from newspapers in the State of South Carolina. that there was no contract labor in the matter. that these immigrants were not engaged in a foreign country to take employment to come here and do certain work. That is what contract labor is. Contract labor is where one goes to a man and says to him: " I will pay you so much money to go. say. to South Carolina. for instance. and work for me in a cotton factory. or any other class of labor." and where the man agrees to it and comes over here under the obligation of the contract to perform certain labor. There has been nothing of the kind done and nothing of the kind is desired to be done. Certainly nothing of the kind could be attempted under the present law. The sole purpose is to bring to the country adesirable class of immigrants. and then. when they land. to have them do just as they did in South Carolinago where they please. take such employment as they desire. and be as entirely free as if they had not been brought across the ocean at all. I will read here an extract which I have from the Washington Post of February 14. reciting a statement in regard to that matter. which they took from the Greenville News. of South Carolina. showing the character of that importation. The Post says. speaking of the newspaper. the Greenville News: It asserts that the people of South Carolina did not have to bear the expense of bringing over the first or the second shipload of immigrants. that the cost of this movement. including the cost of the transportation of the first lot. did not fall upon the State. but that the money for this purpose was donated to South Carolina by certain corporations. The News further asserts that the greater portion of the first shipload went to the mills in the upcountry. but it avers they were not under contract and were at liberty to go wherever they pleased and engage in whatever kind of employment they desired. although they were selected with a view to their availability in cotton mills. Still. it appears that many of them went on famns and that some of them went out of the State. As to the second cargo. just arrived at Charleston. the News reports that they are from the farming classes and most of them will seek for employment on farms. while a small percentage of the number will invest in property and become landowners at once. The News thinks the State Immigration department has accomplished a vast amount of good even in the face of great difficulties. and now that the hard part of the pioneer work has been accomplished the News says that the future work of the department should be much more extended and beneficial. Mr. President. there is another matter that I forgot to refer to. I stated that the evidence of what was the proper construction of this proposed law was found. first. in what the Senator from Massachusetts had contended here today. There can not be any doubt about his languagenone whatever. It is true that the Senator went further than the facts justified and endeavored to show that I had contended here for contract labor. The remarks I made yesterday will be in the RECORD. and the words "contract labor " do not appear in them except where the Senator from Massachusetts himself asked me a question and in replying to the suggestion contained in that question. I am not here contending for contract labor. I am simply contending for the opportunity of a State to attract to its borders the best class of people who will come there and be free people. to do what they please after they get there. A class of people who will be desirable in every particular. who will assimilate with our people. who will be. themselves and their children. valuable acquisitions. and wiil supply the great need of the present. to prevent our industries from languishing and absolutely becoming paralyzed.