Speech #590162955

I le canl go further lie call. using State funds for that purpose. pay his tralslportation expenses. lie can likewise pay his transportation back to the country front which lie came. if he is dissatisfied with the conditions is lie finds them. or if lie siall find that lie can not secure employmet. or can not secure enploymet at time scale of wages promised and guaranteed. .1hcp only thing that tim agent miay not do. Mr. President. that he can now do is to enter into 1.907. a1 contract with the immigrant before his debarkation for services to be performed in this country at a fixed rate of wage. and the bureau of immigration of the State can ]not receive from individuals or corporations contributions to defray the expenses of solicitation and importation when those contributions have "a string tied to them." or when they are received upon an understan diig of any kind or nature whatever. whether expressed. implied. or otherwise. that the cont ributor is to have a preference in tile distribution of such immigrants as may thereby be induced to come. Mr. President. there are serious objections to the importation to this country of alien contract labor under individual or corporlition initiative. and these objections obtain with equal force :igainst individuals or corporations using the State as their agent to do the same thin.g. The right to solicit and aid foreign immigration. while denied individuals and corporations. is given to time States upton grounds of wise public policy. which would be iminifestly defeated if the individual or the corporitioi is aillowed to do through a State agent what the law will not permit him or it to do directly. The objections therefore which obtain against contract labor directly induce(d by individual or corporation initiative in a large measure obtain where the individual or corporation supplies the inoney and means to the State. because under these conditions lie or it will likely be the beneficiary of whatever success may attend the States efforts. For these reasons the law ought not. in my judgment. perliit the State to receive from individuals or corporations money to le used in connection with pronoting immigration under tile exemlption allowed to the State with any understanding or expectation oii the pairt of the contributors to such fund that they \Nill enjoy or be given any preference or advaltage ili the distrihution of aliens who might thus be brought to tile State over other citizens. Of course. there could be no sort of objection to contributions to this fund by anyone who contributes solely because of his desire as a citizen to aid in supplying a public demiaid in this regard. neither reserving nor denmanding for himself any greater consideration in the distribution and employment of such laborers as may be induced to come than is accorded to other citizens of the State. In recent years the subject of foreign immigration has been much discussed in North Carolina. and this discussion has disclosed more or less prejudice among the people against the i1portation of foreigners. Tlat prejudice is based. not upon ainy hostility to foreigners as such. but upon an apprehension that if once the doors were opened objectionable and dangerous elements might and probally would be brought into.the State and the standard of its citizenship thereby lowered. Mr. President. that prejudice has to some extent been overcome. but there is still a strong feeliig aniong the people of North Carolina against foreign immigration exceptalon conditions which will guarantee the selection of those classes they desire and the exclusioi of those they do not desire. They believe that if this matter of immigration is left to individual and corporate initiative. following a rule of human nature. the individual or corporation will seek that class of labor whichi is cheapest. They know that cheap labor does not generally mean good labor or give. promise of a high standard of citizenship. and our people are more concerned about preserving the high standard of their citizenship than in supplying their labior demand. Wlien it vas suggested to the people of my State that. uider the method of State encouragement and State stimulation. these dangers could be avoided. and that the State. through its agents in foreign contries. would invite and assist to come only such foreigners as would make good citizens. that opposition largely disappeared. I am advised that the legislature of my State whichis now in session will enact before it adjourns legislation looking to the promotion of foreign immigration under State control and guidance along the lilies followed by South Carolina and covered by the ruling of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. I hope and believe. however. that the amount appropriated for this purpose will be amply sufficient to cover all reasonable expenses. It was tihe inadequacy of the South Carolina ippropriatioi that 1made it necessary for the conmissioner of imligratiou of that State to accept contributions from private citizens. The South Caroliia legislature Omly appropriated $2.000. as I understand it. to defray the whole expenses of its bureau of tinmigration in prosecuting the work of lromoting and assisting immigrants to that State. Of course. $2.000 was utterly insufficient. and it was necessary to get the money from elsewhere. It is not shown nor do I mean to harge that these comtribitions were received vith any unlawful or prohibited understanding or agreement. but I do believe and I do say that such a practice tends to defeat the very object of the law. which. while allowing States to promote foreign immigration. denies that right to the private citizen. and I do believe and I do say that it tends to defeat our laws against the importation of foreign contract labor. If I thought. as I said in the beginning. that the changes proposed would so modify and change the present law upon this subjec.t and the decision which has been rendered thereon as to embarrass any Southern State in carrying out its schenms to get additional labor from abroad. I would vote against the bill. But. as I have said. I am satisfied that nothing of that kind will happen. I am satisfied that the only effect of these amendments will be to prevent an actual contract between the State and the intended immigrants and to prevent corporations from intervening and by making contributions.to the State immigration funds become the beneficiary of the State success to the exclusion of the other citizens of the State. Mr. President. I do not. as I have said before. apprehend any embarrassment to the States of the South growing out of the amendments under discussion. but I do not think there is any present necessity for this legislation. The object sought in maling these changes in the law is not to provide against an actual or demonstrated evil or abuse. but against a possible nbuse and a1 contingent evil. It would have been just as well to wait until there was an actual abuse by the States in their efforts to promote immigration. So far as the facts show there has been no abuse up to the present time. There may be none. This scheme. Mr. President. of promoting immigration through State agency has just been initiated. But one State has acted upon ittime State of South Carolina. There has been brought overup to this time but one shipload.