Speech #610092596

Twentyfive years later. In 1907. that from northern and western Europe had decreased from 87 to 20 per cent of the whole. while that from southern and western Europe had increased from 13 per cent to 80 per cent of all coming into the country. Presented in another form. from 1820 to 1882. inclusive. a period of sixtytwo years. 9.538.000 persons. or 96 per cent of the whole immigration of the country. came from northern and western Europe. while from 1883 to 1909. a period of only twentysix years. we received 8.192.000 persons. only about a million less than we received in the previous period of sixtytwo years. and of this number nearly 57 per cent came from southern and eastern Europe. This was a vast influx. as will be seen. of new and of untried races. With the increase in the business industry of the country within the last twenty years. this current of new immigration has gone into the coal mines. it has gone into the woolen and cotton Industries. it has gone into agriculture. It. has gone along all the lines of industry. and has found employment.. The commission has been making a very exhaustive study in more than one hundred selected localities to show what effect the coming of those Immigrants has had upon the community and upon the individual American. and. on the other hand. what effect the American has been having on the immigrant. We have. Mr.. President. already in the process of preparation. and very nearly ready to be presented. a most exhaustive study of the bituminous coal industry in this country. and I call the Senators attention to two or three facts that show the character of It. We find that the nunber of tons of bituminous coal produced in Pennsylvania in 1885so recent a date as I thatwas 23.413.000. in round numbers. while in 1907 it was 149.559.000. or an increase of 539 per cent. We have gone not only to Pennsylvania. but to other sections of the country as well. and have made a most exhaustive examination of the immigrant of the new type. who has been employed in that industry. He has been examined from every point of view. and a report which will probably make a volume of five or six hundred pages will be presented showing just precisely how he is behaving. how he is living. whether he is prospering. what influence he is exerting upon the community. and what influence the community is having upon him. In short. how and to what extent the work of assimilation is going on.