Speech #620138143

Mr. President. I am.not going to delay the vote upon this bill long if the Senate is ready to vote upon it. as I take it that it is. but I desire before the bill is finally submitted to express briefly some views on the subject of immigration. I have no prejudice against foreigners. From them we secure some of our best citizens. But there are two classes of immigrants that particularly concern me. in reference to any immigration bill. and that is the immigrant who comes here without .any expectation of remaining permanently and the immigrant who is unfit for citizenship when he does arrive and concludes to stay. According to the figures which we gather from the report of the commission. there are about 30 or 40 per cent of the immigrants from a certain part of Europe who come to this country and remain for a time and return. They do not come with the expectation of remaining and becoming citizens. They do not become citizens. They enter for a time in competition with American labor and return to their former abode. The amount of money sent back by the immigrants was under discussion yesterday. and as it has a bearing upon this particular proposition of the itinerant immigrant. I desire to read a paragraph or two from Dr. Jenkss book on immigration. Upon page 2106 of this volume he says: The importance of immigrant banks as agencies In the transmission abroad of immigrant mofey is indicated by the fact that approximately onehalf of the estimated amount of $275.000.000 sent abroad by aliens In 1907 passed through the hands of immigrant bankers. The transmission was effected by means of the " money orders " of certain large banking houses which were placed in the hands of immigrant bankers and sold by them to their customers. The amount of money sent abroad by various correspondent banking houses of immigrant banks In the two and onehalf years ending Jnne 30. 1909. is shown by the table below. This table is a summary of carefully prepared statements furnished by four general banking houses. the financial departments of an express company and of a steamship company. and three large Italian banks. including the New York office of the Bank of Naples. These are the leading concerns through which Immigrant banks transmit money abroad. From January 1. 1909. to June 30. 1909. $30.780.645.65 was sent abroad. during the year 1907. $141.047.381.92. during the year 1903. $77.666.035.46. It is evident. of course. that wages are far better here than in the countries from whence they came or they would not come solely to get work. accumulate money. and return. If they could secure the wage there that they do here. they would not be here. But the effect of their coming. while it betters their condition. militates against the conditions of labor here. We have. therefore. a very large class of immigrants who come to this country. not. as I say. with the expectation of becoming a part of our national life or a part of our citizenship. but who compete for a time in our labor market. send their money back to the old country. and finally return themselves. That is a kind of competitionmuch as we believe in competition in these daysthat we should guard against so far as we can. It is having its effect in the industries of the country.