Speech #630387244

I am perfectlyfamiliar with the character of the people who are employed in that industry who come from foreign countries. The reason why they come to this country and why they go into this particular character of enterprises is not entirely because those industries pay more than do others. but because the people who conduct those classes of enterprises in this country seek such labor. While there is a law against contract labor. there are many ways of avoiding it. even though the letter of the law is not violated. We do know that such immigrants are invited here for the purpose of going into those enterprises in competition with American labor. They come here as laborers. whether they come under a contract before they start or with the knowledge that they will obtain a contract after their arrival. Those classes of people ame not agriculturists. They have no knowledge of farms at all . they are not fit for farming when they get here. They simply enter into competition with our day laborers in this country. and the object of this legislation is to prevent that if it be possible to do so. Too great an influx of such immigrants also -lowers our standard of living. and our object is to prevent that. The Senator from North Dakota has said they will come in competition with the farmersof his State. He said that today we are producing more in this countiy than the country needs. than the country can use.