Speech #660274022

I want to discuss this amendment. I have no doubt if it should prevail and the bill finally becomes a law and under its provisions immigrants should come to these United States and become farm laborers every man who employs one of them could be convicted of the offense of peonage. If not. I do know this. that a condition of serfdom nearly akin to slavery could be established in this country. I know if that class of foreigners were brought to this country to work on farms with the restriction that they could engage in no other occupation under the penalty of being deported that you could establish peonage in this country that for effectiveness would amount to actual industrial slavery. If a man should come here and be permitted to work on the farm. but denied the opportunity of engaging in any other occupation. under the gentlemans agreement among farmers that one farmer would not employ another farmers help. they could reduce that man to such a state of peonage that he could actually transfer title to that immigrant with the title to the land on which he labored. Many States have laws against enticing labor. If you go to one mans place of business or to his farm and hire his help away. you have committed a misdemeanor. and upon conviction can be fined and imprisoned. Under the laws of those States. if this bill were to become the law. a laborer who had come here subject to its provisions were to become a farm hand in that State. since no one could entice him awaythat is. hire him awayfrom his employer. and since he could not engage in any other kind of occupation. he would be a mere chattel. The Constitution. however. would annul this law. It provides that no man can be held to involuntary servitude. except upon a conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction for crime. and this would be involuntary servitude. under penalty that every man who did not submit to it would be deported. Under it families could be divided. fathers be taken from their children. husband be taken from his wife and children. and sent into some foreign countiy. All this could and would befall him unless he submitted to employment upon a farm and some particular farm.