Speech #660333622

It is undoubtedly accentuated by that fact. and the one that is suggested by the Senator from Ohioi [Mr. P0MERENE] is a very potent one. because the immigrationi that comes from southeastern Europe has been stimulated by the manufactures of America. If Senators will look at the fig1 ures in the report. on pages 3 and 4. they will find that the. old immigration which has been lauded so much. and rightfully lauded. between the years 1882 and 189 came in to the! number of over 3.000.000. The new immigrittion coming from southern and eastern Europe numbered only about 708.000.1 That was the height of the old immigration which had beeni coming many years and which so largely settled in the West. opened up the farms. and constructed our great systems of railroads. and eventually became estimable American citizens. They brought their families. they came here to make the United States their home. If Senators willi further consider. the 7year period from 1S90 to 1890. inclusive. they will see that the old immigration only amounted to 1.562.000. while the new immigration had grown. as the old had diminished. to 1.194.000. The Increase of the new type was because of the increase of our manufactures. which had a most remarkable growth during that time. Then. if Senators will turn to the next page. they will find that in the 18 years between 1897 and 1914. inclusive. we received only 2.983.000 of the old immigration. but we received 10.057.000 of the new immigration. What was this new immigration? That is something that we must understand if we solve this question intelligently. The new immigration. coming almost wholly from eastern and southern Europe. differed in character from the old immigration in that substantially 70 per. cent of it. as a whole. consisted of males. and substantially 86 per cent of.the males were living single lives. being unmarried or having left their wives in Europe. � They came to the United States. not so much for the purpose of remaining here and making homes as to seek profitable employment at the seats of our great basic industries. As a class they were strong. healthy. ablebodied men. industrious. and frugal in their habits. Substantially 95 per cent wer6 under 45 years of age. right in the very prime of life. The investigation of the Immigration Commission showed that a great majority of the employees in the great industries in the United States investigated by that commission were of this class. This class have moved in racial and family groups. Wherever a company from any section of Europe has gone in the first instance those from the same section later on have gone.