Speech #670012022

The number that will come in under this bill is estimated at 355.461. Estimating the number of emigrants who would go out at 124.411. it would leave net for the year. 231.050. it being established that ever since there was a record of the departures. 35 aliens have gone home for every 100 who have come to this country. I Mr. HARRISON. Now. with respect to the question the Senator from Missouri asked me. stating that the figures showed that between the years 1910 and 1920 the net number of immigrants into this country was around 3.000.000. I have not those figures. and I assume his figures are correct. But the Senator overlooked the fact that during the years 1.915. 1916. 1917. 1918. and 1919 there was practically no emigration to this country. due to war conditions abroad. For instance. in 1915 only 326.700 came into this country. In the year 1914. the year before. 1.218.480 came over. Then. following down the years of the war. in 1916 there were only 298.826. in 1917 there were 295.403. and in 1918 there were 110.618 who came over. So that if you take the whole 10 years. including those 5 years when there was no immigration due to the war conditions. of course. the figures will appear very small. But in the last two years before the war the facts are that nearly a million and a half annually came over here. and. although I have not before me the figures. which I think the Senator from Rhode Island has. I think during the last nine months of last year some 600.000 came over. I think the facts were that there were soine 600.000. in other words. showing that immigration was again starting to this country. and the only reason why more of them have not come is the lack of steerage facilities and steamship transportation to bring them over.