Speech #670415674

And now. according to one of this organizations agents. he thinks he can cure himself of overproduction by producing more cheaply. and he therefore asks that thousands upon thousands of the lowest forms of laboring life be admitted to this country from Europe to assist in that cheap production. Even a child could tell him that the sane. sound. and infallible way in which to cure overproduction Is to stop overproducing. Again. before the House Immigration Committee. the counsel for an association of manufacturers demanded more Immigration on behalf of the organization that he represented. After a great deal of wordy testilnony he threatened darkly that If this country doesnt soon get more immigrants " well have to slow down industry." The chairman of the committee at once asked. " Is it better to enlarge our problem by bringing in immigrants or is it better to slow down industry? There is no reason at all why the manufacturers of the United States and the legislators of the United States and the consumers and producers of the United States shouldnt ask themselves this question and the other questions that are allied with it. Ihe population of the United States. including Alaska. IS somewhere In the neighborhood of 115.000.000 people. Starting with this as a basis. the people of the country ought to ask themselves a few simple questions. What. for example. will be the population of the Nation 77 years from now. in the year 2000. even without the addition of another immigrant? It will be at least 200.000.000 unless some great catastrophe rips the country to pieces. If within the lifetime of many persons now living the population of the country will reach such all enormous figure. why should its present population be so anxious to utilize every square foot: of its land and to do it by importing the poorest races of Europe? Why should every resource of the country be developed immediately. and why should millions of southeastern Europeans be admitted for the purpose? What reason can possibly exist for this country to drag in the dullest and dumbest people in Europe In order that the United States may raise more farm produce and manufacture more goods than the world can absorb? Why should there be all this hot haste to import coolies by the million in order that every ton of coal may be wrenched from the earth Immediately? Why. with the action of Ehsau held up before all men as a horrible example. should this Nation or any other nation sell its birthright for a mess of pottage? Why shouldnt the American people be working partly for the 200.000.000 American of 77 years from now. instead of entirely for alien peoples of the present day? Why should anyone babble of an existing labor shortage when there is no shortage. but merely a failure on the part of employers to effect a proper distribution of labor? Why should anyone yammer about our net immigration being too small when there are 14.000.000 foreign born In the United States. and more than 7.000.000 who call neither speak nor read our language? And why should a request for more Immigrants on the part of any representative of any association or organization be heard with any patience by our legislators when the Immigrants who came to America last year from the countries of northern EuropeGreat Britain. Sweden. Norway Germany. Holland. and Denmarkwere less than half the number of those who could legally have come If the incentive had been sufficiently great? Selfish interests may be able to answer these questions to their own satisfaction. but they can not answer them to the satisfaction of 90 per cent of Americas citizens. And although coolie labor lnay sometimes be a solution for labor shortage. it is doubtful whether the people of America are ready. to adimit that the time Is ripe for the admission of Europes cheapest coolie laborers. the maintenance of these laborers as coolies during their stay In America. nd their shipment back to Europe as cooliesand that is the emnly Way that coolie labor can properly be handled. In fact. probably the only thing that the people of America could be made to admit after having their attention called to the manufacturers claims. is that those among them who howl for more lowgrade Immigrants are wasting a great deal of valuable time that might better be devoted to working out plans for labor distribution. laborsaving machinery. and a wage scale that will attract American labor and decent Immigration from northern Europe as the demand becomes greater. I do not wish to be understood as picturing all large employers as back of this propaganda to feather their nests by importing servile. slavish. cheap foreign labor. but this Is to be noted. that those that howl the loudest for free trade ia foreign pauper labor are the first to shout themselves hoarse for a high protective tariff on the products of their plants. and they declare they want the high protective tariff in order to protect the American workingman from the baneful effects of foreign pauper labor. when they employ it and object vociferously to any real direct protection to American workers which would keep then from Importing the foreign coolie labor itself. Outstanding Americans like the president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Mr.