Immigration : $b A world movement and its American significanceFairchild, Henry Pratt
History
Immigration : $b A world movement and its American significance
Fairchild, Henry Pratt
Emigration and immigration; United States -- Emigration and immigration
taking the fullest advantage of a possibility of an improved standard,
but of maintaining intact the standard which he has. We have seen that,
in the long run, the only way in which he can do this is by limiting the
size of his family.
The familiar argument that the immigrants simply force the native
laborers up into higher positions is often urged in this connection. It
is hard to see how any one can seriously hold this opinion. The fallacy
of it has already been shown. It is, of course, perfectly obvious that
at the present time most of the native workmen in industry are in the
better paid positions, and that the lower grades are occupied by
foreigners. But the question is, are there as many native workmen in
high positions as there would have been in all positions if there had
been no immigration? This is what the “forcing up” argument assumes, and
the falsity of the position seems self-evident. It appears much more
reasonable to believe that while a few native workers have been forced
up, a vastly larger number are working side by side with the immigrants
and earning approximately the same wages—to say nothing of that other
body of native labor which the immigrants have prevented from ever being
brought into existence.
Even if it were true that the native American himself is as well off as
he would have been without immigration, that would not settle the
matter. The question is that of the standard of living of the American
workman. If the American workman happens to be a foreigner, it is just
as important for the welfare of the nation, and of humanity, that he be
properly housed, fed, clothed, educated, and amused as if he were a
native. We would still have to face the fact of a standard continually
retarded by accessions of newcomers, representing ever lower economic
strata. Can we afford, as a nation, to allow the standard of living of
the workman, whoever he is, to suffer in this way?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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