GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 871 



pitiful conditions under which they labored. This gave rise to labor unions 

 which later came to be known as organized labor. In the early 1900's the move- 

 ment to organize industrial labor became so aggresive that the owners of industry 

 in this country went to Congress and secured the passage of a law which can 

 be found beginning on page 1213, volume 32, part 1, of United States Statutes 

 at Large of the Fifty-seventh Congress of the United States. The purpose of 

 this law was to luring into the United States unlimited cheap labor from Italy, 

 Austria, Hungary, and other coinitries of middle Europe. The purpose, of course, 

 being to create a surplus of labor in the United States and thereby hold down 

 the price of all labor. 



The purpose of this act of 1903 was identical with the purpose of these special 

 trade agreements. These special trade agreements have the effect, the way they 

 are applied by the Secretary of State, of flooding the United States with cheap 

 agricultural products and other cheap raw products. They, thereby, cause cheap 

 agricultural and raw products in this country. They likewise force low wages 

 for those engaged in producing agricultural and other raw products. 



The same selfish greed that prompted high protective tariffs, and the same 

 selfish greed that prompted the enactment of the act of 1903 to flood this country 

 with cheap labor, is the same selfish greed that prompted the legislature of 1933 

 for these special trade agreements. It is the same selfish greed and unlimited 

 internationalism that is now seeking the power to extend these special trade 

 agreements. 



Let's see how the Immigration Act of 1903 resulted in bringing cheap foreign 

 labor into this country. Immediately after the jmssage of the Immigration Act 

 of 1903 a drive was put on to bring these immigrants into this country. 



From 1903 to 1914 there were about 12,000,000 immigrants entering the 

 United States — to be exact, 11,791,856. The influx of this tremendous tide of 

 cheap foreign labor held down the price of industrial labor in this country. The 

 influx of this great number of immigrants also greatly increased the demand for 

 agricultural products. The tide of 12,000,000 new people held down the price of 

 industrial labor. They increased production at low cost of industrial products 

 which the farmer bought. They increased consumption at fair prices of food and 

 fiber that the farmer sold. These two factors taken together brought about a 

 few years of substantial equality between the farm and industry. It was because 

 of this equality between the farm and industry that the period of 1909-14 was 

 chosen as the parity period. 



The outbreak of World War I brought about such a demand for both industrial 

 and farm production, as well as manpower, that from 1914 to 1918 there was wild 

 demand for everything that both factory and farm could produce. 



After the armistice of November 11, 1918, both factory and farm were kept 

 busy for a few years to feed the hungry people of Europe and to replace the terrific 

 economic destruction of that great world conflict. 



As business became more normal in the 1920's and it became apparent that all 

 the industrial labor was not needed, the leaders of organized labor hit upon the 

 plan of reducing the hours in a day's work to such an extent that there wovild be 

 jobs enough to go around, not only to native Americans, but to this great influx 

 of imported labor from the Old World. It was but natural that as these unions 

 of labor became stronger, as they realized their strength, that they should demand 

 more and more from their employers. 



It was but natural that the employers, when forced to accede to the demands 

 of organized labor, should pass these added costs on to the general consuming 

 public. It was but natural that the increased cost of industrial goods should 

 force the farmer to demand more and more for the crops which he produced. 



It is but a natural outgrowth of all this that both industrial ownership and 

 organized labor should begin to look with desiring eyes on the cheap agricultural 

 products of other lands which have not been industrialized and which have not 

 suffered under our protective system. It is but natural that organized labor 

 itself should look to lands which have no organized labor as a source of food and 

 clothing. 



It is but natural, and it is now the case, that industry and organized labor 

 should now lay plans to eliminate the American farmer from the picture almost 

 entirely. 



This desire to bring into this country cheap agricultural and other raw materials 

 from foreign countries fits in nicely with the desire of our internationalists to 

 equalize all races of people of all lands. 



Let us see how these special trade agreements attempt to flood this country 

 with cheap agricultural products and other cheap raw products. You can search 



