110 WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION

Mr. McInnis. I would rather not believe that—if I understand
your statement. I have seen the statement made, for instance—but
I do not believe it—that a member of this committee said that it
would be a good thing to destroy the cotton industry in Arizona, that
there is too much cotton produced anyway, and that they ought to
destroy the cotton industry in Arizona for the good of the cotton
industry as a whole.  -I
 do not believe any member of this committee made any such
statement as that.
The CrairMAN. Probably that is the outgrowth of a theoretical
discussion of whether there is an overproduction of cotton. The
theory you are applying is not one based on the literacy of the
immigrants.
Mr. McInnis. 1 am coming to that in a moment.
The CuairMaN. You are paying particular attention to very cheap
labor to grow crops.
Mr. McInnis. I have said nothing about cheap labor; and as for
the literacy of the labor, I think it is comparable——-The
 Cuairman, The literacy of Mexican labor?
Mr. McInnis. I am willing to assert that the literacy of the average
 Mexican worker is as high as the average of literacy in the United
States.
The CrairmaN. The evidence seems to be to the contrary.
Mr. McInnis. I will discuss that in 8 moment.
The CrAlrRMAN. At any rate, under your plan you are asking for
the use of this labor to grow crops to send out for a long haul at such
expense that a great part of the population can not pay the price
for the cantaloupes, and so on.
Mr. McInnis. Can not pay the price of the cantaloupes! Well,
they do do it. They paid the price for—let’s see how many carloads
they paid the price for—they paid the price for cantaloupes to the
extent of $8,000,000 in transportation—$8,416,000 in transportation
charges to six railroads.
The CrarrmaN., But the men who get paid $3 a day in these
eastern cities do not eat many of your cantaloupes.
Mr. McInnis. I do not know who eats the cantaloupes. As a
matter of fact a cantaloupe may be a luxury to a great many people,
but to a great many people also it is not a luxury but may be a
necessity. If you keep Mexican labor out the time may come when
it will be a luxury even to those to whom it is now a necessity.
The Crairman. No.
Mr. McInnis. The important thing is that the railroads haul them
and the farmers grow them, and people eat them; and thev are grown
largely by Mexican labor.
The CaatrMaN. The theory of the testimony before this committee
in this and previous hearings seems to indicate that as any section of
the country fills up with one type of labor it moves a little better type
out somewhere else to create another condition of competition in
wages,
Mr. McInnis. Let us not forget our history. There was Mexican
labor in the southwestern part of this country before there was a
white man in this part of the country.
The CrairMaN. On the wall in front of you is a map. This is the
picture. There is our country.