We Have Enough Workers; Stop Letting Foreigners Come to America, Says High Point Manufacturer, March 7, 1923

Rabbit Hunters in Bad Company. . . High Point Manufacturer Classes Them with Gamblers, Bootleggers, Loafers and Fishermen

Washington, Feb. 28—M.J. Wren, prominent manufacturer of High Point, has written Senator Overman some illuminating views on the labor situation. Among other things he has cast serious reflections on rabbit hunters.

Mr. Wrenn referred to a circular on the immigration question. He wants no foreigners and is well supplied with workmen. His letter reads:

“We are enclosing a circular that seems to be broadcasted through the country, on the labor subject. History says that 95 per cent of all men are failures. During the month of January, we had 353 men to apply at our plant—High Point Furniture company—for work.

“Looking over the class of men that applied, we find that about 5 per cent of them are what might be termed first class workers, 45 per cent might be classed as fairly satisfactory, 25 per cent poor, 25 per cent ‘caution advised’. This makes a total of 100 per cent.

“The latter class referred to, appear to be loafers, bootleggers, gamblers, rabbit hunters and fishermen. This is a class of men that we must try to teach how to work.

“With this surplus of trained and untrained American labor we cannot see why we need any more imported labor.

“We had to turn away the above number of men (353) as we had all the labor we needed.”

Senator Overman replied that he had always been opposed to foreigners coming into this country, and had always stood for restricted immigration and would continue to do everything in his power to this end.

From page 3 of the Danbury Reporter, Wednesday, March 7, 1923. The letter writer's name was spelled Wren on first reference and Wrenn on second reference. I don't know which is correct.