The immigrants, he said, had made New York a great communal center.
Nevertheless, since the city’s absorptive capacity had peaked, they should
advise their friends in Europe to avoid New York in favor of the South and
West. Ironically, the same new immigrants who generally balked at the
idea of distribution greeted his remarks with warm applause. On these and
other occasions it made little difference what he said. His very appearance
was sufficient to trigger a positive reaction, proof yet again of the esteem
he had won and of his control over the rank and file.^104
The New Immigrants 123