1939.10.03 “We Can’t Have Everything”
by Max P. Milians (1907-2005)
11 x 15 in., ink of board
Coppola Collection
Milians signed his cartoons with nine zeros (“millions”) as an underline. His work was syndicated across America from the 1930s up until the 1970s.
The title “We Can’t Have Everything” is cynical humor: you can have citizenship, but don’t expect a job with it.
The first fall labor report in 1939 did not show the usual and expected growth in seasonal jobs, and manufacturing actually declined from July to October.
Local editorial pages, particularly in Midwest and industrial cities like Chicago or Detroit, carried letters like: “Why should aliens get jobs when so many Americans are unemployed?”
Labor leaders and unions complained to the press that aliens and recent immigrants were preferred for low-paying or strike-resistant jobs.
The Smith Act (Alien Registration Act) of June 28, 1940, initiated nationwide alien registration and dramatically increased scrutiny of non-citizen populations. Press coverage often portrayed non-citizens as resource-takers or security risks. Starting August 27, 1940, aliens were required to register at U.S. post offices and be fingerprinted or face penalties. Headlines and editorial still read, “Millions of aliens registered—some fear they still occupy jobs amid American unemployment.”
