Speech #440070475

I repeat my proposition. The gentlemans ground. as I understood. was that a body of that sort composed of people speaking the Spanish language (not because they spoke that language. but because they could not read or write the English) was as a body unfit and disqualified. or rather unqualified. to discharge the duties of American citizenship. and thereforo as a community should not be admitted into our Federal system. Sir. but the other day a distinguished Senator from the Pacific coast made a most striking protest against the further immigration of Chinese into the community there. and still more recenty both parties seemed to be vying with each other as to which should go furthest in preventing this admixture of the Mongolian race with ours. To illustrate the disturbing force of this measure. let us suppose that in the six New England States and the States of New York and New Jersey. whose population corresponds most nearly to that of our Southern States. in one night 4.000.000 of unaccustomed. incongruous population. such as Mexicans and Chinese. should be incorporated into the political system of those Commonwealths. and by some paramount power outside of those States should be so compacted together as to gain control of all the departments of their government. of all the offices. all the institutions. State and municipalin a word. invested with the entire sovereignty of their bodypolitic.