Speech #450089205

Ido say that a more plain case of equity on the part of the municipal corporations that levied this tax and a grosser attempt at imposition and fraud on the part of these steamship companies that attempt to recover this tax back. never was seen in this world. Why. sir. what is it? Here was an ordinance that required a head tax of so much for each immigrant landing at Boston or New York or Philadelphia or Baltimore or San Francisco. and perhaps the same in other ports. to be expended for the benefit of the immigrants for humane purposes. and no one denies that it was so honestly expended. Believing that they had the power to levy this tax for this humane and benevolent purpose they levied it for many years until the amount sought to be recovered now is swollen to more than $10.000.000. The money so received was expended for the benefit of the immigrants for humane and benevolent per oses. and now these municipalities are asked to pay that money ban. to whom ? To the immigrants who paid it ? No. sir. not a dollar to them. but to the steamship. companies which were the more hand that handed over the money of the immigrants to these municipal corporations. It has been in litigation in the Supreme Court. Every steamship company collected this money from the immigrants. It took no inmigrant who did not pay his headmoney. and it simply handed over that headmoney thus collected. the steamship company acting as ai agent or collector for the corporation of Boston. or New York. or Philadelphia. or the like. It merely handed over this money that it had thus received from the immigrant to the n icipal corporation . and now these steamship companies seek to recover this money back. Suppose they do. will the immigrants from whom they collected it ever get a dollar of it ? They are scattered all over the face of this continent. Mark it. this goes back eight or nine years or more. and all the money paid by them in these eight or nine years is sought to be recovered back. In the mean time where are the immigrants who paid it? Thousands of them dead. hundreds of thousands of them scattered all over the face of this broad Republic. Will they ever get the money back from the steamship companies if the steamship companies recover it?