Speech #460087155

First. I regret very much that the Committee on Foreign Affairs in their report have not given any statistics upon which gentlemen here may found an opinion upon the necessity or the propriety for any such bill as this. No statistics for any year or for any series of years are furnished. no statistics of the number of immigrants entering into the different States. no history of the method in New York of acquiring money to take charge of the six or seven millions of immigrants who have come there within the last twentyfive years. I say that nothing of this kind has been furnished. and that we have before us only the resolution of a board interested in some direct or indirect way in expending the money for immigrants. Now. sir. briefly. I want to say a word or two about this immigration. Since 1854. when beadmoney was charged upon every immigrant that came to the port of New York. almost threequarters. hot quite. of all the immigration into the United States came by the port of New York. the other quarter into the other ports of the United States. but since that time also a large share of the immigration has come into ports of the United States that are not even on the seaboard. Let me say here that into the city in which I live there has come for the last twelve years an immigration ranking higher in importance than that into any other port in the United States. except New York. The immigration at the port of Port Huron. in Michigan. the first point of arrival for almost the entire immigration by the Saint Lawrence. has averaged for the last ten years between 35.000 and 45.000 a year. in some cases reaching 52.000 immigrants in a year. Let me say here that I have seen upon the docks upon the straits of the Saint Clair 1.500 immigrants frequently in one day. asbigh often as .500 even in one day. and 500 or 600 every day. very often in the summer days after I get home in the recess of Congress. Sir. never was one cent of money appropriated or any purpose in connection with this immigration by the State of Michigan. and there were no contributions except the voluntary contributions of our people in a city of ten thousand inhabitants for that vast amount of immigration coming in the summer months. There was no headmoney. no charge. nothing to meet these people but the kindness of our citizens. and there never was any want of it. They were protected. they were not swindled. they came to our shores. were shipped upon the boats going around the lake to the great Northwestern States. or sent into the interior on the railjoads. into our State. or into Illinois. or Indiana. or Wisconsin by rail. We never saw the need of charging two and a half dollars upon the immigrants that we welcomed with outstretched hands and with warm hearts. to whom we gave encouragement and help if they needed it. But for twentyfive years the city of New York. with a law requiring captains of vessels to give bonds that if they did bring paupers or criminals to the city they would provide for them. charged upon every man. woman. and child. virtuous and impure. great and good. lowly and humble. alike. most of the time $2.50 a head and the rest of the time $1.50 a head. They have received in that city by the Immigration Society or Aid Society. chartered by the State of New York. over fifteen millions of dollars within the time of their organization from the immigrants that came to this land of liberty and of plenty. Fifteen millions of dollars! They have bought Castle Garden and repaired it.