Speech #460087222

I offer my amendment. Mr. Chairman. for the purpose of giving this House an opportunity to express its opinion as to whether they believe that unrestricted immigration from Asia is to be longer continued. with its offipring. the corroption. vice. and degradation which naturally must come from it. In section 3 of the written or printed bill I propose to amend the qrigiil bill. Whore it is provided that it shall be unlawfu for any ship or vessel. or the master. commander. owner. or consignee thereof. to bring into or land at anyport or place within the United States. as a passenger. any persontnot a citizen. &c.. is to limit the number of such passengers who under existing law will not be entitled to naturalization at a future time to a number not exceeding fifteen on any one voyage. That is the only amendment I shall offer except to add to line 24 of the first section. after the word "them" the words. "and whether any. and. if so. how many. male passengers are excluded under existing naturalization laws." Acting upon the theory that the Government of the United States in its laws had by express terms excluded the Asiatics from citizenship in this country. believing the reports that have often been made to this House and that stand uncontradicted today. believing that the testimony of almost every individual who has visited the Pacific coast and the testimony of the members from the Pacific coast upon this floor was sufficient to justify an amendment of that kind that would limit in the future the number of Chinese who might land at any port in the United States. I have offered this amendment. If it be wrong. Mr. Chairman. as I said before. for paupers. for criminals. ior deaf and dumb persons. to be permitted to come to this country. is it not wrong that California and the other Pacific States should be buried up under a class of immigration that the people of California at their last election. with a unanimity hardly ever before -witnessed at anyelection. decided was anevil. declaring they regarded it as one of the greatest evils of our time. I appeal to members of this House whether they can afford to pass this bill and leave this amendment out. Reference has been made to the traditions of this Government. and it has been repeated that this land is the asylum of the downtrodden and the oppressed of all lands.