If that section is stricken out. then you can punish no one. for certainly you are not to punish the poor. ignorant. and deluded laborer who may be induced to come here. Section 4 furnishes the penalty for themaster of any vessel who shall knowingly bring within the United States on a vessel any of the persons described in the bill. I see no objection to that. and I do not believe that any of the great steamship companies bringing immigrants to our country can be opposed to that section. for the word "knowingly." which is in the section. will protect them in all their rights. and if they bring such persons into our ports knowingly they ought to be punished. . We have had upon our statutebook for many years laws forbidding the importation of paupers as immigrants. but we all know how diffi.cult it is to prevent it. Year .after year in the port of New York attempts are made to exclude such persons. A short time ago. after some of them had been brought over. the court heldthatthe steamship company could not be compelled to return them to Europe. because they had been allowed to land. and now the commissioners of emigration are compelled to go aboard every emigrant ship coming into iport and make a full examination in regard to the character of the passengers before any of them are permitted to land. for. under that decision. if any of them should be landed they would not fall under the statute and theycould not be returned. Thus it is thatnowthe steamship companies are compelled to submit to this examination before the irmnigrants are permitted to land. I Even with all the strictnesswith which this old law is attempted to be enforced today. the fact is that scattered all throughout the length and breadth of the land we find that thousands upon tens of thousands of paupers were only a few years or a few months ago landed upon our shores.
Identified stereotypes
Poor, ignorant, and deluded laborers.