Speech #490105941

That bill passed. but it failed to make any proper provision for its enforcement. It left it to the free option of any person in the country to make complaint against the importation of contract labor. to bring suit. and to recover damages. It (lid not instruct the customs officers of the Government to take any action in regard to the matter. but whenever a complaint was made by a private citizen or otherwise the district attorney was instructed to bring suit for damages against the shipmaster or against any other person connected with it. It has been found substantially to be inoperative. Now. we have upon the statntebook a law forbidding the importation of convicts or paupers. and that law is properly cubrced by the .Treasury Department. acting through the commissioners of immigration. in the various ports of the country where there are commissioners. and where there are no commissioners then it is enforced by the collector of customs. The law which we passed last winter. which was so much desired as I say. has proved to be of no substantial benefit except that it has acted as a warring to certain people against bringing in contract labor. This bill now proposes to empower the Secretary of the Treasury to take such means and actions as will prevent the violation of the original law passed last winter. It enables him to make contracts with the commissioners of immigration. just as we have heretofore done in regard to the importation of convicts or paupers. In the city of New York. or where that whole matter is under the controlof a board of commissioners of immigration created by the State of New York. and working under contract with the Secretary of the Treasury. they enter upon all steamships coming into the port to prevent the landing of any convicts or paupers. requiring the steamship companies to take such persons back to the country from which they brought them. This bill proposes to give the Secretary of the Treasury power to do precisely the same thing in regard to convict labor. and it requires the Secretary of the Treasury to enforce the. law instead of leaving it to the voluntary action of private individuals. Unless this bill can be passed. of course the other law will go on indefinitely without doing any good.