Speech #500108016

The cry is. still they come. The evil still continues. Day after day. hour after hour. minute after minute. the cry of our laborers goes up that they are being crushed to the earth by the competition of this cheap pauper labor from abroad. The present law seems to be inefficient. and something must be done either here or abroad by which this cheap labor can be prevented from destroying our own home labor. Something must be done to insure our laboring men against this ruinous competition. It has been proposed we shall have inquiry made by our consuls abroad to ascertain whether every man who comes here intends to become a citizen of the United States. It is proposed that before coming here they shall in some way be compelled to make a declaration of their intention to become citizens of the United States. and in that way to prevent the influx of cheap pauper labor under contract. which has been so ruinous to our own labor. That might be done. We have done it in regard to coolies. We impose the duty upon consuls to ascertain the business of parties coming here. We have acted upon that already.