Speech #500148610

If the purpose of this bill is to protect American labor. here is an opportunity of doing it. It simply brings up the question squarely whether we mean to give the benefits of this legislation wholly to the owners of the vessels or divide between the vesselowners and the men who man the vessels. those men to be American citizens. The provisions of the section I offer are that the officers and at least threefourths of the crews of all such vessels shall be either native or naturalized citizens. It can wrong nobody. it meets the general sentiment of both sides of the Senate. and it will settle the question for the future as to how these vessels shall be manned and officered. and settle it in the interest of American citizens. The only general observation I have to make on the subject is that it has been my purpose all along. as far as possible. to strengthen the arms of the Government and to secure the interest of the American people. and it seems to me that this is in that direction. and that it will remove from our legislation to that extent the charge that it is being made in the interest of capital and against the interest of labor.