Mr. Chairman. I offer this amendment for the purpose of making it clear that the Secretary of the Treasury shall have the power to carry out the regulations which he wishes to have enforcedrespecting the control of immigrants before leaving foreign ports. . When the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. STUMPi earlier in this discussion offered his amendment to the bill the question was asked by my colleague from New York whether the amendment then offered would have the effect of taking from the States the power of arranging for quarantine. and it was understood thatthe adoption of that amendment would give the Federal authorities power to control quarantine and would take it from the States. Now. in my opinion an error was made in impressing upon the committee that view of the question. The idea of the bill which had been reported from the other committee was that the Federal Government should take upon itself the control of the quarantine upon the other side of the ocean. and that when the immigrants arrived in this country the local authorities should have power to control their quarantine irrespective of anything that might have been done before the immigrant left the foreign shore. My object in offering this amendment is to make it perfectly clear that the Secretary of the Treasury shall have power to make such rules and regulations as are not inconsistent with the laws of the United States and are. in his opinion. necessary to be observed in foreign ports. I have no idea of restricting the powers of the State authorities or even of the municipal authorities. I simply desire to make it easier for the National Government to enforce such regulations as it may think proper to require to be observed on the other side before the immigrant is allowed to land in this country and practically turned over to the local authorities.
Keywords matched
immigrants immigrant