Speech #530047223

BLACK. He presented a new phase of this question. His theory is that this bill will restrict immigration. and he is entirely right. Of the many bills introduced in Congress during the past several years to restrict immigration not one of them has proposed to do it in the way he suggests. and he is entitled to the credit of having solved the problem that has so long troubled the gentleman from Alabama and others. His idea is that the halfmillion who annually come here do so to get the high wages paid under protective duties. and as this bill which reduces the protective duties would also reduce the wages. these foreigners would no longer have an inducement to come. and would stop. The American people are suffering from unrestricted immigration. it is true. but they do not wish to restrict it in that way. They do not want to take away the desire of foreigners to live here by making it undesirable to live here themselves. A famine here could restrict immigration on the same principles. The cholera scare in 1892 restricted immigration. There is no doubt but that the good wages paid here has encouraged im-. migration. and there is no doubt but that immigration will decrease if you reduce the wages. My friend from Illinois is entirely correct in his reasoning. and no doubt if he wants to restrict immigration the passage of this bill will do it. His reasons for his supportof this bill are the most logical that I have yet heard advanced. He can go back to Illinoisto the workingmen of Chicagoand say. "I know that you are oppressed by foreigners who come over here to share your wages. well. we hsve stopped that. we have passed a bill to lower your wages to the same figures now paid these foreigners in their own countries. and they will no longer have any inducement to come over here to work.-and these Chicago workmen are expected to throw up their hats and hurrah for the Wilson bill and tariff reform. They should be grateful. The Democratic party has restricted immigration. Great is the Democratic party. a friend of the people. especially the working people. My friend from Illinois says if he was pufrsued by bees he would throw down the honey. In his illustration. so happilyused. the honey is the high wages paid our workingmen under the McKinley bill. and the bees are the foreigners whose immigration he wishes to restrict. If my friend from Illinois with his hands full of honey pursued by bees should throw it down. the bees would get it. they would get it all. and then we would have no honey. How true his illustration is. and how aptly it fits this bill.