Speech #530144413

Mr. President. I recognize the importance of the subject which the Senator from Kansas has brought to the attention of the Senate. but I am not inclined to deal with the question of Immigration in connection with a tarif7 bill. The reason why I am not willing to deal with the question in connection with a bill imposing duties upon imported merchandise is because the one concerns property alone. and the other concerns men. women. and children. it concerns citizenship. I think the Senator from Kansas will agree with me. when he comes to consider the subject. that we do not wish to deal with questions concerning citizenship in a bill of this kind. Merchandise. inanimate objects. arouse no sentiments of any kind. but the question who shall be received into this conntry as an immigrant. who shall be allowed to partake of our citizenship. who shall be allowed to become members of this great family of ours. this Western hemisphere Republic. is a question far above any question that concerns merchandise. or manufactures. or anything that is inanimate. The Senator. upon reflection. .will see the distinction. I am as unwilling as is the Senator from Tennessee to deal with the question of immigration in connection with the tariff bill. In the next place. while I recognize the importance of further laws for the restriction of immigration. I do not believe that the next step in the direction of restriction should be a high head tax. The Senator from Kansas. whoNI believe. agrees with me in the main upon the question of immigration. and who served with me for a time upon the Committee on Immigration. and aided that committee in making important investigations. with his keen sensibility. will also agree with me that. while it may be advisable for us to lessen immigration. if there is an immigrant fitted to come here and enter into lawful employment. which is the language of the amendment of the Senator from Connecticut. that if such a person alone. or with his family. is entitled to come here and become a part of our civilization and of our citizenship. he needs the $50 the Senator proposes to exact from him as a tax far more than the Government of the United States needs the $50. Here. Mr. President. is the fundamental objection thatI have found to a large head tax. If you consider it solely in the light of an exclusion. it does no harm in the cases where it keeps the immigrants out. but take the case of Immigrants who come here. there will be a large class of worthy. honest. industrious men who come here. either alone. or with their families. to become citizens of the United States. They will not be wealthy as a general rule. We have not undertaken ad we shall not undertake to require that immigrants shall bring large sums of money with them. We shall probably continue to welcome the honest poor man with good character who comes here to partake of our civilization and to become a citizen of this Republic. Take the case of an honest man who comes here. I ask the Senator from Kansas if that immigrant coming here with $50 in his pocket does not need the $50 more than the Treasury of the United States needs it?