Speech #530144426

I am similarly affected. I believe we should pass laws requiring that immigrants shall have better accommodations upon the passenger steamers. I believe that we should restrict immigration by humanitarian legislation. that we should improve the condition of the steerages of our immigrantsteamers. andthat we should require better accommodations for men. women. and children upon the transatlantic immigrant steamers.than are now afforded. The bale of goods requires nothing but so many cubic feet of space. It goes down in thehold. it requires no air to breathe. The expense of bringing merchandise is nothing. but the expense of bringing an immigrant with his family is considerable. The difference in expense between bringing property and persons is of itself a considera1ble protection against enlarged immigration. But. Mr. President. there is a more important reason than that why immigration is rdstricted. and that is that immigrants arc obliged to sunder home ties in order to come here. They have attaehments abroad. Their surroundings may be poor.[ they may be humble. butstill there is no place like home. Al-. most no immigrant. almost no immigrants family. is desirous of coming to this country. They come here because they believe they can better theiri condition. and it is with great reluctance that they part from: home scenes. from kindred. from friends. fromfamiliar surroundings.and goto a new country in order that they may make a new home there. and attain to a higher prosperity than that which attends them in their native land. Therefore. here is a serious obstruction to immigration. So before we reach the question of new restrictive measures to be applied to immigrants as we impose duties upon foreign manufactures. we shall be able. to make allowances for these natural obstructions to immigration. Notwithstanding all these considerations. I believe this nation. ought to devise new and additional measures for restricting imi migration. The two administrative acts of March 3. 1891. and. March 3. 1893. have done much to lessen immigration. There is a falling off in immigration under the operation of those lawsl and under the operation of hard.times in this country. I That falling off in immigration will. I.hope. continue. If it -does not continue. then I believe it is the serious duty of the American Congress to take the subject of .further restrictions! into consideration and to enact further laws limiting immigra1 -tion and. tending to secure the benefits and the .prosperity of this. .country to those who are now its citizens and toexclude thati prosperity and those benefits from those who are not now its citizens. Var ious amendments have been suggested for the purpose of further restricting immigration. A large head tax. such ashas been moved by the Senator from Kansas. has been one of those methods. The requirement of a consilar certificate and proof of good character has been another method. An educational qualification has -been more discussed than any other. I believe we ought to require immigrants not to read and write the English language. but to be able to read and write their own language. I believe that a certain measure of intelligence may well be demanded of those members of a family coming to this country of suitable age. and they should be required to read and write their own language before they come here. All these questions will I doubt not come in review before Congress during the next session. I believe the subject of immigration to be a cognate subject to that of the tariff. but I do not believe it to be a part of the tariff question. and therefore I should be unwillingto vote for the amendment proposed by the Senator from Kansas. even if I were in favor of a head tax. If the Senator from Massachusetts had not moved to indefinitely postpone this bill. I should conclude my remarks by moving to lay the amendment of the Senator fromKansas upon the table.