Speech #540081414

The Apostle Paul said that "He who refused to provide for his own household was worse than an infidel and bath denied the faith." What is true of the family. the individual. is true of the community. the town. city. State. and nation. And that brings me to my second argument in favor of the restriction of immigration. that is. we owe this legislation to the country for the protection of the American home. for the protection of American labor from the competition of the pauper labor of Europe as well as the Mongolian labor of China. It is a beautiful theory that all the world is a band of brothers. and free trade and unrestricted immigration would be a good doctrine if the wants and living necessities of all peoples. nations. and tongues were alike. But they are not. A Chinaman can live on a little rice a day. an Italian can live on a piece of dry bread without meat or butter. The American laborer has been accustomed to wholesome food. education for his children. comfortable raiment. medical attendance when sick. and ten thousand comforts and luxuries that are unknownto these degraded people who are now competing with him in the labor markets of the country. When the wants and mode of living of these foreign immigrants has reached the American standard. then it will be time. and not fill then. to throw down the bars to unrestricted inmigration. On the one hand. it is argued that the Stone bill. which proposes consular inspection and certification before the immigrant starts. would prevent his being turned back thousands of miles after reaching this country. and he would know before he started whether he was admissible or not. On the other hand. it is claimed. and I think with a good deal of force. that the consular inspection would give notice to foreign governments of the intended immigration of the young men liable to military duty. and wouldprevent their leaving the country. and thus deprive us of the best and most desirable class of immigrants. So. on the whole. I incline to favor the McCall bill. on the ground of success and expediency. as the most simple. feasible. and practical restriction upon objectionable immigrants. To my mind the following are some of the advantages of the educational test as a measure to restrict undesirable inmigrants: 1. It excludes the people we wish to exclude. i. e.. those who are degraded. ignorant alike of their own language and of any occupation. incapable of appreciating our institutions and standards of living. and very difficult of assimilation. 2.