Italy. Poland. and Turkey in Europe. Prior to that the immigration was as follows: From 1861 to 1870. 24.064 only. from 1871 to 1880. 180.082. from 1881 to 1889. 926.116. or for these three decades. 1.131.162. The last five years have introdnced nearly as many of this class as the thirty preceding years. In 1861 they. were 0.51 per cent of the total population. in 1870 it numbered 1.44 per cent of the population. in 1880 it reached 3.38 per cent of the population. and in 1890 it had increased to 7.5 per cent. which shows the rapidity. the tremendous increase of immigration of this very undesirable class of people. and I believe. Mr. Speaker. that my friend from Louisiana and my friend from Missouri . in their opposition to the bill in behalf of their German friends. are unwittingly speaking against the best interest of their own friends. because the German element of the country is just as much interested as anyone elseas any other class of the laboring people of the countryin the exclusion of the worthless class of pauper labor with which they must come in competition. Anything that affects the laboring element anywhere in the United States affects the German element as well as any other. and this legislation is directed against that element which is obnoxious only. How do they get here? In the steerage. Now. if any gentleman here could see one of these great ships. with 800. 900. or 1.000 people packed away in the hold of the vessel like so many cattle. if he could see some of these miserable specimens of humanity. which by reasonable calculation it will take sixteen generations of American civilization to develop into reasonably fair specimens of humanity. and would consider that every ship that comes into this country unloads hundreds of these creatures on our shores. he would realize the tremendous strain that is befng brought to bear on our body politic. and the outrageous imposi* tion that is being practiced on the labor of the country in being forced to compete with this foreign element. Who bring them here?
Identified stereotypes
The speaker describes the immigrants as miserable specimens of humanity that will take sixteen generations to develop into reasonably fair specimens of humanity.