Speech #540082083

It induces the shipowners and persons interested in navigation not to bring persons here without careful examination and inspection. Gentlemen talk about consular inspection. If they will examine the law. they will see that these very shipowners to whom the gentleman from Indiana and the gentleman from Pennsylvania referred are sworn to make an inspection before bringing immigrants here or else return them at their own expense in case of a mistake. They are compelled to ascertain whether the immigrants whom they propose to land here belong to any of the prohibited or excluded classes. they are compelled to ascertain whether the person proposing to come to this country is an idiot. a lunatic. a pauper. whether he proposes to come here as a contract laborer. whether he has been assisted by anybody. whether she. if woman. is coming for immoral purposes. whether the person is a Chinese or an anarchist. etc. Mark you. this requirement of the law makes the steamship owner personally interested in this matter. He is sworn to look after it. And if a mistake should be made there is a way of correcting it by making the company bear the expenses of the correction. There is no conflict of authority between him and somebody else. both being equally recognized by law. Gentlemen have talked about the character of the examinations that will be made in foreign countries by our consuls. and about the value of knowledge that will be thus disseminated among foreign nations showing the great trouble of emigrating to America. and all that sort of thing. Answer me in all sincerity. Do you believe there is any character of information that could be furnished to people abroadso potent as the returned immigrants? His rejection here and return would be a perfect object lesson. Let us see how these examinations resulted last year. We sent back from the ports of the United States to foreign countries 2.419 immigrants. Do you not know that every one of them. when they go among the people of their respective countries. their neighbors and friends. will tell them they could not remain in the United States. that the laws there were so constructed that they could not be permitted to remain? "Why." they would say. "2.419 of us have been there. have been examined. and have been returned to our homes because the laws are so strict as to exclude us." Do not gentlemen know that such deported immigrants will deter more people from coming. if that is what you want. than all the advertising you can do in years and years? It is the most efficient system of advertising that could be devised. if you simply desire to deter immigrants from coming. The gentleman from Pennsylvania says he sympathizes with the poor immigrants. that his bill is for the benefit of the immigrants. In this connection I want to ask this very pertinent question. and I want the House to consider it well. I have heard it claimed that the German Government. from whence comes a very large. desirable immigration to the United States. have laws requiring military service of the young men between certain ages. and that law prohibits these young men from leaving Germany when that service is due to the Government. unless they come away clandestinely. I do not know whether such is the law in Germany.