Speech #540103228

President. like my colleague. the Senator from Minnesota . I do not care to go into any extended discussion of the amendment. I believe that the average number of immigrants coming into this country annually for the last ten years. according to the Commissioners recent report. is about 425.000. The foreign steamship lines make out of this business. on an average. $20 a head. From some countries it is greater and some countries less. but I take it from what I can gather from statistics that it is about $20. or something over $8.000.000 per annum. This $8.000.000 is paid to foreign shipowners for the transportation of immigrants to this country. and one of the evils growing out of immigration to the United States. to my mind. is that those foreign shipowners and this foreign shipping interest. through their agents abroad. encourage persons all over Europe to come to this country for the sake of the money the steamship lines get out of the business. Everybody who can raise enough money or have it provided who wants to come to the United States is reached by the agents of the steamship companies and brought to this country. In some way or other paupers and criminals are supplied with money to come to this country. the cities of Europe get rid of this population largely by the aid of foreign shipping interest. I do not agree with the Senator from Minnesota when he says that the amendment is prohibitory. There is a way left open in the amendment by which the immigrants can reach this country without paying the head tax. It is by coming in American ships. It is humiliating. I confess. that we have only one American line. although the Senator omitted to state that a great many immigrants come to the United States in sailing vessels. But I venture to state that the present American line can bring all the immigrants to this country that want to come in American ships. and would be willing to engage to do it. If the present American line could not bring all the immigrants. then other lines would be established at once. There is about $8.000.000 in the business per annum. and I am sure that if the amendment prevails the American shipowners will get some of this traffic. The amendment does not necessarily exclude people who want to come to this country.