If. as the Senator from New Hampshire asserts. there is no way to make a definition on this subject. or to make a law by which a man can be excluded as an immigrant because he comes in that character. of course he is bound to say that the law we are trying to enact is of no use. If you can not enforce the law against the mans declarations. whether the declarations are false or not. of course the law is of no service. He can evade it by merely making a declaration of his intention to be or not to be an immigrant. and yet after he has landed here he may in a day change his intention from that of a mere visitor to that of an immigrant to this country for purposes of settlement and naturalization. - I call the attention of the Senate to this subject because I believe this legislation is not going upon the proper line. I believe that the way to reach the evil we are trying to remedy in addition. if you please. to what you have in the pending bill. is to make it applicable to the right of naturalization. to make it applicable to the right to file an application to become a citizen. For instance. provide that no man can become a citizen 6f the United States by naturalization unless he can read and write in some language. The law might declare that no man can become a citizen of the United States except upon an application filed after five years of permanent residence in the United States and proof of good character. We might raise the time to five years in reference to citizenship. If you apply your legislation to that subject. then you will have some chance to enforce penalties and restrictions upon foreign immigration. But if you leave it merely to the declaration of the immigrant himself as to whether he is coming here as an immigrant or only as a visitor. your law can not possibly amount to anything.
Keywords matched
immigration naturalization immigrant