Speech #540118178

I care not whether a man is a Catholic or a Protestant. whether he is a Gentile or a Jew. The sole inquiry with me is. Will his coming to these shores have the effect of bettering the condition of my countrymen. naturalized and native born. or will his coming be an injury to them? If it will be injurious. I am in favor of his exclusion. I am not in favor of the total restriction of immigration. but I am in favor of any measure that will exclude from our population that undesirable and dangerous element which can be of no benefit. but which will work a great injury to us. and that is the reason why I favor this conference report. As I have intimated before. sir. it is a step forward. a step in the right direction. If not the best. it is at least the best attainable measure just now. Mr. Speaker. there may have been a time when we could assimilate this undesirable immigrationthe ignorant. the pauper. and the vicious class. That time has passed. Annually there are coming to our shores large numbers of people who are utterly unable to discharge the duties of American citizenship. They add to our burdens and responsibilities without adding anything whatever to our energies and our resources. They strain our public and our private charities. fill our charitable and penal institutions. and are a constant menace to our free institutions. The time has now come. sir. when we should do something to prevent this. not simply talk. but do something in the interest of our citizens. the naturalized as well as the nativeborn. We must act if we are to escape this great danger. I would like to know of what avail is our great commonschool system. that system under which we are preparing our children for the duties of American life in a Republic *here every man is a factor in public affairs.