Speech #540129863

Drink deep. or taste not the Pierian spring. These poor illiterates are required to be educated just sufficiently to read and write twenty words. unmeaning as they may be. of the Constitution of the United States. which has as much force. character. and effect to them as Sanskrit. Yet the education of those immigrants to read twenty words of the Constitution and to write them in the poor. hardfisted. cramped hands of those who have been used to labor rather than the requirement of a test which means nothing to them. is to cost the taxpayers of this country millions of dollars in the shape of appropriations to carry out this law. Ellis Island in area will not be equal to the task. three times the extent of that area will not be sufficient to give the accommodation to these immigrants. They must be housed and fed there before their feet can be planted upon one other spot of American soil. and not only to be kept in quarters. but to be as comfortable as comports with the dignity of the United States. which has offered an asylum to the oppressed of every land. When they get here we are not to treat them as they were treated whence they came. but to treat them with the humanity which belongs to the American people. giving shelter and food during the five or six weeks that 5.000 immigrants are to be detained for the purpose of this educational test of their right to land. With due deference to Dr. Senner. I submit. Mr. President. that ten minutes is a very moderate limit to allow for the inspection of these immigrants. The strength of a chain is its weakest link. Every link of a chain. may. save one. be forged with a degree of strength to anchor a battle ship at its moorings. but if there be one link wehk she drifts from her moorings upon rocks she knows not of. The length of time required for the inspection of the slowest immigrant. which may be half an hour or longer. will be the measure of time required for each detail at the several batches of immigrants. Inspectors How many inspectors "willbenecessary to carry out the provisions of this bill? Twentythree are all now that are required at Ellis Island and only one or two at Baltimore and Boston and Philadelphia.