Speech #550049969

Western --------- 1.20 4.32 5.63 7.9 8. 3.361 4.17 2.94 6.63 11.0 The States can be trusted to take care of the elective franchise. Total ----0 100 100 ko t 0 Io ioo 1 100 l" eAny qualification. either of property or education. or both. lies .. ..7 within their wisdom. The United States have no voters. and it .rassachusetts --------- ------.5 6.641 7.108 121.FO 11.61 7.74 32.60 1:.ewYorkc-------- ---------20.45 18.l3~ 16.91 3.9 338 670 20.24 23.27 is clearly an error to apply to immigration a restriction which is Pennsylvania ---------- ----- 9. 8.0 9 14 13. .l 15.02 16.34 14.37 10.97 only applicable to suffrage. Nordoes itfollow.from anyrestrict New Jersey ----------------3.3- 3.3:2 3.56 3.46 3. 4.57 4.59 4.97 ive legislation by the States in regard to the elective franchise. Illnois -------------------- 9.25 .7 9. 7.:7 6.50 10.4 .10 that any reflection is cast on the worth of a citizen who is not a Total - ------ 49.23 45.631 45.W. 71.81s 69.49 76.04 57.42 .---3 voter. The United States have a wider field than the States. 31 - - I - 1F Will the stranger who comes to our shores obey the laws? Will 2 Osuri ---------------.. . 3.9 3.171 2.54I 1 .. 2.52 1.8 he labor in our vineyards and fields and factories? If yea. let 1 I 5 1 him shelter under the flag and enjoy the heritage which the cour- In 1850 the South Atlantic States received 4.67 per cent of the age and labor of our forefathers have given us. and who. like the foreign immigration. and in 1890 2.25 per cent. TheNorth Atlanstranger. came from over distant seas. tic received 59.06 percent in 1850. and 42.04 per cent in 1890. Will A large number of the supporters of this bill favor the incor- the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts. Mr. LoDaE. say poration into the United States of the Hawaiian Islands. with their that the quality of Northern citizenship has been thereby injured. heterogeneous mass of Asiatics. Portuguese. and Kanakas. The and that of the Southunaintained in its original excellence? Will latter. I am informed. can read and write almost universally. anybody say that the 230.802 immigrants. who arrived at our Does it follow that they are desirablecitizens of the United States? ports during the last fiscal year. have injured the quality of citiWould Senators who are supporting this bill prefer an Hawaiian zenship ofupwards of seventy millions of people? Concede that who can read and write to an Irishman who can not. as a citi- 10 per cent of the whole number was "undesirable." can anyone zen of this Republic? Here comes a hardworking. bardfisted. seriously argue that 23.000 illiterate immigrants can so leaven the ablebodied young Swede. 16 years old. not knowing one letter lump of our manhood and womanhood astoinjure it? Why. Mr. from another. ere is a Russian Jew. knowing a dozen lan- President. the largest immigration in any one year was 788.992 in guages. learned and shrewd. but filled to the brim with anaxch- 1882. This vast number of foreigners was scattered all over the istic and destructive theories. Which of the two is the desirable United States. and no one can say that the standard of citizenship immigrant? was thereby lowered. Sir. if an immigrant is undesirable on account of his race. I quote as follows from the report of the Secretary of the Treasexclude the whole race. as you have the Chinese. but do not strike ury for 1897: from the list of American citizenship the uneducated men who Tmmigrationto theUnited Statesduring the fiscal year endedJue30.197. are capable of adding to your material wealth and national great- shows a decrease of 112.435 from the arrivals for the preceding year. and was ness. the smallest in volume since the subject has been under Federal supervision Nether. t s mwhere it was placed by the act of August 3. !S. In fact. it is the smallest of Neither the statement that illiterate immigrants will lower the any fiscal year Mnce 1879. during which year 177.823 were reported to have standard of citizenship or that literate or illiterate immigrts arrived. During the year now reported 230.8M persons arrived. of whom will lower the prices of wages is correct. 223.O32were permitted tolandand 1.830weredebarredanddeportedin accord. ance with law. Of those deported. 28 belonged to the class known as alienIn all the years since the foundation of the Government. Amer- contract laborers. and 1.289 were returned as belonging to the classes of aliens ican citizenship has been ascending a higher. and still higher. prohibited from admission under the act approved Mtarch 3.1K91. In addiscale. Education is more universal and more extensive. Activity tion. 263 persons. who had become public charges within one year from arin every line of science and art and lin rival. -were returned either at the expense of the steamship lice by which earning. enormous strides in they were brought or at the expenso of the immigrant fund. the invention of new. and the better adjustment of old. devices to The number of immigrants who fell into temporary distress within one every branch of industry. a growing sobriety and morality among year after landing was 1.424. These unfortunates were relieved. and their the maasses attest the intelligence. the vigor. and the excellence of maintenance and hospital charges paid from the immi rntfund. The heavy decrease in immigration is attributed rgely to recent reour citizenship. strictive legislation. The CommissionerGeneral in his report shows that In all the arts and ways of peace. the United States have forged the annual average for the periodl6S4tol.93.inclusive was472.03. Afterthe to the front. and are now distancing all rivals. Has the "quality legislation of 1891 and 1893 became effective. the annual average in the period 189b to 189. inclusive. fell to 279.56. Some other causes are also reported as of our citizenship" been injured by the crowds of foreignerswho reasons for decreased immigration. such as the influence on immigration have come to our shores. if supremacy in the arts and ways of which other countries are exercising by means of bounties and land grants. peace marks the quality of citizenship? It is useless to print long The amount of money brought into the country by immigrants can not be c accurately given. owing to the fact that they are not required to disclose any columns of figures to show that the "undesirable class Of 1mmi- sum in excess of 30. The report of the service. however. shows that during grants." meaning the Italians. Portuguese. Russians. and Hun- the year immigrants exhibited to the inspectors sums which aggregated garians. flock to the slums of the Eastern cities. and supply the R3.541.241 largest percentage of illiterates. If there was not work for them. This report shows a decrease of 112.435 from the previous year. they would not go. If there is work. then they are needed in the The Secretary says this decrease "is largely attributed to recent factories and workshops of those cities. That the native Aineri- restrictive legislation." The amount of money brought into this can descended from foreign parents progresses beyond recent country by the immigrants of 1897 was $3.541.241. The number foreign arrivals shows there is room and opportunity for progress of illiterates. as compared with those of 1895 and 1896. was largely in these hospitable shores. shows that the foreigner does not drag decreased. the American down. but the American elevates him to a higher The report of the Secretary of the Treasury for 1896 is as follows: standard. until. in a few generations. he is molded in the best The annual re]ortof the CommissionerGeneral of Imniigration for the type of man now on earththe American. fiscl year ended .une 30.13. shows that there arrived in ths country 813.247 immigrants. of whom 340.436 were permitted to laud. and 2.790 were de. The tables of distribution of the immigrants contained in the barred and returned to the countries whence they came at the expense of report on this bill by the Committee on Immigration. which I the steamship companies by which they were brought. The increase m incorporate here. show that from 1850 to 1895 the mass of immi- immigration over the preceding year amounted to$7.781. Those denied admissin into the United States included 2.010 who were grants were "congested" in the North Atlantc and North Cen- likely to become public charges and 776 who were held tobe contract labortral States. Why is the argument made now that the South and a. There were also returned 233 who had become public charges within a West will not be injuriously affected by excluding white illiter- year after landing. some. if the cause of distress existed prior to arrival. at ates. as they all go to the East andNorthi? Slavervkept all white the expense of the steamship companies responsible for their transgportation. immirats te ao t the ast in t eblum . all ithen the other at the expense of the immigrant fund. From causes arising within immigrants out of the South in the antebellum days. and the en- one year after landing. 1.90 immignauts fell into temporary distress. and the franchised colored people have kept them out postbellum. And. I cost of their maintenance and hospital charges were paid either by steamship com anies or from the immigrant fund. as found to be proper. sir. much to the advancement ofthe East and North. and much s The ClommissionerGeneral reports that. with some exceptions. the immito the detriment of the South. grants of the past year were of a hardy. laboring class. accustomed and able to earn a livingwherever industrious people can obtain employment. It Is estimated tbat the money brought with them amounted to at least almost $.00I0.000. and was probably much in excess of that figure..siuce.only those having less than 8 are required to disclose the exact amountaudt s 1nown that very many bring the savings of years in order to buy lands and build homes. It is noted that among the immigrants of the past year over 14 years of age. 28.3 per cent were illiterate. as against 20.37 per cent forhe fiscal year ended June W.01895. The immigrants of that year "were. with few exceptions. a hardy. laboring class. accustomed to earn a living wherever industrious people can obtain employment." They brought in $5.000.000. And notwithstanding there were 28.63 per cent of the 340.468 who came in illiterate. they were a most desirable class of people. bringing in $5.000.000. which. the Secretary says. does not represent the full amount. as only those having less than $30 were compelled to disclose what they brought. According to the last report. immigration is restricting itself. The present law prohibiting contract laborers. convicts. and diseased and insane people is amply sufficient to guard our citizenship from injury. if any injury threaten it. Now. Mr. President. let us see whether our territory is overcrowdedand the wages of our laborers loweredin consequence of immigration pushing American laborers to the wall. There are in the United States. excluding Alaska. 1.500.000 square miles of arable land. 282.000 of which are in cultivation. This is about 20 per cent of the whole.