Speech #550050975

E. Akins and 104 other citizens of Richmond. and of John V. Switzer and other citizens of Spring Creek. all in the State of Virginia. the petitions praying "for the enactment of legislation which will more effectually restrict immigration and provide more stringent laws than those now in force which are demanded from anindustrial. social. and political standpoint by the great majority of citizens of both native and foreign birth. The reports heretofore of Senate Committees on Immigration set forth fully and in detail our reasons and argument for the passage of such bills as have been presented by those committees. Our objections. in brief. are t6the illiterate. pauper. and criminal classes of immigrants coming mainly from eastern and southernEurope. which haveincreased to an alarming extent during the last decade. as distinguished from the intelligent. industrious. andlawabiding classes comuingprincipally fromnorthernEuropeAngioSaxon. German. and Scandinavian. The train of evils resulting from thn present Ian immigration laws affect injuriously the entire country andits every interest. lowering wages. debasing our population. both socially and morally. and adding nothing to the welfare of the country or nation. while only the steamship coziapanies and the employers of cheap imported labor are benefited." M[r. FAIRBMSNKS piesented a memorial of the Medical Society of Floyd County. mnd.. remonstrating against the passage of the socalled vivisection bill. which was ordered to lie on the table. He also presented the memorial of Richard Michaells and other citizens of the United States. remonstrating against the enactment of legislation restricting immigration. which was ordered to lie on the table.