I wish to state briefly my reasons for offering this amendment. This Government has for years had a protective tariff. for the purpose. as claimed. of protecting American labor and American wages. We have passed laws for the purpose of excluding from this country pauper contract labor. We have had a Chinese exclusion act. which is still upon the statute books. Now. I am unwilling that this Government should embark in a great enterprise. such as the construction of this canal. by the expenditure of the money of the American peoplea canal to be owned by the American Governmentand yet leave it possible that the Government shall employ in its construction cooly labor. which will result in reddicing the price of labor of the American workingman.
Keywords matched
Chinese exclusion contract labor