Speech #570064620

Mr. Chairman. there are many people in the United States who believe that there are some restrictions on immigration into this countryintended to prevent our receiving any but the better class of immigrants from an intellectual standpoint. but the bill that is now reported by the committee and now before the House is practically a compilation of the old statutes on the question of immigration. with soms few changes. Thereisnothing in it as it stands without the amendnent I have offered that restricts immigration. except as to criminal classes and as to pauper classes and certain restrictions in regard to contract labor. The policy of the country has been heretofore simply to say that the deaf and dumb. the blind. the idiotic. the insane. or pauper and criminal classes shall not have entrance into this country. then stop and admit all other classes of immigrants without restriction. In other words. we have not heretofore attempted to say that we will only bring in competition with the standard of American life. the standard of American wageearners. the standard of American principles and ideas. people from other countries who are qualified and fit to maintain and uphold that standard. We have left our gates open to receive all that come. whether they uplift us or whether. through ignorance or racial tendencies. their admission will result in pulling down our civilization. the standard of American life. and the standard of Ameirican wageearners. I say the time has come in this country when the duty that the American Congress owes to the American people is far greater to protect the American laborer against the pauper labor of Europe than it is to protect the American laborer against the paupermade goods of Europe. The first is far more dangerous to his welfare and well being than the latter. You may say that this country is over 100 years old. that we have passed through four generations since the bith of our Republic and that no such innovation as this has been necessary heretofore. that it is laying down a new rule. but I say to you that the time has come in the history of this country when a new rule shonld be laid down. that to leaveothe gates of our country open to any class of people who want to come here in the fiture endangers our civilization. and the hour has come when we should call a halt and only admit as citizens of this country those people who are capable of understanding our form of govenmeit and maintaining the high position of the American citizen and wageearn~er.