Speech #590091401

Mr. President. on the 6th day of last February the Senator from Vermont introduced a bill. known as Senate bill 4172. having for its object "to establish a uniform rule for the naturalization of aliens throughout the United States." Subsequently. -on the 14th day of February. the same Senator introduced a bill. known as Senate bill No. 4403. to amend an act entitled "An act to regulate the immigration of aliens into the United States." approved March 3. 1903. These bills present for the consideration of Congress two subjects of farreaching importance to the American people. as to which I desire to submit some observations and to suggest on each subjectnamely. that of immigration and naturalizationcertain remedies that appeal to me as being absolutely necessary and practicable. I am not prepared to advocate the bills referred to in their entirety. but have no hesitancy in saying that in their general aim and intent they seek to reach a subject and afford a remedy that is second in importance to but few of the great issues that are now attracting universal attention. A moments reflection upon the phenomenal growth of our own country. its almost boundless wealth. its vast domain. and the freedom and independence associated with its citizenship will quickly impress the thoughtful mind with the importance of placing every safeguard not only around the right to American citizenship. but upon the privilege of admission to our country. A careful consideration of the class of immigrants being admnitted into this country. the vast throng that annually seeks these shores. compels the conviction that the laws. rules. and regulations on the subject of immigration and naturalization are entirely inadequate to meet the situation and are far short of being effective. having a proper regard for our own welfare. In the earlier days of the Republic the number of persons seeking dmission into the United States was infinitesimal compared with the present. From the year 1776 down to the year 1820 It Is estimated that there were only 250.000 immigrants admitted to this country. while from 1820 to 1895 the number increased to 22.931.983. and in the last year. 1905. reached the enormous figures of 1.026.499. largely in excess of the number of inhabitants of some of our important States. and more than the population of the great and rich State that I have the honor in part to represent on this floor. The admission of immigrants up to the year 1845 was comparatively small. never exceeding 100.000 annually. with the exception of that year (1845). and. as a rule. greatly below that figure. Since 1845 it has fluctuated greatly. depending largely upon the prosperity of the country. In recent years there has been a st.idy Increase up to threequarters of a million annually four years ago and the round million last year. These figures speak more eloquently than anything that can be said. and must admonish every patriotic person of the urgent necessity for legislation to the end that this enormous annual influx into our body politic of an element. in most instances. unused and unsuited to our institutions. and in many respects unfriendly to the same. may be kept within reasonable bounds. These immigrants come from wellnigh every part of the habitable globe. are of nearly every nationality. are generally densely ignorant. and in nearly every instance from countries whose Institutions and form of government unsuit them for life under our popular form of government. In view of the constant increase of this population and the great benefits derived by them in leaving their own lands and coming here. it would be folly to suppose for a moment that there will under existing conditions be any diminution of the same. On the contrary. every sign points to the steady increase. and this Increase. too. from the most undesirable. the worst populations of the Old World. The duty of the hour. in my humble opinion. is to prevent the pollution of our body politic by the injection of this deadly virus. and how can we do this unless we remove the causeby placing limitations and restrictions upon the wholesale admission of foreigners. so that the undesirable immigrants may be kept out. The constant stream of these people to our country reminds us of Tennyson.s brookit runs on foreverand unless we take some radical action to prevent it. the time will come when it will burst all about us and overwhelm us in the flood. When we contemplate the class of immigrants that are now flooding this country and reflect upon their deterioration. as compared with those who came in former years. we see at a glance the great danger to which our institutions are exposed. and I trust that I may be pardoned for making a comparison as to this. The number of immigrants from Germany has been within the last quarter of a century and is still steadily declining and those from Italy steadily Increasing. The same may be said as to Russia and AustriaHungary. In 1881 there were 15.401 immigrants from Italy. against 210.485 Germans. while in 1905 there were admitted 221.470 Italians and only 40.574 Germans. During the last six years the tide of German imilgrants has fallen to as low as 18.507 annually. while that from Italy during the same period has never dropped below the 100.000 mark and in the year 1900 soared up to the enormous figure of 230.622. When one reflects upon the value of the material development of this country and compares his works average German immigrant and the part he has taken in the with those of the average Italian. having in view the great increase of the latter. he can but have serious apprehension and forebodings for the future. Much that has been said as to the Italian immigrant applies with equal force to those from AustriaHungary and Russia. In 1895. 275.693 immigrants were admitted from the firstnamed country and 184.897 from the latter. Of those from AustriaHungary. more than 50.000 were Poles. nearly that number -Magyars. and a large number were Bohemians. Of those from Russia. about a fourth of the entire number were Poles. thus forming about as undesirable a class of immigrants as could well be imagined. Another feature serious to contemplate in connection with this Influx of immigrants is the large percentage of illiterates. The increase in this respect is. due. doubtless. to the change in the countries from which the majority of the immigrants now come. But however this may be. it nevertheless exists and is undesirable in the extreme. An illustration may be given In the case of the Italian Immigrants. Last year 185.445 of them were from southern Italy and 56 per cent of them were illiterate. The percentage of ignorance in the case of the immigrants from AustriaHungary and Russia was not quite so high. but nevertheless alarming. In nothing that has been said has It been my purpose to harshly criticise any of the unfortunates who seek relief by coining to our country with a view of bettering their condition. We all recognize how much we owe to the worthy immigrant who settles in our midst. and what a debt of obligation we particularly owe to the English. Irish. German.