Speech #590091970

Mr. President. I am opposed to the motion that has been made to strike out the best part of the amendment which was reported unanimously by the Committee on Immigration. As I understand it. a motion is made to strike out these words: Authority is hereby given the CommissionerGeneral of Immigration to establish. under the direction and control of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. a division of information In the Bureau of Immigration. The Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall appoint a chief of such division and such clerical assistants as may be necessary. It shall be the duty of said division to promote a beneficial distribution of aliens admitted into the United States among the several States and Territories desiring immigration. Correspondence shall be had with the proper officials of the States and Territories. and said division shall gather from all available sources useful information regarding the resources. products. and physical characteristics of each State and Territory. the character of the climate and soil. the prices of land. the routes of travel and cost of transportation. the opportunities of employment in skilled and unskilled occupations. the prevailing rates of wages. the costs of living. and all other information that may tend to aid aliens in selecting a place of residence. and shall publish such information in different languages and distribute the same. Mr. President. it would not cost much for the CommissionerGeneral of Immigration to acquire this information. and it is XL---456 information which is much needed. Immigrants now come to a few ports. Perhaps half of them came last year. aggregating nearly half a million. through Ellis Island at the city of New York. The object of this amendment is to bring before the minds of the immigrants the attractions of the various States and Territories. to gather from all available sources useful information regarding the resources. products. and physical characteristics of. each State and Territory. the character of the climate and soil. the prices of land. the routes of- travel and cost of- transportation. the opportunities of employment in skilled and unskilled occupations. the prevailing rates of wages. the costs of living. etc. This is just the character of Information that should be given to the immigrants who come to this country. We saw last year 285.000 immigrants locating in the State of New York. while but 684 located in Kentucky. and a less number in Georgia and Florida. The Southern States need desirable immigrants. they want desirable immigrants. and the object of this amendment. which was reported unanimously from the Committee on Immigration. is to lay before immigrants when they come to this country the attractions of the various States and Territories. so that they may not be collected in the cities and In a few States. Another object of the amendment is to promote a beneficial distribution of aliens admitted into the United- States among the several States and Territories which desire immigrants. It is not proposed to send immigrants to States that do not want them. it is not proposed to use any undue influence with iinmigrants. it is only proposed to lay before them the attractions of the various States and Territories. to show them how they may get there. what it will cost to get there. and how they can make an honest living after they have arrivedin the various States and Territories. Mr. President. when we look at the Congressional Directory and see the list of the names of the commissioners who are now engaged in assisting the CommissionerGeneral of Immigration at various points. what do we find? We find that today there is a commissioner of immigration at Ellis Island. New York. one at Boston. one at Philadelphia. one at Baltimore. one at Saft Francisco. and. so far as the Congressional Directory shows. there is not one on the southern coast. How do we propose to bring before the immigrants who come to this country the attractions. the desire for labor. and the wages they may obtain unless we adopt the plan set forth in this amendment? Steamships that have been bringing immigrants to our country have been bringing them to the ports .which I have named. and there seems to have been no effort .whatever to bring immigrants to the Southern States. The object of the amendment. is to distribute -immigrants. When the cost Is so small. when the number of immigrants coming to this country is so rapidly increasing. when we see. as I said before. 285.000 immigrants locating in New York and only 684 locating in Kentucky. and a less number in some of the other Southern States. it seems to me the immigration law ought tobe so broadened as to bring before the -minds of immigrants when they come to this country the fact that there are other States besides New York. Pennsylvania. Massachusetts. and New Jersey. I say that the time has come when there ought to be one commissioner of immigration. at least. in the Southern States. for. if the list in the Congressional Directory is corret. there is not today a solitary commissioper of immigration at any southern port. They are all at northern ports. Therefore. Mr. President. I hope that this amendment will not be mutilated in the way which is proposed. by striking out that part of it which directs the CommissionerGeneral to get the information which is so much needed by immigrants when they come here. information which is valuable to them and valuable to the people of the South. because it will help to attract immigrants to the Southern States. I can not see why we should deny this small sum. which can be so beneficially used for the Southern States. and yet I have understood some Senator would make a motion to strike out the two last lines of the amendment. which read: The expense of carrying the provisions of this section into effect shall be paid out of the immigrant fund. What is the "immigrant fund" for. if It is not to be used for the purpose of paying expenses connected with immigration? We have an immigration fund. I understand. of between three and four million dollars. I have been told that last year there was collected at least $2.000.000 on the 1.226.000 immigrants who came to this country. At $2 a head that would amount to over $2.000.000. and this pending bill proposesand I am for itto increase the head tax from $2 to $5. which will give us $5.000.000 in one year if we have the same number of imnnigranto come to this country next year as came last year. and the ConmissionerGeneral of Immigration says he believes there will be an increase. What is that immigrant fund to be used for. unless it is to be used for the purpose of making it easier for the immigrants who arrive here. to give them a better place to go when they first get here. to give them better treatment. and furnish them better facilities to find the best place to go? We do not take the money out of the Treasury. we simply take part of the immigrant fund to do this.