Speech #590131397

Speaker. I would like to read the statute on the subject: " There shall be levied. collected. and paid a ditty of $2 each on every passenger not citizens of the United States or Dominion of Canada." etc. That is the original provision. and it says the duty shall be paid to the collector of customs. " The money thus collected shall be paid into the United States Treasury and shall constitute a permanent appropriation. to be called the immigrant fund. to be used under the direction of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor to defray the expense of regulating the immigration of aliens into the United States under this act." So the very statute refers to a permanent appropriation and makes it in terms a permanent appropriation. and the title under which this appropriation is made is " Expenses of regulating immigration." I can not see the object of this change suggested by my colleague. There can be no question but that the intention is well known. We have had a system of bookkeeping under the head of " Expenses of regulating immigration for many years. 0