Speech #600006315

Mr. Chairman. it seems to me that there may be something in this proposition that Is more important than the question of preserving the dignity of the city that the gentleman represents. or of increasing the facilities for immigration at that city. I think there is a disposition all through this country to throw some impediment in the way of the extraordinary immigration of a class of immigrants who are now coming to this country. There was a time when all men welcomed the emigrant from Europe. At that time those emigrants were of the bestof the English. the Irish. the Scotch. the Scandinavian. the Germanthose classes that made the very best of our citizenship. but that is not true now. The countries that I have named furnish but a comparatively small portion of the million or more who are now each year crowding our labor fields. I. for one. am ready to do whatever is reasonable and right to check this undesirable flow of extraordinary immigration. If I had my way. there would be but three ports in the United States where these emigrants could. be received. I would have one upon the south Atlantic or the Gulf. and one at New York. and one on the Pacific coast. We are. by this legislation. simply increasing the facilities of the steamship companies to flood our shores. It is the steamship company more than any other agency that brings to us this vast horde of undesirable immigrants. If we would prohibit all of the lines save those at two or three of the cities. you would find a very marked diminution of this large number. in my judgment. Therefore I am unwilling to increase their facilities. I do not believe it is at all necessary for us to locate our immigrant station on expensive land in the city of Philadelphia. We have the power to compel the steamship company to land its immigrants wherever we choose and to bring them to the station. wherever that station may be located. I I have said that I believe the steamships were largely responsible for this immigration. I have seen some years ago advertisements of steamship companies in which they advertised to the ignorant people of Europe that. by coming to this country. they would be cared for from a public fund for five years after their arrival here. I have seen an advertisement in which they said that there was a lyingin hospital in New York where all of an unfortunate class could be cared for in secrecy. and after a time. if they saw fit. return. and. as a result of that. in that station they had a human incubator. and that they would receive for care one hundred or more of these unfortunates. They had at that time an agency for the placing of wet nurses. and they 4dvertised that these women would receive $3 a day. All such advertisements as that used to be. when the immigration was under the charge of the State of New York. sent broadcast over Europe as an inducement to patronize the steamship companies. I have no doubt but that to some extent that has been corrected. and yet I know that today steamship companies flood Europe with advertisements showing to them the desirableness of their coming to this country. Now. I am not willing to facilitate that state of things. and. as I said before. I would be glad if we could limit the places of reception of these immigrants to two or three in the United States. Mr. Chairman. we have tried over and over again to restrict immigration. We have practically done nothing as yet. Men differ as to the mode that should be adopted. and because of these differences almost all restrictive legislation has up to this time practically failed. at least we have done but little. Here is an opportunity now to do something. to refuse to increase these facilities. and let it be known that we do not intend to encourage the steamship companies in the prosecution of this part of their business. I think that this bill might properly be denominated "a bill in the interest of the steamships that ply between Philadelphia and the European ports." I am opposed to making any appropriation for any station there. and if I had the power I would prohibit the landing of the immigrants until they had been examined at New York and one or two other ports. Mr. Chairman.