Chairman. there is nothing I am so reluctant to do as to speak of myself. but in order to emphasize what I wish to say I am obliged to give you a part of my lifes story. My cradle stood on the other side of the ocean. and I was nearly of age when the thought struck me to try my fortune in the great country that from my earliest youth I had heard spoken of as offering the greatest opportunities to anyone who was willing to work. who had the necessary energy and a fair education. and who could not be persuaded to swerve from the path of honor. duty. and honesty. On my arrival in New York my funds had so dwindled that I would not have been allowed to land had it been some years later. when those in favor of restricting immigration succeeded in having a law passed requiring every immigrant to have a certain amount of money in his possession. Perhaps anticipating that such an unreasonable law might be enacted. aided by the ever alert Immigration Restriction League. I made haste. slipped through. and after a five days trip on an emigrant train arrived in what I later on found to be one of the best States in the Unionthe great State of Wisconsin. The same good fortune that finally landed me in the Congress of the United States resulted in my securing a positiononly a few days after my arrival. My success was beyond my expectations. as a result of not being afraid to work and always trying to do my duty.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrant Immigration emigrant