Speech #630132973

They would be readily admitted in heaven. and according to the standards of the Almighty they would be most welcome there. but they are not good enough to enter this free country. In the language of the Latin proverb. it is difficult not to write a satyre. Think of how deeply imbued with the Christian gospel of brotherly love must be the originators of such a plan. and how mindful they must be of the fact that. as a nation of immigrants. we owe everythingour growth. our development. and our very existenceto the source which they now propose to stop! But let me proceed to the conclusion of my argument. From what I have already said it must be plain to all that not one of the objections raised against a continuance of the timehonored American immigration policy is well founded. unless it be one which I have not yet mentioned. namely. that the advocates of this bill are expecting something unforeseen and are anxious to take precautions. the same as the people out West do when they take to the cyclone cellar and fasten all the doors behind them. If this is one of their motives. I want to warn them that such precaution might easily hasten the very crisis which they dread. If the majority of this House has confidence in the tariff legislation which they enacted. then they should not deem a further restriction of immigration necessary. and if the new tariff should work out well. which we all hope in the interest of the country. then it would not be necessary. But if. on the other hand. idleness on a large scale should result. this restrictive measure would be no less unnecessary. for the simple reason that immigration. as a rule. regulates itself. In good times it comes and in hard times it goes. If the official figures are any indicationand I think they arethe human influx is not only receding. but the departures of immigrants to their home countries have already begun to an unprecedented degree. In the Immigration Bulletin for December. just issued. I find. under the classification of laborers. that in December 16.911 arrived. while 22.031 departed. in other words. we had over 5.000 more departures than arrivals during the last month. During the last fiscal year 220.992 laborers arrived and 191.604 left the country. a surplus of only 29.000 in the whole year.