Speech #630133046

Chairman. the bill now before the House for consideration is in substance the one that passed the House and Senate last year by a vote of about 2 to 1. and but for the vetoof a former President would now be a law. Last year I strongly advocated this measure. and I desire at this time to offer some observations upon it. It has been contended here by gentlemen opposing this bill that it is unAmerican. and that we are reversing our policy of a lifetime by now attempting to restrict immigration to this country. I want to address myself for a few minutes to that feature of this proposition. I desire to assert that we are not only not reversing our policy in restricting immigrants by this bill but. upon the contrary. we are in thorough harmony and accord with it. From the very moment this Government began to pass laws upon the immigration question down to now it has consistently and in every instance. except one. passed laws restricting immigration. That one exception was when a law was passed in the year 1864 encouraging contract labor. That was repealed in 1868. A little history of what this Government has done in the past in regard to this question will make perfectly clear the assertion I have just made. The immigration to the United States is naturally divided into two periods: First. The immigrants arriving before the year 1880. known as the old immigration. and Second. Immigrants after that time. known as the new immigration. From the first settlement of this country down to about 1835 immigrants came here as.a matter of course. Practically up to that time the only legislation enacted. and practically all that was proposed. was the law of 1819 regulating steerage passengers at sea and making provision for recording statistics relative to immigration. None were kept before this. From 1835 to 1860 the subject of immigration to this country was much discussed. and there sprang up what was known as the "nativeAmerican" and "knownothing" movements. largely basing their opposition to immigrants to this country who embraced the Catholic faith. These movements soon assumed the form of a political organization known in history as the American Republican Party and later the "KnowNothing Party." As a result of these organizations. in the main. affiliating with the new political movement. the Tnited States Senate in 1836 passed a resolution directing the Secretary of State to collect information respecting the immigration of foreign paupers and criminals to the United States. The House of Representatives in 1838 agreed to a resolution instructing the Judiciary Committee of the House to consider the propriety of passing a law prohibiting the importation of vagabonds and paupers into this country as well as to consider the expediency of making our loose naturalization laws more stringent. This resolution was referred to a committee of seven Members. and their favorable report was the first congressional report ever made concerning any phase of the immigration question. A bill was introduced In Congress upon the recommendation of the majority report of the committee. which bill provided that any master of a vessel who took on board an alien passenger who was an idiot. lunatic. maniac. or one afflicted with an incurable disease. or one convicted of an infamous crime. with the intention of transporting such person to the United States. should. upon conviction. be fined $1.000 or be imprisoned from one to three years. This bill was not even considered by Congress. and for some 10 years following little attempt was made to secure inunigration legislation. but the great increase in immigration to this country from Europe from 1848 to 1850 put new life and fears in the breasts of those fighting immigration. and it is recorded that in 1855 both the governors and Legislatures of New Hampshire. Massachusetts. Rhode Island.