The Senator from North Dakota has well stated what I feared. In these days of neutrality under our restrictions. which we are striving to obey. we are giving particular attention to what might be the construction of our language. and it seems to me if I should be asked a question upon the streets of a foreign country or if I should answer a letter truthfully that I thought this a good country. or a good country for a laboring man. under this language I might be apprehended. I do not. feel that it is necessary. because while we want to have all due restrictions. it does not seem to me that we ought to make a law that looks as if we had an attack of hysteria at the time we enacted it and were afraid that anybody should feel that we have a country worthy of receiving respectable immigrants or a country desirable to live in. The language is strong enough without it. and .the presumption is that if it is added it must be for a restriction which I do not believe we should be submitted to. I do not believe the Senator or I should be placed where if we received a respectful letter of inquiry we could not properly answer it or that we could not answer a respectable inquiry upon a street of any city of our country or any other.
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immigrants