Speech #630378358

I understood the Senator from South Carolina substantially in the same way in his earlier statement concerning these matters. The point I desired to make was that apparently some foreign Government has protested against our prescribing just such conditions as we care to prescribe to permit immigrants to enter our ports. It may well be conceded that we can not introduce upon foreign vessels plying to ports other than our own any of our officers. As a matter of course. such vessels would have a perfect right to exclude them. We could not overhaul their ships upon the high seas nor as they were departing from a foreign port and install our officers aboard them. That is not the question at all. Here is a ship that is about to. enter an American port bringing Immigrants to our country. We may say to her. "You can not come into our. ports at all unless you conform to the conditions we prescribe. you shall not be permitted to land any immigrants upon our shores unless you conform to certain requirements." It is not. as it seems to me. quite sufficient. Mr. President. simply to saythat some foreign Governments have protested against this provision in the form In which it came to the Senate unless the protest is accompanied by some reasons which. address themselves to us as just and equitable. I can not for the life of me see why foreign Governments. should object to the House provision and. at the same time feel! satisfied with the other provision. except that thus some of the classes of immigrants that it is desired to exclude might be per mitted to enter. and I should hardly think