Speech #630383921

Mr. President. I wish to call attention to the fact that the Immigration Commission did not recommend the exclusion of any particular race or nationality. but they recommended the adoption of the literacy test in the hope that it would limit to some extent certain streams of immigration wichrl had been admitted in such volume that the market for common or unskilled labor in the United States was found to be overcrowded to such a degree that immigrants of this class were competing against themselves. The commission had no prejudice against any one bf the nations that have been mentioned or against their people. The immigration from those countries is largely of the peasant class. and we undoubtedly get the best of that class. because only those come who have a desire to better their conditions and with that desire enterprise enough to scrape together the money necessary for the outlay. and courage enough to assume the responsibility of the change. GOOD rImIIsCAL CONDITIONHow SECUtRED. Not only that. but the immigrants are as a rule a good class from a physical standpoint. Our laws against the admission of diseased persons are broad and comprehensive. and they are rigidly enforced. Amoug the classes excluded are idiots. imbeciles. feebleminded persons. epileptics. insane persons. paupers. persons likely to become a public charge. professional beggars. persons afflicted with tuberculosis or with a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease. persons not comprehended within any of the foregoing excluded classes who are found to be and are certified by the examining surgeon as being mentally or physically defective. such mental or physical defect being of a nature which may affect the ability of such alien to earn a living. persons who have been convicted of committing a felony or other crile or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude. polygamists. anarchists. prostitutes. women or girls cominlg into the United States for the purposes of prostitution. and so forth. Tlese provisi6ns of the law are not only enforced at our ports. but a medical examination of every proposed emigrant is required at all ports of embarkation in foreign nations. Under that law we say to the steamship companies: "If you bring to this country an idiot or an imbecile. or an insane person. or one who has epilepsy or who has tuberculosis. or who has a loathsoie or dangerous contagious disease. whose condition nlght have been discovered. by a competent inedical examination at the port of embarkation. we will impose a fine upon you of $100"-$200 I think it is nowmJ and compel you to transport that person back to the country whence he came." That provision of .the law has relieved the officers at our ports very largely of. theburden which they formerly bore. as it has greatly reduced the number of the defective qlasses presenting themselves for admission. The result has been that the steaniship colpanies. at their own expense. have employed.surgeons LII41 .1914. to examine with reference to all of these diseases every person who offers himself or herself as an intended immigrant to the United States. As a consequence. so many were discarded at the ports of Germany that they became a burden upon the cities where such examinations were held. The German Government then compelled the steamship companies to establish what they call "control stations" all along the borders of Germany. at which every intended immigrant to the United States coming from Russia or from Austria or from Hungary or from Italy to a German port to take ship Is compelled to be examined at the expense of the steamship company. If the immigrant is unable to pass this medical examination. he is sent back to the country whence he came and does not become a burden to Germany. So that all those coming from foreign ports are examined abroad. and those coming from Germany are twice examined. As a result of such examinations. nearly 40.000 intended immigrants were rejected at foreign ports during the year 1907. and our officers were saved from the necessity of sending them back upon their arrival at an American port. To be accurate. during the 13 montls to December 31. 1907. there were rejected at ports of embarkation 27.799. at the control station which I have mentioned. 11.882. making in all 39.681. During the same period there were rejected at our own ports about 13.000. making in .all something over 52.000 who were rejected because of physical or mental defects. So that. with such examinations as I have indicated. the Immigrants who are admitted to this country as a whole are a splendid body of people from a physical standpoint. In addition to that they are. from the standpoint of age when admitted. a most desirable class. Ninetyfive per cent of them were under 45 years of age.