Speech #630386119

I am not in favor of permitting to come into this country to become a part of our citizenship any kind of people except white people. The statement was made here a: moment ago in some side remarks that there was an effort being made now to restrict Immigration by those who have been opposed to restriction. The statement has been made repeatedly. on this floor by those who have opposed the literacy test that they did not regard that as a proper test. that they were In full accord with the thought of excluding undesirables. but that it did not follow because a man could not read and write that he was an undesirable. and the statement has been made repeatedly by some of us. at least. that we were willing absolutely to exclude undesirable racesthose people who by habits of thought. by the very character of their civilization. by all the laws of heredity. by disposition. and by education. belong to a class of people who never can in the proper sense of the word become citizens of a Republic. No one desires to say. anything. particularly upon this floor. of a harsh nature regarding the Chinese. yet they were excluded as a race. They were excluded because we believed they were incapable of becoming factors of strength in the American Republic.