Speech #640066880

Mr. Chairman. the gentleman from Alabama and myself have always agreed on three things in connection with aliens: First. that they ought to )e well treated after they get here. second. in relation to strict naturalization laws. and. third. that a high head tax ought not to be imposed for restrictive purposes. Now. I want to call the attention of the gentleman. the chairman of the committee. and the Committee of the Whole to the situation. We are coinmitted to the policy of supporting the immigration sysltei through the head tax. and I know that the gentleman from Alabama does not desire to raise a dollar more than is necessary for that purpose. and does not desire a high head tax for restrictive purposes. Now. what does our head tax do? If you will look at the report of the Commissioner of Immigration for this year. on page 34. you will find that lie says that up to the end of this fiscal year there has been collected over $9.000.000 in excess of expenditures.. and in the expenditures are. included every building at Ellis Island. every building at Angel Islind. every building in the port of Philadelphia. every building in the southern ports and everywhere. The cost of all those buihlings has been paid out of the head tax. and still we have an excess of $9.000.000 that we have collected from these immigrants. Now. I dissented from the rleport of the Immigration Coinmission. of which time gentleman and I were members. but I said then. and I stand by it now. that I thought there ought to be more of a restriction placed on unmarried male aliens or married aliens not accompanied by their wives and families. Now. I want to ptt it very frankly to the gentlenm from Alabana.