Speech #640308631

I never could understand why. I understand that in another body last night. in the consideration of the naval appropriation bill. they. added one item of $39.000.000 withoutdebate and they added another item of a new navy yard at a place where .there is already an existing navy yard also without debate. Now. the immigrant has not only built up this country but out of the head taxraised from 50 cents in the first instance until now it is $4 and after the lstof May will -be $8he has contributed to this c6untry at the ports of entry somewhlere between $9.000.000 and $10.000.000.more than- the cost of.maintaining .tihenttire immigrant service.including the Chinese exclusion law afii! the building of all the buildings foi" all the immigrant stations at all the. ports of the United States. Now. there are- these poor people detained at these stations by the exigencies of war. confined on Ellis Island. more or less imprisoned. and this great. niunIficent Government of the United States. that spends somewhere like $2.000.000.000 a year in various ways. will not spend $250 out of their own money to pay for just a few newspapers to each of the five principal ports of the United States: Where most of the immigrants are. I am glad we. treat our soldiers better. I do not knovv whether we treat our National Guard as well as we oughtI do not know much about itbut I do know that the little. trifling item of $250 ought not to have been denied to. those poor people.