Speech #670330647

There is a differential. mark that. We can meet It with this bill and probably in no other way. I had intended to pay some attention to Title III of the bill before us. which relates to the transportation of immigrants by water and which contemplates that as nearly as possible 50 per cent of the immigrants which may be permitted to come to the United States shall come in vessels registered. enrolled. and licensed under the laws of the United States. As the hour Is late. I shall postpone that part of my statement until the section in question is reached. I will say. however. that the principle involved is correct. and that once we have adopted it we can proceed with immigration legislation along much more scientific lines than has heretofore been possible and through control can set a standardcan set the standard desired by our people. Some have thought that authority to carry approximately 50 per cent of incoming aliens on American ships might be an entering wedge. to be used later for the striking down of the heavy restriction of immigration. But I think not. I believe the Immigration laws will be made still more strict. particularly when the people of the United States learn. as they will shortly from official records. that the average amount of cost for insane. feebleminded. criminal. diseased. deformed. and dependent aliens in the penitentaries and eleemosynary institutions of the various States is on an average 7 per cent of all the taxes collected by the States. That is the burden we are paying for carelessness in the past with regard to the admission of great numbers of Immigrants. What we will pay in the future as the result of the undigested immigration now here time alone can tell. Mr. Chairman. let me state that once more. The care of the foreign born in the prisons and eleemosynary institutions of the various States which comprise this Union costs 7 per cent of all of the gross income of the several State governments. That is about twice what the States pay for Interest charges. Of course.