Speech #680085935

I feel that I should take a few minutes of the time of the Senate to give some of the reasons why I take the position which I do take. Mr. President. the views which I hold with reference to Immigration are not of recent origin. I have held them for a long time. In 1886 I delivered a Fourth of July address in which I took a very decided stand in favor of the restriction of immigration. and those views have grown stronger with the passage of the years. It is known. of course. to all that the sentiment in the country in behalf of the restriction of immigration has been Increasing very rapidly. Two or three different Presidents have vetoed legislation which Congress passed on this subject. and their vetoes were not overridden until just a few years ago. when the sentiment of the country had become so strong as to be reflected in Congress sufficiently to bring about a twothirds vote in favor of restriction.. The conditions which have developed. in our country with the coming of the millions has brought that sentiment. I desire to read. as indicating the sentiment in my State. a declaration from the platform adopted by the Republican convention held just a few days ago. While. of course. this is not a partisan question. and I am glad that it has never been considered as such. this platform declaration does indicate the strong sentiment among the Republicans of the State of Washington. which I am sure is the sentiment of the great majority of our people. I read from a telegraphic copy of the platform: We favor the principle of restricted immigration. We believe that Immigrants should be limited to the lowest possible number until we shall have assimilated the vast number of foreigners now resident in the United States. We urge the enactment into law of the socalled Johnson immigration bill now before Congress in substantially the form In which it appears in the House of Representatives. We particularly approve using the census of 1890 as the basis of the allotment until we shall in time have worked out a better system of choosing immigrants before their embarkation. We favor the extension of the principle of the Chinese exclusion act to all Aslatics. We favor a constitutional amendment denying citizenship to children born In this country of parents ineligible to citizenship. Mr.