Speech #720026378

The motion is to strike out section 7 of the bill. That provides. in effect. that no ship may bring into any American port any seaman of another nationality who. if in America. would be ineligible for citizenship. It means that no American vessel. no British vessel. no Norwegian vessel. no vessel of any country excepting Japan or China. can bring a coolie Japanese or a Chinaman or a lascar or an Indian into an American port as a member of its crew. It is obviously designed to exclude those races from employment on European and American ships. Whether we agree with that or not. whether we think that is praiseworthy or not. let us consider what is the effect. It means that a Chinese ship can come into San Francisco or New York with a crew that is 100 per cent Chinese coolies. it means that a Japanese ship can come into any American port with a crew that is 100 per cent Japanese of the laboring class. but none of our ships can do it. If it becomes law. . it is going to drive every American ship off the Pacific Ocean and ultimately off the Atlantic Ocean. because it is inconceivable that an American or a British ship. or a ship from ny country in Europe. can compete with a Chinese ship or ship flying the Japanese flag. paying their people 15 or 20 cents a day. as against the American or European wages )aid by American or European ships. We certainly do not want to drive the Dollar Line out of he oriental trade. and yet that is exactly what this does.