The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-07

congressman oates, OF AldDdLiid, IL
giving expression to ideas and advocating
measures which are attracting considerable
attention and bringing him quite promi-
nently before the public. When he went
to Washington last week he discussed, in q
| lengthy interview, the adyisability OF
taking the ballot away from the negro and
on Wednesday be introduced into the House
bill to restrict immigration. The bill has
some good features, but there is one pro-
vision of it which will not be generally ap-
proved 1t is that which provides that
each immigrant shall pay a tax of SIS.
This country has always welcomed
heartily strong and honest immigrants -
immigrants who can be aSsimilated, and
whose purpose is 10 seek homes and to be-
come good and law-abiding citizens; and
the general sentiment is that they should be
welcomed as long as taere is room for
them There are tens of thousands of
naturalized citizens in different parts of the
country who would never have sought our
shores if there had been an immigrant
tax of S25, because they could not have
! commanded that amount of money after
paving their passage They have helped
to make the country great and prosperous,
and their children will play an
| important part in its future.
| The government can better afford to spend
S25 for each immigrant arriving to secure
the services of honest and intelligent men,
to see that the immigrants are healthy,
clean and free from the poison of anarch-
ism, than it can to levy an immigrant tax.
Idiots, cripples lunatics, anarchists,
paupers and criminals are not wanted and
they ought to be kept out of the country at
any cost transportation companies should
be punished severely for bringing them
here; but the country is not ready to shut
out honest and thrifty immigrants, who
are anxious to change the unoccupied lands
of the west and south into productive
| farms
Mr.. Oates idea is probably that an inmi-
grant who can pay tax of SIS is not liable
| to become pauper. The payment of S2J,
however, might take his last cent. and the
chances of his becoming a pauper would
then be greatly increased.
1t is the wiser plan to let immigrants keep
their money and let the government see to
it that Objectionable immigrants are kept
out of the country.
Savannah Must Not Get Left.
1t is apparent that great deal of hard
work will have to be done to get an appro-
priation for the projected 28-foot improve
ment in the Savannah harbor this winter.
In our dispatches yesterday the statement
was made that the river and harbor COM
mittee propose to limit the river and harbor
bill to $4,000, 600. That will be very
small BILL and only those rivers and harbors
in whose behalf an extraordinary effort is
made will get anything.
In our local columns this moring there is
an extract from the report of Lieut.. Car
ter, the engineer in charge of Savannah
harbor improvements From that it ap-
pears that the projected 2S-foot i'm
provement will cost $780, 900, and that
the amount that can be advantageously
used the coming year is 81, 100000.
1t is hardly probable that Savannah har-
Dor will get that amount in a S10,O90,O0O
bill, but it ought to get pretty large part of
it. But, before any part of it can be OBJ
tanned, the estimates will have to be got
OoIOIo Juo river duu 0drDOT cOInDlCLee. AS
already stated by the MORNING NEWS, there
are no estimates for the Savannah harbor
in the book of estimates now before the
river and harbor committee. The reason
there isn't has been stated several times.
There is way, however. to get
them before the committee, and
no time should be lost in getting them there.
Perhaps the proper steps have already been
taken to accomplish that object. If they
have, SO much the better. Savannah has too
much at stake to permit her harbor inter
ests to be ignored by congress. The menu
Der for this district, and, doubtless, the en-
tire Georgia delegation, will do all they can
to have the projected 2S-foot improvement
recognized in the next river and harbor
bill, but time spent by Savannah's business
men in giving them encouragement and
assistance will not be wasted