The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-03-19
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.

Washington, March 16-Crowded SEN
ate galleries have become the rule since
the Cuban debate began and there was
the usual attendance today.
Mr.. Elkins of West Virginia made
early reference to the Cuban question by
offering resolution directing the COM
mittee on foreign relations to make re-
port to the senate of all material facts on
the subject, stating specifically whether
state of war now existed in Cuba, how
long it has been in existence, how many
men are so engaged on the respective
sides, whether the insurgents have adopt
ed a constitution and organized govern
ment and what place the seat of govern
ment is carried on; what places and
ports are occupied by the insurgents and
to what extent they would affect our re-
lations with Spain.
Mr. Sherman asked that the resolution
go over under the rules till tomorrow and
Mr.. Elkins assented.
Mr. Call Dem.) of Florida secured the
adoption of resolution calling on the
secretary of the treasury for information
as to the delaying of vessels supposed to
be carrying arms for Cuba.
Mr.. Palmer, Dem.) of Illinois offered
resolution which went over declaring
that the unlimited coinage of silver by
the United States would subvert exist
ing legal and commercial values.
Mr.. Cannon the new senator from
Utah, made his first speech sharply crit
icising Secretary Hoke Smith for the
latters recent response to senate resolu-
ton as to Indian lands.
Mr.. Cannon characterized the secre-
tary's course as discourteOus, misleading
and evasive, and protested i'll behalf OF
the West at the lack of information and
intelligent action by the secretary on mat
tiers affecting the Western country
At 1 o'clock Mr.. Lodge Rep) of Massa-
chusetts was recognized for speech on
immigration and in support of the resolu-
tion for additional immigration laws.
Senator Lodge showed by existing law,
paupers, diseased persons, convlcts ana
contract laborers are now admitted TO
the United States.
By the bill under consideration it was
proposed to make new class of excluded
immigrants, viz: The total ignorant.
Two questions arose in connection WIN
the bill first as to the merits OF this par
ticular form of restriction; and second. as
to the general policy of restricting I'M
migration at all.
If was found as q result of investiga-
ton that the iliteracy test would bear
most heavily upon the Italians, Russians,
Poles. Hungarians, Greeks and Asiatlcs
and very lightly or not at all upon English
speaking immigrants or Germans and
French.
The races which would suffer most
seriously by exclusion under the. pro-
posed BILL he said, furnished the immi-
grants who do not go to the West or
where immigration is needed, but who re-
main on the Atlantic seaboard, where i'm
migration is not needed and where their
presence is most injurious and undesir
able.
The immigrants excluded by the il
literacy test are those who remain for
the most part in congested masses in our
great cities They furnish large pro-
portion of the population of the slums.
The question of the advisability of re-
stricting immigration was subject the
senator thought, of the greatest magni-
tude and the most far reaching impor-
tance. If, he continued, we have any re-
gard for the welfare, the wages or the
standard of life of American workingmen
we should take immediate steps to restrict
foreign immigration There is no danger
at present, at all events, to our working
men from the coming of skilled mechanics
or of trained and educated men with a
settled occupation or pursuit for immi-
grants of this class will never seek to low
er the American standard of life and
wages. On the contrary they desire the
same standard for themselves. But there
is an appalling danger to the American
wage earners from the flood of unskilled
ignorant foreign labor which has poured
into the country for some pears past, and