The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-20

WASHINGTON, May 19.-The House
to-day entered upon . two days debate
Of the immigration bills reported from
the immigration committee. w. A.
Stone. of Pennsylvania, and Mr.. Trace.
we'll, of Indiana, argued for a restrictive
measure; Mr.. Corliss, OF Michigan, for
his bill designed to put an end to Ca
madam competition with American labor,
and Mr.. Morse. of Massachusetts, and
Mr.. Bartholdt, of Missouri, for the ed
vocational test bill. The feature of the
debate to-day was the plea Of Mr. Buck,
OF Louisiana, against any sort of re-
strictive legislation beyond that now on
the statute books which excluded
pAupers and criminals.
Before the debate began q resolution
was adopted instruoting the sergeant
alarms to summon the clerks Of the
counties in the Sixteenth district of
Illinois for the purpose of recounting
the ballots in the Rinaker-Downing
contest.
The title of Mr.. Owens, OF Kentucky,
to his sest was confirmed and Messrs.
Steele (Ind.). Couzins Ua.), and Mo-
Clellsnd IN. W were appointed on the
w. A. Stone (Rep., Pa. the author of
the Stone bill. explained it's provisions
ana advocated It's passage. The coun-
try, he argued, had long suffered from
unreasonable immigration. The immi-
grafton for the last ten years had ex-
ceeded the natural increase.
Mr.. BArtholdt challenged this state
ment, contending that the natural in
crease was 100000 o year, while the
immigration had averaged only about q
quarter Of million a year.
Mr.. Stone said that during the hard
times OF the past three years immigra-
tion had fallen of, but with the PROS
pect OF returning prosperity and high
wages 1t would increase to startling
proportions. He did not oppose immi-
grafton as long as we could assimilate
the foreigners, but they were coming
too fast. In places In his own State
there were localities where the English
language was not spoken and where
English newspapers were not read.
Our laws were neither understood nor
respected. His bill would transfer the
inspection system from our ports to the
ports from which the immigrants sailed.
He had read two letters one from Mr.. Hit
chairman of the foreign affairs commit
tee, and one from Charles Emory Smith,
formerly minister to Russia, testifying
to the feasibility of his bill. He ad-
mitted, when questioned closely, that
the immigrants might have difficulty n
furnishing the evidence necessary to OBJ
tain consular certificates.
Mr.. Corlis (Rep.. Mich. submitted an
argument in favor of his bill for the
exclusion Of foreigners who crossed our
frontiers each year to compete with
Am ericsn labor. He read the testi-
mony of inspection agents and others
along the Canadian border es to the
evil effects OF the annual influx of the
Canadian birds of passage"
Mr.. Morse (Rep, Mass) favored the
Mccall bill. He said that there was
strong demand in the country for rad
ical Legislation to restrict Immigration
and that Congress could NOT afford to
disregard 1t.
Mr.. Buck Dem. Lay q naturslized
German, opposed the restriction of inn
migration in an eloquent speech. II
there was anybody who valued Ameri-
can citizenship. said he, 1t WAS the for
eiRn-born citizen who held citizenship.
not as right but as privilege. The
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