The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-12-05

them, first OF all among our people, honor II
seven years ago my lamented predecessor
President Mckinley, stated that the time had
come for the nation 10 care for the graves Of
che Confederate dead. ! recommend that the
Congress take action towards this end. The
nrst need Is 10 take charge Of the graves
of the Confederate dead who died Ia North
ern prisons.
immigration.
The question OF immigration is OF vital In
terest to this country. In the year ending
June 20. 1905. there came to the United states
026.000 alien immigrants. In other words,
IN the single year that hns just elapsed there
came 10 this country a greater number OF
people than came here during the one hun
dred and sixty nine years OF our colonial life
which interviewed between the first landing
al jamestown and the Declaration Of lnde-
pendence. II Is clearly shown In the report
Of the Commissioner General OF immigration
that while much Of this enormous immgra-
tiOn Is undoubtedly healthy and natural, a
Considerable proportion Is undesirable from
one reason or another moreover, consld-
cradle proportion OF 1t, probably very large
proportion, including most or the undesif-
able class does not come here OF It's own in
itlative but because OF the activity OF the
agents OF the great transportation companies
These agents are distributed throughout Eu-
rope. and by the offer Of all kinds OF Induce
lnents they wheede and cajole many immt-
grants often against their best interest. TO
come here. The most serious obstacle we
have to encounter IN the eHOft 10 secure n
proper regulation OF the immigration to these
shores arises from the determined opposition
OF the foreign steamship lines who have no
interest whatever In the matter save 10 IN
crease the returns on their capital by carry
ing masses OF immigrants hither In the, steer
age quarters of their ships.
AS ! said IN my last message TO the Con-
gusss. we cannot have too much immigration
OF the right sort. and we should have none
whatever OF the wrong sort Of course it is
desirable that even the right kind Of immi-
grafton should be properly distributed IN TINS
country. We need more OF such immigration
for the South; and special effort should be
made TO secure It. Perhaps II would be pos
sibie TO limit the number OF immigrants al
lowed to come In any one year to New YORK
and other northern cities, while leaving un-
fimitaa the number allowed to come to the
South always provided, however, that a
stricter effort is made to see that only immi-
grants OF the right kind come to our country
anywhere. In actual practice II has proved
10 difficult to enforre the immigration laws
where long stretches Of frontier marked by
an imaginary line alone intervene between us
and our neighbors that | recommend that no
Immigrants be allowed to come In from Can
ada and Mexico, save natives OF the two
countries themselves. As much as possible
should be done to distribute the immigrants
upon the land and Keep them away from the
,coaagested tenement house districts Of the
great cities. But distribution Is palliative,
MOI cure. The prime need Is to keep out
ali immigrants who. Will not make good
for Che exclusion OF undesirable immigrants
should be strengthened. Adequate means
should be adopted, enforced by sufficient PEN
alties, TO compel steamship companies en-
gagged In the passenger business TO observe
in good faith the law which forbids them to
encourage or solicit immigration to the
United States. Moreover, there should be a
sharp limitation imposed upon all vessels
coming to our ports as to the number OF i'm
migrants In ratio TO the tonnage which each
vessel can carry This ratio should be hiAh
enough to insure the coming hlther or as
good class OF aliens as possible. Provision
should be made for the surer punishment OF
those who induce aliens to come to this
country under promise or assurance Of em
s,Ioyment 1t should be made possible to IN
filcf a sufficiently heavy penalty on any EN-
nlover violating this law to deter him from
taking the risk. II seems to- me wise that
there should be an International conference
held to deal with this question OF immgra-
ton which has more than merely national
sfenlncance. such conference could among
other things enter at length into the methods
for securing a thorough inspection OF would
be immigrants al the ports from which they
desire to embark before permitting them 70
In dealing with this question It is unwise
20 depart from the old American tradition
and to discriminate for or against any man
who desires to come here and become citi-
zen save on the ground OF that mans titness
for citizenship. II Is our right and duty 20
consider his moral and social quality his
standard OF living SnoulQ De bANu Andt nc
will not, by pressure OF competition, lower
the standard OF living Of our own wage
workers. for it must ever be prime object
OF our legislation to keep high their stand
ard of living IL the man who seeks to come
here is from the moral and social standpoint
Of such a character as to bid fair TO ADD
value 70 the community he should be heartily
welcomed. We cannot anord 10 pay heed 70
whether he Is OF one creed or another, OF one
slakion or another. We cannot afford to con-
slider whether he rs Catholic or Protestant,
Jew or Gentile whether he Is Enghshman or
Irishman, Frenchman or German, Japanese,
Italian. scandinavian. Slav, or Magyar. What
We should desire to find out Is the individual
quality of the individual man. In my ludg-
Enent with this end In view, we shall have
10 prepare through cur own agents far
smore rigid inspection in the countries from
which the immigrants come. 1t will be
great deal better to have fewer immigrants.
but all OF the right kind. than great num-
ber OF immigrants, many OF whom are neces-
sarilv Of the wrong kind As far as possible
We wish to limit the immigration to this
country to persons who propose TO become
citizens OF this country, and we ran wei ar
ford to insist upon adequate scrutiny or the
character of those who are thus proposed for
future citizenship. There should be an In
crease in the stringeney OF the laws 70 keep
Out insane. ldlotc. epileptic, and .pauper im-
migrants But this Is by no means enough.
Not merely the anarchist, but every man OF
anarchistic tendencies all violent and dis
orderly people. all people Of bad character,
the incompetent, tne ihly, tue FlSlouSi tnS
physically unfit, defective, or degenerate
should be kept out. The stocks out OF which
American citizenship is to be built should be
strong and healthy, sound In body, mind and
character If II be objected that the govern
ment agents would not always select well,
the answer Is that they would certainly Sc
lect better than do the agents and brokers OF
foreign steamship companies, the people who
nov do whatever selection Is done.
The questions arising In connection with
Chinese immigration stand by themselves.
The conditions in China are such that the en-
tire Chinese coolie class, that Is, the class
Of Chinese laborers skilled and unskilled,
hegitimately come under the head OF unde-
eirable immigrants to this country, because
OF their numbers. the low wages for which
they work. and their low standard OF living.
Not only is it to the interest of this country
TO keep them out, but the Chinese authori-
ties DO not desire that they should be ad
mitted At present their entrance. Is pro-
hibited by laws amply adequate to accom-
nlieh this purpose These laws have been,
are being, and will be. thoroughly enforced.
The violations Of them are so few in number
regarded. There Is no serious proposal to
alter the immigration law as regards the
Chinese leborer, skilled or unskilled and
there Is no excuse for any man feeling or
affecting to feel the slightest alarm on the
subject
But in the effort to carry out the policy OF
excluding Chinese iaboreTs, Chinese coolies,
grave injustice and wrong have been done
bv this nation to the people Of China and
therefore ultimately to this nation itself.
Chinese students, business and professional
men OF all kinds-not only merchants, but
bankers, doctors. manufacturers. professors,
travellers, and the like-should be encouraged
to come here and treated on precisely the
same footing that we treat students, busi-
ness men, travellers, and the like OF other