The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-22

conditions are so utterly different on
 the isthmus as compared to here, that
 1t is impossible to draw conclusions affecting the one from what is true about the other.
 You hamper me in the effort to get for you what think you ought to have in connection with the eight hour law when you make a request that is in- defensible: and to grant which would mean indefinite delay and injury to the work on the isthmus.
 "As to the violations of the eight hour law MT. Morrison, you give mo no specifications. At your earlieFt convenience please lay before me in de- tail any complaints you have of vio- lations of the eight hour law Where l. have power I will see that the law | is obeyed.
 Now. about the Chinese exclusion. 1 The number of Chinese now In this country Is, if I remember aright, some 6o,Ooo or 10000. So far from there be- l ing a great influx of Chinese, the fact | is that the number has steadily de. creased There are fewer than therc was ten years ago; fewer than there | twenty years ago; fewer than there were thirty years ago. Unquestionably some scores of cases occur each year where Chinese laborers get in either by being smuggled over the Mexican and Canadian borders or by coming in | under false certificates; but the steps tha we have taken, the changes in the consuls that have been made within the last few years in the Orient and the effect to conduct examinations in China before the immigrants are al- lowed to come here, are materially re- dueing even the smaller number of cases that do occur.
 No Danger From China. | But even as it is the number ot these cases is insignificant There Is no appreciabIe influx of Chinese labor CTS and there is not the slightest or most remote danger of any; the whole l scare that has been worked up on the
 subject is pure chimera. It is my deep conviction that we must keep out of this country every Chinese laborer
 skilled or unskilled; every Chinaman of l the coolie class. This is what the pro- posed law will do; it will be done as effectively as under the present law and the present law Is being handled with the utmost efficiency. But I will
 do everything in my power to make Il | easy and desirable for the Chinese ot l the business and professional classes | the Chinese travellers and students to come here and I will do all can tC
 secure their good treatment when they
 come; and no laboring man has any
 thing whatever to fear from that pol ! icy.
 | .I have a right to challenge you as good American citizens 10 support that | policy; and in any event shall stand unflinchingly for 1t and no man can say with sincerity that on this or, in- deed, on any other poInt he has any
 excuse for misunderstanding my poll | cy.
 You have spoken of the immigration | laws I believe not merely that ali proper steps should be taken to pre-
 vent the importation of laborers under
 any, form but l bellece further that this country ought to make resolute ef- | fort from now on to prevent the com
 ing to this country of men with a I standard of living So row that they | tend, by entering into unfair compett- | tio with, to reduce the standard of
 living. of our own people,
 Will Do Wrong for None.
 Not one of you can. go further than | | will go in the effort steadily to raise
 the status of the American wage work l CTS so long as while doing it l can I retain a clear conscience and the cer- | tainty that I am doing what is right
 I am doing all in my power for the | laboring man. except to do what is | wrong and that will pot do. for him ] or TOT any Oue eASS-
 we must not let our natural senti- 1 rnent for succoring tne oppressed and
 unfortunate of other lands lead us in- l tc warped moral and mental attitude | of trying to succor them at the expense | of pulling down our own people. Laws 1 should be enacted to keep out all immi- | grants who do not show that they have 1 the right stun In them to enter Into our | life on terms of decent equality with | our own citizens. This is needed, l first in the interests of the laboring
 men. but further more In the interests | of all of us as American citizens. Now a wo~d as tn the petiticninG
 by government employees of Congress. l That stands in no shape or way on a | par with the petitioning of men not 1 emkloyed by the government can
 not have, and will not have, when can
 prevent 1t. men who are concerned in
 the administration of the government
 affairs going to Congress asking flor
 increased pay without the permission
 of the heads of the departments. This
 business is to come through the heads
 of the departments. This applies to l postmasters, to army and navy of1-
 cers, to clerks In th" government de-
 partments, to Iaborers; it applies tc
 each and all, and must apply as mat
 ter of simple discipline"
 The delegation remained with the | President about three-duarters of m
 hour and the subjects suggested were
 considered informally after the address. i es had been delivered. It was agreed thai
 on points of difference the executive
 council of inc Federation should ap- | point a committee of three which | should draft the views of the organi-
 zation and submit them to the Presi-
 dent at later date.