Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-10-22
Mr.. DILLINGHAM;
REPLIES To PROUTY
CLUB STATEME

Randolph, oct 19-The republican rally
here tonight drew an attendance which
packed the village hall Senator William
I. Dillingham; was the principal speaker.
Hale *. Darling discussed state issues
and Porter II. Dale spoke a quarter of
an hour, giving a finished treatment of
the Republican party's record and
achievements. Chairman Sherburne of
the focal republican committee intro
duced Mr.. Dillingham;, who spoke for
an hour
In the course Of his speech Senator
Dillingham; reviewed his immigration
work in answer to the Prouty club. He
! showed that the present Chinese exclu-
sion law is the result Of his efforts and
that he introduced the bill which be-
came the immigration act Of 1907, the
present law on the subject led the fight
for It's adoption In the Senate and was
a member of the conference which pro-
tected It.
Senator Dillingham; stated that the
commissions report consisted of Al
volumes averaging more than 700 pages
each and enumerated the various sub
Jects covered, but referred especially TO
a report on immigrants In industries in
tons of life and labor in the great
basic industries and the effect Of i'm
migration on the welfare of American
workinEmen In such industries.
I'm their Industrial inquiry" said
the senator, $50, 900 individuals and
| $4,000 Industrial families were can
vassed by agents Of the commission
and 1t was the information there Sc
cured which led to the commissions
unanimous recommendation that the
immigration of eastern European un-
skilled laborers should be cut down in
the interests of American wage earners.
THE immigration commissions re-
port and Legislation which ! helped to
frame has practically wiped out the
white slave traffic; its work led to
Storage reform, and vast improve
ment in the treatment Of helpless aliens
in immigrant homes, and in other ways
it has benefited the immigrants them
selves, but more than that it con-
WINGED Congress that immigration is
essentially an economic question and
should be regulated accordingly with
the welfare of American labor rs the
chief Incentive.
II introduced the Dillingham; bill of 1912
containing all the commissions recon-
mendations and secured its passage
through the Senate with only seven votes
in opposition, and that 1t failed to become
a law only through the influence of the
steamship combine and other interstate
interests desiring unlimited immigration
President Taft was induced to veto it?
If the promoters OF Mr.. Prouty's candi-
dacy want to be honest with the people OF
Vermont why did they not state that after
an animated debate In which l took n
leading part the Senate passed the Dill
lngham bill over the Presidents veto bv
a vote Of 70 to IS?
But this Is not all. The article quotes
from a speech by former Representative
Macon of Arkansas to show that the I'M
migration commissions European inquiry
in Europe was a pleasure junket.
six members of the commission and
seven employees were in Europe three
months and the total cost, including
transportation was only about $4,000,
which was pronounced by treasury Off
cials the most reasonable of any Ike
commission ever visiting Europe under
government authority our total travel
ing expenses while abroad were about
$1,000, and my own were about $1,lO0 or
az NlN. NOrnmeTClnl houses In the
! United states allow $40 a day for their
travellers. AS chairman of the commits
sion I was compelled to confer with
nearly every government in Europe and
In so doing expended over $500 of my
own money which could not he charged
to the government. The commissions
report is so full. complete. and so
exact that students and investigators Of
whatever school of thought have adopt
ed il as a basis Of all their arguments.
Senator Lodge, Charles +. NELL, United
states commissioner OF labor. Prof.
jeremiah w. jerks Of Cornell Univer-
stY, myself and other members Of the
commission spent more than three years
on commission work for which the con-
gressional members never received a
dollars compensation aside from our
salaries"