Norwich bulletin., 1914-02-07
MAHAN GIVES REASONS FOR
 OPPOSING BURNETT BILL Second District Congressman Given Opportunity to State His Objections.

During the last hours of the debate on the Burnett immigration bill which passed the house on Wednesday, Rep resentative Mahan was granted three minutes in which to state his objec- tions to the measure. He said:
 MT. Chairman, I am opposed to this bill and shall vote against it. be- cause of the literacy provision in it. Do you realize. MT. Chairman, what that provision means to the business life of this country? Do you know that you cannot get men of education to work as laborers with pick and shovel? If you want your railroads built; if you would till the soil; dig ditches for canals or irrigation; if you would dig the foundation for the pub lie or private buildings, you must de- pend upon the foreigner to do the rough work
 What are the facts, MT. Chairman? :? From 1850 to 1890 came that great tide of immigration from England, Ireland and Germany. These immigrants worked at all kinds of hard manual labor. How about the children of these foreigners who were denied the privilege of education in their native country? They are found among the skilled workmen in your shops and factories. They are to be found in all the learned professions, doctors of law, medicine and divinity. professors and teachers in our schools and colleges. l might give you a concrete example by calling your attention to the fact that 25 per cent. of the present mem bership of this house are sons of inn migrants
 Not Lowering Wages.
 We are told that further immigra- tion will tend to lower the standard of American wages What are the facts? It is admitted that for several years 1000 000 immigrants have come to this country every year-to be exact, during the fiscal year that closed June 30, last. 1,079,4 ,439 immigrants came to our shores and were admitted-yet, it is a fact that wages for all kinds of manual labor have advanced from 25 to 50 per cent. during the last ten years.
 The United States is today a great exporting nation, the balance of trade in our favor for the last fiscal year being $653,000.000. If we would main tain our supremacy in competition with the countries of Europe, we must for the future, as in the past, have the benefit of the new and best blood from the countries of the old world.
 MT. Chairman, the attempt to pre- vent the foreigners coming into our country is no new thing. From the very dawn of the republic there has been hostility an deposition to the coming of immi grants to our shores. It has been said upon the floor of this house today that the illustrious Jeff ferson. Randolph of Virginia and Hen " Clay were opposed to the admis- sion of immigrants into the country and predicted dire ruin unless it was stopped. It was the English, the Ger man and the Irish that they would have kept out. You who now favor the passage of this bill are good enough to admit that their predictions of disaster to the country have not been realized. Jefferson, Randolph and Clay were wrong then; you are just as wrong now.
 Not Undesirable Citizens.
 Speaking for my own district and state, MT Chairman, I wish to deny that the foreigners coming to our shores are undesirable citizens. More than 27 per cent of the population of our state are foreigners. We have the Jews. the Italian, the Swede, the Frenchman, the Englishman, tine Irish man and the German. and all Of them are honest. God fearing citizens, as good as you or L
 "Our state, although the third small est in area. ranks, I am told, eighth in the value of her manufactured pro duets. We need these immigrants to cultivate our soil, to work in our shops our mills and in oar manufacturing establishments. This is practically the same bill that has been vetoed by two presidents Cleveland and Taft, and should this bill pass may be not hope for another veto y