The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1916-05-20
QUIM ON IMMIGRATION.
Seventh District Congressman Makes
Strong Plea Against Indiscrimi-
nate Alien immigration.

New York (Mr. Chandler) stated
that it is nonsensical and silly t.
have this literacy test in it. II
seems to me this Burnett immigra
tion bill will keep out annually
about $50, 600 foreigners, according
to the way were coming here
before the war started. If that is
so, every man who wants to hole
up the dignity of this country anc
safeguard our institutions anc
properly protect labor in thi:
country ought to be for the bill.
We have an hundred million
people in the Republic now. Some
seem to think that we ought to lei
all the foreign elements come II
and overpower the original Ameri,
can citizen. The gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Cannan) said there
were very few people in this coun'
try who were here and had Ameri
can names in 1890. That may be
true, and | do not dispute it. He
further said that in this country
in the Southland they had only z
per cent of the immigration be.
cause there was servile labor with
which the foreigner would have tc
mingle and upon which an aristoc.
racy looked down. He is mistak.
en- in that suggestion. The great
majority of the white people in
the South make their living by
the sweat of their brow, and char
acter is the standard of society in
stead of wealth or where a man
might come from. Of course nc
decent white man associates with
the negro race.
Labor is honorable in my coun-
try. We all work for living.
This Republic has vital ques-
tions confronting it now. Some
speakers on this floor have said
that all the people of foreign birth
are true to the American flag. 1t
strikes me that within the few
months there have been some peo-
pie in this country publishing in
magazines and periodicals articles
against the American flag and
against the American Government,
and even against the Nation.
Mr.. SABBATH. Will the gentleman
yield?
Mr.. Quin. l have not the time
to yield; / have only few min
utes. Public opinion in this Re-
public against America comes
from foreigners. do not believe
that a man born and reared in this
country is responsible for any up
heaval against our flag. ZAP
plause.)
We all know that great many
foreigners who have become natur-
allied are good citizens and loyal
Americans. Yet we know there is
a large foreign element in our
country now that has been sowing
the seeds of discord ever since the
development of delicate diplomatic
questions with the European na-
tions involved in the war now rag
ing in Europe. Before the war
began in that country about L.
500, 600 aliens were pouring into
the United States every year.
Since the war has been in progress
the average is about 100000 a
year. When that bloody struggle
is over do you not think the desire
will be greater to emigrate to the
United States?/ | fear a great food
of emigration will then be headed
this way. Our country cannot as
simulate this great horde of for
eigners. Who wants them to come
to the United States? The great
trusts, corporations, railroad COM
panies, mine owners, and other
large employers of labor. They
want them here for the purpose of
beating down the price of wages.
They use these ignorant foreigners
as sledge hammers to beat over
the heads of laboring men.
The steamship companies want
them to come for the profit of
transporting them. Political boss
es in the large cities where the
ignorant element congests itself
use the ignorant foreign element
to carry on the nefarious work OF
machine and corporate domination
over the people.
/, for one, know that the great
majority of the labor people and
the farmers of this country do not
want this great flood of foreign
immigration pouring into the
United States. The people who
study this question seriously real.
ize what a menace unrestricted
immigration is to the Republic.
Some of the gentlemen who have
addressed this house today appear
to be more soIicitous about the
welfare of the people of Other
countries than they are about the
people of our own country. Gen
tlemen, / stand for America first
/ consider it my duty to my con
stituents and to my country K
look out for and protect our people
It is my judgement that the besi
interest of our people and oul
Government demand that we pas
this bill with the literacy tests il
it.
voted for this bill on formel
occasions, and / shall vote for i
every time it comes before this
House.
How can this Republic stand !
we can continue to permit all th'
scum Of creation-the anarchist
the bIackhand, and the boml