own hands, will, when the war shall have ceased, present a wide
field for voluntary white labor, and it must look to immigration
for its supply.

"The following may be mentioned as the special inducements to
immigration:

"First. High price of labor and low price of food compared with
other countries.

"Second. Our land policy, giving to every immigrant, after he
shall have declared his intentions to become a citizen, a home and
a farm substantially as a free gift, charging him less for 160
acres in fee-simple than is paid as the annual rent of a single
acre in England.

"Third. The political rights conferred upon persons of foreign
birth.

"Fourth. Our system of free schools, melting in a common crucible
all differences of religion, language, and race, and giving to the
child of the day laborer and the son of the millionaire equal
opportunities to excel in the pursuit and acquirement of knowledge.
This is an advantage and a blessing which the poor man enjoys in
no other country."

The committee rejected several plans to aid immigration, and closed
its report as follows:

"Your committee are of the opinion that the only aid to immigration
the United States can now render would be, first, to disseminate
in Europe authentic information of the inducements to immigration
to this country; second, to protect the immigrant from the impositions
now so generally practiced upon him by immigrant runners and the
like, and, third, to facilitate his transportation from New York
to the place of his destination, or to the place where his labor
and skill will be most productive. These objects may be accomplished
without great expenditure, and without changing the relation
heretofore held by the United States to the immigrant.

"With this view your committee report the following bill and
recommend its passage."

When, on the 27th of September, 1890, a bill was pending to restrict
alien contract labor, I heartily supported it, and, after referring
to the conditions which justified the act of 1864, said that since
that time the class of immigration coming from some foreign countries
had been such as would make it proper to exclude a portion of it,
and therefore I was in favor of the bill or any other bill that
would prevent the poisoning of the blood of our people in any way
whatever by the introduction of either disease, crime, or vice into
our midst, and would vote to exclude all paupers or persons who
were unable t