a great number of immigrants, many of whom are necessarily of the wrong kind.  As far as possible we wish to limit the immigration to this country to persons who propose to become citizens of this country, and we can well afford to insist upon adequate scrutiny of the character of those who are thus proposed for future citizenship.  There should be an increase in the stringency of the laws to keep out insane, idiotic, epileptic, and pauper immigrants.  But this is by no means enough.  Not merely the Anarchist, but every man of Anarchistic tendencies, all violent and disorderly people, all people of bad character, the incompetent, the lazy, the vicious, the physically unfit, defective, or degenerate should be kept out.  The stocks out of which American citizenship is to be built should be strong and healthy, sound in body, mind, and character.  If it be objected that the Government agents would not always select well, the answer is that they would certainly select better than do the agents and brokers of foreign steamship companies, the people who now do whatever selection is done.

The questions arising in connection with Chinese immigration stand by themselves.  The conditions in China are such that the entire Chinese coolie class, that is, the class of Chinese laborers, skilled and unskilled, legitimately come under the head of undesirable immigrants to this country, because of their numbers, the low wages for which they work, and their low standard of living.  Not only is it to the interest of this country to keep them out, but the Chinese authorities do not desire that they should be admitted.  At present their entrance is prohibited by laws amply adequate to accomplish this purpose.  These laws have been, are being, and will be, thoroughly enforced.  The violations of them are so few in number as to be infinitesimal and can be entirely disregarded.  This is no serious proposal to alter the immigration law as regards the Chinese laborer, skilled or unskilled, and there is no excuse for any man feeling or affecting to feel the slightest alarm on the subject.

But in the effort to carry out the policy of excluding Chinese laborers, Chinese coolies, grave injustice and wrong have been done by this Nation to the people of China, and therefore ultimately to this Nation itself.  Chinese students, business and professional men of all kinds—­not only merchants, but bankers, doctors, manufacturers, professors, travelers, and the like—­should be encouraged to come here, and treated on precisely the same footing that we treat students, business men, travelers, and the like of other nations.  Our laws and treaties should be framed, not so as to put these people in the excepted classes, but to state that we will admit all Chinese, except Chinese of the coolie class, Chinese skilled or unskilled laborers.  There would not be the least danger that any such provision would result in any relaxation of the law about laborers.  These will, under all conditions, be kept out absolutely.