Speech #510212248

Chairman. I happened to be a member of each of the committees from which the bills coming before us tonight have been reported. House bill No. 13586. reported from the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization. contains thirteen sections. Some of its provisions meet my approval. but [ have a general objection to the measure. I do not think it goes as far as it ought to go. The evil which should be remedied by legislation is not confined simply to one subject. The number of immigrants coming to the United States during the last ten years has averaged annually about half a million. In some years the number has fallen below that number. while in 1880 or 1881 it exceeded 800.000. I have served for several Congresses on committees charged with investigating the subject of immigration. I was a member of what was known as the " Ford investigating committee." which did quite an extensive work. as the report and volume of testimony will show. As a member of the committee in this Congress I have not been able to attend the sittings of the committee or subcommittee while they were engaged in a large part of the work of investigation. But so far as I have been able to examine the testimony taken it is pretty much of the same characterwith that taken by former committees. In the limited time Which I feel justified in consuming I can not undertake to quote from this testimony to prove what I may say. but must content myself with stating the conclusions at which I have arrived. My conclusion with respect to immigration is thatthelaws now upon the statute books have not been vigorously enforced at any time. or have beenenforced in very few places. that those laws in themselves are defective. and that consequently about 20 or 25 per cent. of the immigration we have received into this country may properly be characterized as undesirable. Prol bly 300.000 of the number annually received into this country are desirable immigrants. I do not know of anyone who desires to shut out from this country any immigrants who add to the wealth. knowledge. or moral status of the communities in which they locate. Very many industrious. economical. sober. and desirable people. of good moral standing. come into this country every year and add to the national welfare and prosperity. I repeat. therefore. that I know of no one who desires to shut out any such people from coming to our shores from any nation.