Speech #570064645

Mr. Chairman. I Wish to state that the amendment that has been read. and which will be offered by me when the bill is read under the fiveminute rule. providing for the educational qualification for immigrants merely provides that an immigrant wishing to enter this country must be able.. either in the Etiglish language or his own language. to read some clause of the Constitution of the United States. but his children under the age of 18 years. or his wife. or his parents. or grandparents over the age of 50 years can be admitted with him or sent for by him without being able to read. so that there will be no separation of families and no hardships established. There might be other tests. there might be other ways of lessening the immigration into this country. It has been suggested by some that we adopt a consular service examination. but if we do that it requires a good deal of machinery. and. besides. it is very expensive to the Government. -The consul. before the immigrants leave their country. must pass upon whether he is a suitable person. and one consul may have one idea in reference to some class of immigrants. and another may have another judgment in reference to another class. There would be no uniformity of system. and in the end. when the immigrant lands at Ellis Island. New York. or the port of entry. he would have to be met with another examination and possibly sent back. I do not say that this educational test is a perfect test. It is not perfect by any means. But I do say that. as shown by the statistics I have read. it will stop the immigration of over 50 per cent of the immigrants that we do not want. and it will stop the immigration of only 4 per cent of that class that we do want. Now. if we can adopt a system which. although not perfect. costs the GoVernment nothing. a system that will never turn back the immigrant after he lands on our shores (because under the amendment I offer the steamship companies are responsible for his return passage if he can not pass the test. and they will apply the test before he gets here). why is not such a system desirable? It puts us to no expenseit turns back no manit does not separate the members of a family. yet it excludes 50 per cent and more of the undesirable immigrants that are coming into this country tday. I say that under these circumstances. even if this system is not perfectif it Is not all that we might desireif in some instances it may work disadvantageously to a small extent. it will certainly work greatly to the advantage of our country in other respects. and I say that the wise thing for us to do at this time is to adopt this test so far as it goes. More than that. a man who. coming to this country. does not understand our institutions. our theory of government. our mode of living is a menace to the American Republic. because after he is here a very short timein some of the States only a yearas soon as he declares his intention to become a citizen of the United States you put into his hands the most sacred power of government. you enshrine him in the highest office of the world. you give him the power of an elector of the American Republic. Now. while you and I and our constituency are fighting a battle for good government in this country. can we properly say that when so many as 9.000.000 immigrants are coming here. in the space of twenty years. and the number is increasing every year. it is fair to them. it is fair to ourselves. to let this condition go on without attempting to restrict this immigration in some way?