Speech #590088958

Mr. Chairman. the dominant purpose of the bill under consideration is to protect American citizenship against the fraudulent naturalization of aliens. and incidentally to impose additional qualifications on the right to become a citizen. The bill. in the main. is a good one. It contains a number of wholesome safeguards against fraudulent naturalization. and it provides for the cancellation of certificates of citizenship that have been procured through fraud and perjury. In my opinion naturalization laws should be rigidly protected against fraud and imposition. and. on the other hand. they should be fairly liberal. so that practically all of the people who come from foreign countries to permanently identify themselves with us may be enabled to become citizens and share the privileges and immunities of citizenship and be required to assist in bearing the burdens of government and contributing toward its defense. I conceive it to be a very unwise policy for this or any other country to permit a substantial number of aliens to live permanently within its borders without enjoying the rights and bearing the responsibilities of citizenship. Our scrutiny and care ought to be directed. in the main. to the admission of aliens at our ports. in the first place. Our policy should be to admit no alien into this country for permanent residence whom we do not believe at the time of his admission will become fitted for ultimate citizenship. and I express the hope that at an early day Congress will enact a law imposing more rigid restrictions upon immigration. I do not mean to be understood as favoring such restrictions as will keep from our shores men of foreign birth who will thoroughly identify themselves with our civilization and our system of Government. This country owes much of the splendid condition it enjoys today to the contributions made toward its general advancement by men of foreign birth. and it has always been the policy of the Government to be liberal in admitting those from foreign countrics whose presence here will tend to promote the general upbuilding of our civilization.