Speech #590098727

Chairman. while I take the floor formally to oppose all pending amendments. my ultimate intention is to move that the entire section be stricken out. It is not any exaggeration to say that this proposal is one of the most important ever submitted to. the American Congress. If adopted into law. it must work a complete revolution in the naturalization laws which have governed us since the foundation of this Government. and therefore it would not merely affect decisively our own condition. but it would involve consequences of the utmost moment to the whole human race. So far as this measure aims to regulate the procedure of naturalization. to make it orderly. uniform. effective in all the different States. I think it deserves nothing but praise. Whatever conditions of naturalization Congress in its wisdom may see fit to establish. it is in the highest degree desirable that they be enforced with rigor and impartiality. But this particular section proposes a change. not in the procedure by which the conditions of naturalization are to be enforced. but in the conditions themselvesa change so radical that if adopted. it will result in the withdrawal of this country from one of the most commanding positions which it has occupied in promoting the improvement of human hopes. the uplifting of human conditions. and the spread of civilization throughout the world. Mr. Chairman. there are two aspects of this question which I hope the committee will consider very carefully. First. its effect if engrafted upon existing immigration laws. and secondly. the advisability of enacting it. even if it were possible to assure ourselves that the laws governing the admission of immigrants to this country would be amended in a similar direction. I think the committee will have little difficulty in concluding that while the law governing immigration remains in its present form this proposal is wholly indefensible. As the law stands. our ports are wide open to all members of the Caucasian race. To enter this country a person needs only to be of good moral character and of physical ability to earn a livelihood. Up to the present time the conditions of admission to our population and of admission to our citizenship have been practically identical. Under this proposal they are made wholly different. It establishes an educational qualification for naturalization which probably not 10 per cent of the million and odd people who came into this country last year could undergo successfully. The first question we must consider. then. is the effect of admitting every year a million aliens to our population who must be excluded from our citizenship if this proposal be adopted into law. Of course. if the immigration bill introduced by the gentleman from Massachusetts should become law. then an educational qualification will be imposed on every immigrant at the port of entry. and. of course. it would apply itself automatically to the same person when he sought admission to citizenship. But I am sure the gentleman from Colorado will concede that we must consider this section in the light of its effect on the law as it is. not on the law as it may be altered or amended hereafter. Now.