Speech #590120376

Is that all bigotry? Are economic conditions at the bottom of it. or is it bigotry that is at the bottom of it? This is the first time in my life that I have been accused of bigotry. because I say that our immigration of 1.000.000 annually Is too big to assimilate. because I say that our working people should be protected from too much competition. because I remember the hard times and fear for the fate of my constituents and yours if hard times finds us with a redundant population. There is. however. one great satisfaction after all. No Hebrew Member of this House has accused me of bigotry. Every one of you Hebrews in this Hall is my personal friend. It has remained for the hirelings of the great interests involved and for suborned and prejudiced editors who have not even read this bill to stamp it as bigoted. I believe in the educational test because it will cut down our immigration annually to threequarters its- present size. I believe in it because it will chiefly affect the European and Asiatic countries on the Mediterranean from which men are imported in violation of our contractlabor laws. The educational test is not perfect. I admit that many good immigrants will be excluded under it. but no omelet can be made without breaking eggs. and I feel that it is time to cut down the competition of which the working people complain. Now. a word about the two religiousrefugee amendments. I opposed the Littauer amendment. as it seemed to me poorly adapted for its purpose and dangerously loose in its wording.