Speech #620234648

The gentleman from Illinois is correct. I think. in the statement that the Kindred bill was reported some time before the passage of the Dillingham bill. and in justice to the Committee on Immigration of the House I desire to say to my friend that there were many features of the Dillingham bill that perhaps every Member of the House committee did not favor. There was the last section of the Dillingham bill. for example. which it was believed would absolutely repeal the Chinese exclusion law. That is just one of the features. Those of us who are in favor of this restrictive legislation believe that. in the interest of success in securing the passage of some legislation. all after the enacting clause should be stricken out. and that the Burnett bill should be substituted in lieu of that. There were many featuresI desire to say to my friend and colleague from Georgia -that were worthy and should be enacted into law. but there were so many things which we thought would cause confusion and debate and difference of opinion that every member of the com10419mittee who favored restriction of immigrationevery member of it--was in favor of the substitution and in favor of the reporting of that bill as a substitute. The gentlemen who oppose the illiteracy test. I desire to say. favored the striking out of all after the enacting clause of the Dillinghan bill and substituting in lieu of it the Burnett bill. but they voted against the reporting of the bill after that substitution was made.