Speech #630132197

Debased men and men of unserviceable kind may come out of any race .or stock. but America has enriched her genius and made it various and universal. as she has renewed herself out of the ancient peoples from Norway to Italy and the rich lands of the Mediterranean. who have made the literature and history of the world. Not one word as to shutting out " sound and honest men and women" simply because they can not read. Not one word in favor of making any sort of restriction on the number of "sound and honest men and women." Had President Wilson in tills campaign document. which his party distributed all over the -United States. declared in favor of this literacy test in this bill. he would not have been elected. as he should not have been. I do not question the sincerity of President Wilsons utterance on this question during the campaign. lie doubtless expressed wellmatured thought on the matter. and what man in the country was better qualified as a profound student and historian to express the spirit of our Nation? As a historian he had pondered on our marvelous development and genius as a people. He could not fail to see how much was due to the Immigrant. He knew that many of the deeds executed by the leading faroilies of our country during pioneer days were signed by the mark and not the signature of the maker. because he wias illiterate. He knew that the test in this bill would have excluded from this country the father of Abraham Lincoln bad he come to our shores an immigrant. because he was illiterate. lie knew. as he so aptly says. that "America has enriched her genius and renewed herself" out of the ancient peoples from Norway to Italy. And as a philosophic statesman. he knows now that it would be fatal to American genius for America to cease to be the asylum for the oppressed of the whole world. and to selfishly shut the door in the face of libertyloving men and women. And as another great Democratic President. Grover Cleveland. well said 16 years ago in vetoing a similar bill: It is said. however. that the quality of recent immigration Is undesirable. rhe time is quite within recent memory when the same thing was said of immigrants who with their descendants are now numbered among our best citizens. Had this law been in effect from 1S99 to 1911. inclusive. it I would have excluded. as shown by the reports of the Commissiouer General of ImmigrationDutch and Flemish -------------------------------------- 3. 043 English ------------------------------------------------ 3. 647 French --------------------------------------------------. 145 Irish ------------------------------------------------- 10. 721 Russian ------------------------------------------------ 29. 777 German - 32. 236 North Italian ........... - 38. 897 Greek - 55. 089 Slovak - 82. 216 Hebrew 209.507 Polish ------------------------------------------------- 304.675 Total ------------------------------------------- 775.95" as well as a much larger number of Croatians and South Italians against whom it is claimed to be directed. Had these 775.953 immigrants been excluded this Nation would be just that much poorer today. Every sound man and woman of a country is. if honest. an asset. There is plenty of room for them on the millions of acres of untilled land from the countless resources undeveloped. the boundless opportunities awaiting.