Speech #630133669

I called the attention of the House to the fact that the English law which was spoken of contained the word " solely." I regret to say that the Jews regard that word as destructive to the whole purpose of the exemption. To my mind it is a necessary safeguard. Any immigrant can conic here and say to the inspection officer. "I fled from religious persecution." According to some people there is religious persecution going on in Bulgaria and elsewhere today. So long as religious persecution can be alleged to exist in his neighborhood. it is the easiest thing in the world for an immigrant to say that it was persecution which drove him over here. Stiff immigration laws are just as much in the interest of Jewish Americans as of anyone else. This whole discussion is proceeding on the supposition that Jews are asking special exemptions. I do not believe that they want any different treatment from what everyone else gets.