Speech #630134877

I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman. in the last and final analysis the question of immigration is the question of citizenship. It is a question of perpetuating American ideals and of the perpetuity of free government. That this is so is evidenced by the fact that we are all practically in agreement in regard to these provisions of the bill which seek to exclude immigrants clearly objectionable in character. When we get beyond these clauses. more or less clearly defined. we find a disagreement or difference of opinion. Does anyone believe that these provisions relating to socalled undesirables will keep from our shores all of those whose presence accentuate and increase our problems? I believe no one will claim that they will. and yet when we offer a literacy test gentlemen insist that while it is true that the clauses that exclude socalled undesirables are not sufficient. this test we propose is not a wise one. We admit that it is not a perfect test. but no better test has been proposed by anyone. I regret it may exclude some wellmeaning and wellintentioned people. and that under It the educated rascal may still come into our country. but it will at least exclude a large number of those who. by. reason of a lack of education. are unable to acquire that knowledge which the immigrant ought to have. which he must have.. to understand our Institutions and to realize his responsibility. as an American citizen. I have such a high appreciation of the efficacy of the institutions and the air of freedom in molding the character of men that even with the large illiterate immigration we are now receiving. largely from regions where the people have never had any training in a free government. we could still assimilate this large immigration if the immigrants were being generally spread out and diffused among the body of our people. But the fact is that many of these unprepared immigrants are concentrated in certain districts. themselves not yet fully assimilated. thus cutting them off from the opportunities which contact with American citizens would give them to learn of the character of our institutions and their responsibilities under our form of government. Year after year a larger proportion of these new immigrants are remaining in localities now largely nonAmerican. There is little opportunity given them to learn from the printed page the character of our Government or their duties to it. The fact of their illiteracy prevents them from getting out among our people and thus acquiring by precept and example knowledge of these things. These illiterate people. no matter how wellmeaning they may be. are by reason of their lack of education the easy prey of knaves. native and foreign. We do now. as we always have. desire to afford an asylum and opportunity for all honest industrious white people who want to come. but until we can get a better test than the literacy test I am in favor of that as the best yet offered.