Speech #630424170

Mr. Speaker. restriction of immigration into the United States has been a fixed policy of our Governinent so long. I believe. the wisdom of such policy is not now debated. The act of March 3. 1875. prohibited the immigration of alien convicts. The immigration of Chinese laborers was prohibited by the bct of May 6. 1882. Section 1 of that act was as follows: That from and after the expiration of 90 days next after the passage of this act. and until the expiration of 10 years next after the passage of this act. the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be. and the same is hereby. suspended. and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese labore" to come or. having so come after the expiration of said 90 days. to remain within the United States. This law was continued in force for an additional 10 years by the act of May 5. 1892. and it was reenacted and continued in force without limitation by the act of April 29. 1902. The act of August 3. 1882. prohibited the immigration of "any convict. lunatic. idiot. or any person unable to* take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge:" By the act of February 26. 1885. section 1 provided thatIt shall be unlawful for any person. company. partnership. or coraeration. in any manner whatsoever. to prepay the transportation. or a any way assist or encourage the importation or migration of any alien or aliens. any foreigner or foreigners. into the United States. its Territories. or the District of Columbia. under contract or agreement. parol or special. express or implied. made previous to the importation or migration of such alien or aliens. foreigner or foreigners. to perform labor or service of any kind in the United States. its Territories. or th3 District of Columbia. The following provision was added to this act by the act of That all persons included in the prohibition in this act. upon arrival. shall be sent back to the nations to which they belong and from whence they came. Section 3 of the act of March 3. 1891. was as follows: That it shall be deemed a violation of said act of February 26. 1885. to assist or encourage the importation or migration of any alien by promise of employment through advertisements printed and published in any foreign country. and any alien coming to this country In consequence of such an advertisement shall be treated as coming under a contract as contemplated by such act. and the penalties by said act imposed shall be applicable in such a case. Subsequently various amendments were added to these laws. By the act of February 20. 1907. now in force. the "contract laborers " who are excluded from admission into the United States are described as follows: Persons hereinafter called contract laborers who have been induced or solicited to migrate to this country by offers or promises of employment or in consequence of agreements. oral. written or printed. expressed or implied. to perform labor in this country of any kind. skilled or unskilled. those who have been. within one year from the date of application for admission to the United States. deported as having been indneed or solicited to migrate as above described. any person whose ticket or passage is paid for with the money of another. or who is assisted by others to come. unless it is affirmatively and satisfactorily shown that such person does not belong to one of the foregoing excluded classes and that said ticket or passage was not paid for by any corporation. association. society. municipality. or foreign Government. either directly or indirectly. Thus from time to time our immigration laws have been made more restrictive. The pending bill provides for further restriction of immigration by excluding aliens who can not read their own language. The bill has been returned to us by the President without his approval. andis now before us for reconsideration. Do we need further restriction? If so. should the literacy test be used? The act of February 20. 1907. provided for a commission. consisting of three Senators. three Members of the House of Representatives. and three persons to be appointed by the Presideit. to investigate the subject of immigration. This commission. after an investigation of three years. made Its report. containing 41 volumes. in 1910. The report of this commission states: From July 1. 1819. to June 30. 1910. 27.818.710 Immigrants were admitted to the United States. Of this number. 91.5 per cent came from European countries. which countries are the source of about 93.5 per cent of the present immigration movement. From 1819 to 1883 more than 95 per cent of the total immigration from Europe originated in the United Kingdom. Germany. Scandinavia. the Netherlands. Belgium. France. and *Switzerland. In what follows the movement from hese countries will be referred to as the " old immigration." Following 1888 there was a rapid change in the ethnical character of European immigration. and in recent years more than 70 per cent of the movement has originated in sodthern and eastern Europe. The change geographically. however. has been somewhat greater than the change in the racial character of the immigration. this being due very largely to the number of Germans who have come from AustriaHungary and Russia. The movement from southern and eastern Europe will be referred to as the " new immigration." In a single generation AustriaHungary. Italy. and Russia have succeeded the United Kingdom and Germany as the chief sources of immigration. In fact. each of the three countries first named furnished more immigrants to the United States in 1907 than came In the same year from the United Kingdom. Germany. Scandinavia France the Netherlands. Belgium. and Switzerland combined. Tle old immigration movement in recent years has rapidly declined. both numerically and relatively. and under present conditions there are no indications that it will materially increase. The new immigration movement is very large. and there are few. if any. indications of its natural abatement. The new immigration. coming in such large numbers. has provoked a widespread feeling of apprehension as to its effect on the economic and social welfare of the country.