Speech #630433829

Sweden. Switzerland. and the United Kingdom was 182.886. The number of those who would have been admitted under the literacy test is 171.267. and under the percentage test 65S.311. That is to say. there would have been an allowable Increase in the number coming from those countries representing the races of the old immigration of 260 per cent under the percentage test. It will be remembered that. while the number coming from those nations in the last 30 years has been relatively small when compared with the number coming from eastern and southern Europe. there are so many In numbers representing the races of the old immigration resident in the United States who were admitted years ago that the percentage system would not operate to cut down the number of admissions from those countries. I will make that clear as I proceed. As over 90 per cent of the Immigrant aliens from the southern and eastern group came from the three countries. Russia. italy. and AustriaHungary. a comparison similar to the one above confined to these three countries is interesting: Number admitted 1913: Russia - --------------------------------------------- 291. 040 Italy ---------------------------------------------- 265. 542 AustriaHungary ------------------------------------ 254. 825 Total ---------------------------------------------811. 407 Literacy test: Russia -------------------------------------------- 210. 796 Italy --------------------------------------- ------ 151.825 AustriaHungary ------------------------------------- 197. 796 Total ___-------- -----...................- 560.417 � Decrease. 31 per cent. Percentage test: Russia --------------------------------------------- 173. 520 Italy ----------------------------------------------- 134. 426 Austrlatungary ------------------------------------ 167. 195 .Total------ ----------------------------------- 475. 141 Decrease. 41 per cent. LII2380 Thus It will be seen. there would have been a considerable difference between the number admitted under these two tests from Russia. Italy. and AustriaHungary. The literacy test would have cut down the immigration from these three countries from 811.408 to. 560.417. or 31 per cent. The percentage test would have cut down the immigration from these three countries from 811.408 to 475.141..or 41 .per cent. It thus appears. taking the year 1913 as an illustration. that the actual immigration from. each one of the countries comprising the southern and eastern Europe group would be cut down by the application. of the principle in the percentage test. with the exception of that from Bulgaria. Servia. Montenegro. and Roumania. and that the cut would be greatest in the number of immigrant aliens admitted from Russia. Italy. and AustriaHungary. which three countries furnished in 1913 over 75 per cent of the immigration to this country from all the countries in Europe. not only those in the southern and eastern group but those in the northern and western group as well. To Indicate the large number of immigrants coming from these thre3 lastmentioned countries. and how effective the 10 per cent system would prove in reducing such immigration. it may be stated that the decrease In the number of immigrants admitted from Russia and AustriaHungary alone would be greater by 20.000 than the whole number of immigrants admitted from all the countries of the northern and western group. And yet the adoption of this system would not reduce or restrict the immigration from any country in northern or western Europe except Belgium. To recapitulate: Basing computation upon the immigration of 1913. the literacy test would have reduced the number admitted from AustriaHungary. Bulgaria. Servia.