Speech #640073105

We impose restrictions on immigration against the physically. mentally. and morally unsound. and why should we not place a restriction in the matter of illiteracy. knowing that its effect will be to keep out a great number of undesirable citizens who come here. It is not much of a test purely from the edifcation standpoint. but it is a test of aspiration. as has been well said. and I trust that it will be to the immigrant a test of inspiration. In the past the only test has been time test of respiration. American citizenship. in my judgment. is a thing to be striven for. and the more we impress that idea upon the immigrant who is about to come to this country. the higher lie will value American citizenship when lie gets here. I realize that we are an immigrant Nation. Our forefathers came here from other countries. Some of them caught the first boat. and the rest came later. There have been two great tides of immigration. The old immigrantion began in the early period of the history of our country and ended about 1882. from the countries of high and central Europe. That was a magnificent immigration. because the people that came went out over the land and settled it and built homes and villages and towns and cities. But the new immigration. coming from about the year 1882 down to the present time. has been composed largely of immigrants from the countries of low Europe. They have not settled the land. In fact. statistics go to show that less than 1 per cent of these people are today operating farms either as owners or tenants.