Speech #660247614

I ask the indulgence of the Senate for a moment to make a statement in regard to the position of this bill and what is involved. The Committee on Foreign Relations. with the approval and suggestion of the department. added an amendment to the bill continuing the present act which charges the State Department with the supervision of passports. and continuing the war legislation on that subject which was included in the act of May 22. 1918. an act which was subsequently continued and extended to 1921 on the 29th of October. 1919. The amendment put on by the Senate was designed for the very simple purpose of securing revenue from the passports issued here and the vis~s placed on the passports of immigrants coming to this country. the passports being required under the war legislation as an obvious protection against the coming of unsuitable persons to the United States. We increased the fee for passports. thinking that for the service rendered by the State Department there ought to be a reasonable fee and that persons who were able to go abroad. either on business or pleasure. could fairly pay an additional tax and help in the suppport of the State Department which rendered them the service. We also increased the fee for the vis6 given by our consuls abroad and necessary to the passports of immigrants coming to this country. We had no thought beyond the economic side of the question. It did notoccur to me. though I have been interested in immigration for many years. that adding these fees to the vis~s of passports of immigrants would have any real effect on the restriction of immigration. but there has been a widespread fear in this country about the immigration that would pour into the country with the closing of the war. and there has been a great deal of feeling about the persons who have come in as immigrants and who have been conspicuous. as all the world knows. in strikes and agitations in this country. leading to the attempted deportation of some of them. However. the object of restricting or interfering with immigration was not in the mind of the committee. We found that by a reasonable fee for passports and visds we shall be able to pay a large part of the expenses of the department which ran the service. - In these days. when we are supposed to be pursuing economy. it seemed to the committee a wholly reasonable action. We brought the amendment before the Senate.