Speech #660272701

This measure provides vis~s for all those who come in here as travelers for business. pleasure. or curiosity. It lets in actual students for a designated period of study at designated institutions. This bill also admits the direct blood line of relatives of citizens of the United States on the certificate of the Secretary of Labor and waives the literacy test for those relatives. The reason for that is this: The presefit law says that a father or grandfather. 55 years old or older. shall be admitted if illiterate. and children under 16. The literacy test applies to others. but when a relative arrives under such conditions the relative in this country usually finds a way to give bond to secure his admission on probation. Our new plan. then. is that those of our citizens having in the old country fathers. mothers. grandfathers. and grandmothers. or children or halforphan grandchildren may by securing a permit in the Department of Labor here send for those relatives with a reasonable certainty that once they start for America they may come through. We. want to do away with delay at Ellis Island. Of course. those who come in will come practically on the guarantee of the relative who brings them In as to his ability to support them. to provide for them in case of sickness. or insanity. or the like. All will come subject to all of the other provisions of the present law. This bill undertakes to do a proper thing by letting those here who have first papers or who will take out first papers send for wives or husbands and dependent children of either wife or husband. a proper exemption in any attempt to suspend immigration for any length of time. This bill permits the going and coming of citizens of Canada. ew Foundland. Cuba. and Mexico. as under the present law. with the addition of a six months stoppage. which I think if we have not already provided for in the bill can be arranged by a clause providing for a renewal. The bill undertakes to add provisions to the immigration laws. but does not break down the laws In any detail. Some little question has been raised about the conditions and provisions of this bill with respect to a gentlemans agreement which is attached to our treaty with Japan. My opinion is. my friends. that it does not interfere with it at all. It is provided that those who are here and 21 years old. citizens. either naturalized or born here. may send for certain relatives. The Japanese here have that privilege now under the present laws in certain cases. and in other cases we have estimated that the number who would reach the age of 21 years in the next two years. either here or in Hawaii. would be very small.