Speech #660272721

It will foster disunion instead of promoting union. Instead of continuing as a Nation of high ideals. we shall degenerate into a mere medley of races. a hodgepodge of nationalities. We therefore earnestly request the Congress of the United States to enact such legislation as xill prohibit the immigration into the country of all who can not read and write English. and who do not possess an intelligent understanding of the fundamental ideas of human liberty. It is imperative that we should now make possible an opportunity of investigating conditions at home. to take stock of what we have in the way of unassimilated foreign elements and also in relation to those who can not be assimilated or adjusted to American ideals and made fit subjects for American citizenship. In order to do this it is necessary to suspend immigration. with very few exceptions. for some definite period. Two years. being the life of the incoming Congress. appears reasonable in view of the fact that it gives opportunity for comprehensive legislation. This bill provides such a suspension and contains exceptions whereby relatives of American citizens in foreign countries may come to the United States. This is in recognition of the immigrant who has become an American citizen. Immigrants are landing at Ellis Island at the rate of from three to five thousand per day. To this point comes about 87 per cent of our immigrants. According to the lowest estimates. from a million and onehalf to two million will be admitted in the next 12 months. The volume is limited only by transportation facilities and steamship capacity. All available space has been contracted for months ahead. and it is stated upon the best authority that the steamship companies operating between New York and European points could contract their full capacity at this time for 10 years ahead. It is estimated that there are now ready to come as soon as conditions permit. from Austria and Germany. 10.000.000. from Italy. 5.000.000. from Russia. 10.000.000. from Poland. 1.000.000 (recently 311.000 applications for passports were made in one day by Poles) . from Spain and other countries. 5.000.000. No one has expected much immigration from Spain. yet on November 29. 1920. 2.063 Spanish immigrants were on Ellis Island. It is useless for anyone to endeavor to minimize the danger and complications arising from this unprecedented influx of inmigrants. It simply anrounts to unrestricted and indiscriminate dumping into this country of people of every character and description from all the nations of Europe.