Speech #660273428

During the Civili War they fought for the preservation of the Union. and during the great conflict that has just been waged they constituted a large proportion of those who served in ou. Army and Navy. From August. 1914. until the present year Immigration was practically suspended because of the war and of the lack of transportation. Although the exact data are not at this moment accessible to us. it will be found that during the same period emigration from the United. States reached a very high figure. so that covering a period of six years the number. of emigrants from the United States about equaled the number of immigrants. In the meantime the demand. for man power In practically all of the American industries has greatly increased and can not be met except through the medium of immigration. particularly that of unskilled labor. There is. therefore. no occasion for the extraordinary haste maulfested in the attempt now made to enact. this prohibitory measure without. giving to it the consideration and deliberation that its importance demands. Nothing can be. more unfortunate. than legislation inspired by hysteria. The majority- report shows that it was not until July. 1920. that there developed a perceptible flow of immigratio. Much is made of the fact that in that month the. number of immigrants arriving at Ellis. Island was 55.900. in August. 57.874. in September. 70.052.. and in October. 74.G65. As against these arrivals. the departures. in September wore 35.689 and- in October 25.597. Those are not abnormal figure%. The total immigration from January 1. to December 1. 19Z0. was. 840.509. The total number of departures from the United States duri tag. the same period was 306.915. Tne net immigration. therefore.. during the period of 11 months was 473.594. lPriorto 1914 there were a number of years in which the net immigration. exceeded 1.000.000. and there wasno difficulty in absorbing this influx The majority have. in their report. as we. believe. unfairly selected three days for the purpose of showing that on them a large number of immigrants arrived at Ellis Island. That.is: not. a.proper- test. But. even if It were indicative of. the average number of. arrivals. which. it certainly is. not. the total number per annum- would not exceed the number of. immigrants arriving. here annually for" a- series of years prior. to 1I14. Apparently the committee- was impressed: by the fact that. when it visited EllisIsland on a recent occaston. itwas found that the number of inspectors stationed there was insificle t. to attend to the immigrants with sullicient. expedition and. that as a: result- there was a congestion of aliens. The remedy for this state of affairs. thait has frequently been. called to the attention of Congress. is not to prohibit immigration. It is rather to improve the administration of our exist. ing immigration laws. Long before. the. war it. was well known. that: the number of inspectors. examining physiiains. clerks. and interpreters was inadequate. that the compensation tWatwas paid to those who had been provided. was insufficient to. procnre the:high degree of. efficiency called for by the. duties imposed by the law. The bill as reported" makes ao attempt to relieve- these conditions.