Speech #660273428

There is no evidence to warrant the statement that a state of unemployment exists except sporadically or voluntarily. On the contrary there is everything to indicate that there is sufficient opportunity for employment for those who desire it throughout. the country. So. far as housing facilities are I concerned. there Is every indication that the artificial restraints against building that have to a large measure been the cause for such dearth of housing as has existed are rapidly disappearing. and to some extent will be diminished through immigration. The majority report refers to estimates that have been made that front 2.000.000 to 8.000.000 Europeans are seeking to migrate to the United States. There is nothing in the report or otherwise to warrant these estimates. It is well known that men are given to exaggeration. Congress should not act on this kind of evidence. A man seated at his desk in Washington or New York. ignorant of European conditions. can just as easily estimate the number of immigrants at 10.000.000 in a single year as at onetenth that number. The utter absurdity of the estimates is. however. apparent on its face. and the majority report very properly refers to it as " idle." The nmajority report is especially unfortunate in its references to the number of Jewish immigrants arriving in this country. Classification according to the religion or race of immigrants is without justilication. It is opposed to that Americanism that prevailed In the past. The data contained in Appendix A attached to the report are at the most cx parte statements very likely based upon information furnished by prejudiced and unfriendly local authorities. The inaccuracy of the generalizations becomes at once apparent to those familiar with conditions. Speaking of the immigrants from Poland. it is said " that immigrants of similar class are to. be found already in the United States who. taken as a class and not individually. have proven unassimilable." The splendid record and conduct of the 3.000.000 of immigrants of that nationality who are now in this country amply refute that charge. While it is true that. since last July. a considerable number of immigrants have come to the United States from eastern Europe. that Is due to the fact that. before the outbreak of the European war. memhers of the families of these immigrants. in many instances the head of the household or the supporting member of the family. had come to this country for the purpose of establishing a home. with the expectation of having the members of the family who had been left abroad rejoin them as soon as it was practicable. The intervention of the war made this impossible until communication was once more restored. As soon as that occurred there was a laudable effort on the part of the members of the family who had arrived in this country to bring about a reunioh of the broken family circles.