President. I am very anxious to reach a vote upon this bill as soon as possible. but before it is taken I want to call the attention of the Senator in charge of the bill to what seems a weakness or defect in the proposed substitute. I refer to that part of section 2 which excepts from the provisions .of the actaliens who are nativeborn or naturalized citizens of the Dominion of Canada. Newfoundland. the Republic of Cuba. the Republic of Mexico. countries of Central and South America. and adjacent islands. Experience has taught us that every exception or loophole in our immigration laws is eagerly seized upon and utilized to overcome or avoid their more stringent provisions. I shall vote for the substitute. there is no question but it is far better than existing legislation upon the subject. but I can easily understand under this exception how a citizen factory or a number of them can be set up in Mexico or one or more little principalities of Central or South America and utilized for the naturalization of undesirable classes of immigrants from Europe who can not otherwise come into this country. It is highly probable that before this proposed law shall have been in effectsix months we will have a stream of naturalized citizen immigration from Mexico and probably from countries .farther south. However that may be. as I have said. this bill. if enacted. will constitute a great improvement upon .the legislhtion now on the statute books. I may be overpessimistic. but I regard the inundation of this country by immigrants of all sorts. classes. and conditions from the older countries of the world as one of the most serious and sinister menaces which the new administration will confront. a menace politically. socially. economically. and morally. I belive. too. that the proposed substitute will. if enacted. prove to be of greater benefit to" the industries and to our citizenship now suffering from the depressed conditions than any other form of legislation which the Congress can enact before its adjournment.
Keywords matched
naturalization immigration immigrants naturalized