Speech #660333603

Section 4 provides that-. A citizen of the United States 21 years of age or over. who is a resident of the United States. nay. under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor. apply to him for permission to bring Into the United States or send for an otherwise admissible wife. parent. grandparent. unmarried son or brother under 21 years of age. unmarried or widowed daughter. or sister. grandson under 16 years of age whose father is dead. or unmarried or widowed granddaughter whose father is dead. and any alien who has declared. in the manner provided by law. his intention to become a citizen of the United States. and who is a resident of the United States. may make like application In reference to an otherwise admissible husband or -wife. unmarried son under 21 years of age. or unmarried or widowed daughter. but no application may be made under this paragraph In the case of any relative by adoption. The immigration against which the country is attempting to guard itself is now coming almost wholly from eastern and southern Europe. Tie number coining from that section of Europe in the last 10 or 15 years has been excessive. and has grown out of the vast expansion of the manufacturing interests of the country. Thb Immigration Commission of 1910 found that a great majority of all the employees in 37 of the great industries of the country that were investigated by the commission were made up of men and their sons who had come from eastern and southern Europe. There are probably over 5.00.000 of that class in the country today. Under this clause of the House bill. nobody knows what immigration would conie frot EuIrope as a result of it. Supposing that even onethird of tiose now in the country are naturalized. or have filed their first papers. nobody can estimate what the increase in population from that section of Europe will be if they are permitted to come in under this clause. For that reason I have been opposed to the provision of the House bill and in favor of the substitute which the Senate Committee has offered. which simply places the immigration from all nations on the percentage basis. and would allow cnly a given number to come from southern and eastern Europe. and would in no way affect western Europe. Tile operation of the bill as passed by the House would be that. although we have in this country a large body that have come from northern and western Europe of the most desirable class. who have come with their families and have settled here and have made their homes here and have grownup families who are represented here in Congress. yet if they have relatives who want. to come over they would be cut off should the present law be repealed. nobody whatever could come in. The only safety. as I see it. for the protection of all is to adopt the substitute.which the Senate committee has recommended..