Speech #660333733

Mr. President. ever since I have been in the Senate I have been deeply interested in this question of immigration. Shortly after I came to the Senate. as the Senator from Massachusetts . who has just risen from his seat. knows. when we were considering an immigration bill I offered an amendment to that bill imposing the educational test. That amendment was adopted by the Senate. but was stricken out in conference. Subsequently. however. it was incorporated in the immigration laws of the country. That was shortly after this new immigration. so called. began very greatly to exceed the old type of immigration. when we began to feel that there was a real menace to the country from the influx of immigrants that were then pouring into this country in increasing numbers from south and eastern Europe. That influx had become. undoubtedly. a great menace when the war temporarily stopped this flood of immigration. I do not believe that in the conditions we have now there is any ground for apprehension that during the next 6 or 8 or probably 12 months we are going to have any very great volume of immigration from Europe. and I say that in the face of the fact that during the first six months after the armistice the volume of immigration was nearly as great as it was before the war. This six months was a period of very great business activity in this country. but during the past few months. since the slowing down of industrial activities. this immigraton has been to a great extent checked. As the Senator from Vermont has stated. that simply follows the rule. and the volume of immigration since the Civil War has depended upon economic conditions here. Whenever business slackens and our industrial activities slow down. reducing wages and causing unemployment. this tide of immigration. especially from southern and eastern Europe. lhas correspondingly slowed down. which means that most of those who come here from those countries are influenced by economic consideration and in search of employment at better wages than obtain in their native countries. and not with a view of permanent citizenship. As long as this period of depression through which we are going continues I entertain no serious apprehension of excessive immigration from Europe. especially from southern and eastern Europe. I am confirmed in this conclusion by the fact that the Italian Government. recognizing our situation and the public sentiment in this country against additional immigration at this time from that country. has issued a decree suspending further emigration from Italy to this country. Notwithstanding this check upon European Immigration. removing any serious danger of excessive and disastrous influx of this undesirable element from eastern and southern Europe. I am sure many more will come than we want and that good public policy requires stringent restriction and curtailment. I do not agree. however. to the contention that this drastic curtailment and restriction should be indiscriminately applied to all immigration from Europe. Now. a study of the House bill and the Senate -committees substitute shows but little difference between them. In principle they are practically the same. They apply the same principle of exclusion. though the methods differ. I think that about as many immigrants will be entitled to admission under the House hill as under the Senate substitute. The statistics that have been furnished us as to the number that will be entitled to come in under the Senate amendment and the number that will be .entitled to come in under the House bill would be.about the same. at least. the principle governing the matter is practically the same in the one bill as in the other--one based on percentage of nationals in this country and the other the relations of these nationals resident in the countries of -emigration. Mr. President. -it has been disclosed in the discussions. and the statistics of the Government show it to be true. that approximately 60 per cent of our European immigration when they come here seek. and in normal times find. employment in -the mafufacturing industries of the country. I think the Senator from Vermont said a little while ago that certain investigations and surveys made under governmental direction showed tint about 60 per cent of those employed in the manufacturing industries of this country are alien born.