Speech #670043095

Mr. Speaker and gentlemen of the House. the unfortunate thing on behalf of the committee is that we were denied the opportunity before the committee to present the facts relative to the information on the part of the steamship companies and to the immigrants. Ten million aliens trying to come to the United States today. and from the latest report 5.000.000 of unemployed laborers in the United States today! There are soup houses. bread lines. unemployed. and then the wail and sympathy for those who have deliberately and contemptuously violated the act of May 19. 1921. as the hearings show. The testimony shows that the Italian Government. through its ambassador. early In May appeared at the department and was advised that its excess of quota could not land. The steamship companies were notified every day and every hour of the day from Washington just how the legislation and matters affected by it stood. every steamship company that was sailing from the ports of New York and Boston and foreign ports was notified. and there is no denial of that fact. On the 2d of June. as the Commissioner of Immigration testified. these ships were racing across the ocean to see who could land his ship and unload their cargo of humanity first. And on the 4th. 5th. 0th. 7th. 5th. and 9th these companies were sending their ships loaded from Italian and other ports to land their cargo four and five days after the act became effective. That is tile testimony before the committee. The testimony shows that way back in December these ship companies appeared before the Immigration Committee of the Senate. and thereafter had knowledge of this law. and every day from that time on they had the information. The Commissioner of Immigration appeared before the committee on the 10th of this month. saying that they had a cablegram on the 9th saying that about a thousand had been embarked at Palermo to come over here. They wanted to make it on the 9th. but finally the committee made it on the 8th. when the parties could enter if they sailed at any time before the 8th of June. 1921. Those that were riding on the high seas with the knowledge of the steamship coniany. and the individuals themselves. over 10.000 of them. embarked and started for this country in defiance of your law and rules and regulations. and now gentlemen come in here with a sympathetic plea that these people be admitted to the United States under the conditions that now exist.