Speech #670196036

Mr. President. several days ago I called the attention of Ilie Senate to a statement issued by the head of the American Legion showing that there are several million men out of work in the United States. 700.000 of whom are exservice men. and protesting against the number of immigrants continually. coiing into tire country to increase the number of idle people. He urged the President to help provide work for these unemployed exservice men. I am. not saying this in criticism. I am simply calling -the attention of the Senate to the alarming condition brought about by the millions of unemnploye(l in our country. which is being increased by the large number of immigrants constantly brought to our shores. If Congress had not passed the 3 per cent law last year we would have had one or two million more unemployed here now. I favored at the tine this legislation was- enacted and think now we ought to stop all immigration for five years. except in certain extreme cases of tie sane family. some of whom are already here and a number of whom served in our Army during the late war. I have a letter now from the head of the American Federaw tion of Labor. which I ask may be printed in the ItEcon. I hope that the Senate Committee on Immigration will change the recent bill which passed the House and take steps to stop practically all immigration. The House bill simply extends for one year the 3 per cent law Congress enacted last year. If the Senate concurs in the House bill the 3 per cent law will expire June 30. 1923. Unless Congress is called in extra session at that time there will be no law restricting immigration. and the steamship companies. interested only in the profits they make in bringing tie immigrants here. will use extra ships and bring in two or three millions more. before Congress can pass a law preventing it. The regular session of Congress will convene in December. 1923. If one House of Congress should pass a bill restricting immigration the opposition in the other House might be able to delay action. which would give the steamship companies another year. in which they would bring in three or four million more immigrants to add to our already several million. unemployed. If the Senate will not stop immigration entirely. as I believe should be done. it seems to me absolutely necessary that we should extend the present 3 per cent law until June 30. 1924. instead of 1923. as provided in the. House bill. The letter from the head of the American Federation. of Labor protesting against the House bill is exactly in line with that of the. head of the American Legion. I have again offered an amendment that will prevent immigration for five years. also an: amendment requiring that all immigrants be brought to this country in our own ships. and our agents could then prevent the undesirable ones from coining over and being sent back to their own country.