Speech #670282940

We have now a Secretary of Labor whose duty it is to pass upon these appeal cases. whose sworn duty as Cabinet officer is to dispose of these questions and not give them to subordinates. That is the law and is as it ought to be. The trouble is that the appeal after being thoroughly digested by the Commissioner of Immigration and the attorney for the Department of Labor goes to the Secretary of Labor and then what happens? This is what happens. An attorney is employed. and after the Secretary of Labor has decided the case this attorney goes to him and says. " I want you to hear me." Then a friend comes in from some distance with a long sad song and affidavit. ex parte statements. and after the Secretary has passed on the case again. he says. " I want you to hear me." Then the Members of the House and of the Senate. after the attorney and the friends have failed to succeed. say. "I want you to hear me." and in that way that case is kept open for months. when the evidence is taken by the proper public officials. sent to the Commissioner of Immigration. passed on by the commissioner general. shows beyond question and peradventure of doubt that the immigrant is not admissable. and should be excluded under the quota law. What is the result? The result is that there has been a sufficient amount of pressure to allow the immigrant to remain. Look at the record and you will see that there are over 3.000 of those immigrants now in the United States in violation of law. where the Members of the House and of the Senate and the friends and the lawyers have gone down to the Secretary of Labor and he has postponed the cases and let them in with the hope that on the 1st day of July. 1922. the quota law again will be opened and that these people. being on the ground. will be the first to be admitted. when. as a matter of fact the reports show that the ocean is now lined with steamships loaded with immigrants. and that no doubt on the 1st of July the quota will be exhausted in over twothirds of the countries. These people want to come in and the result has been that the law has not been enforced. The Secretary of Labor decides that the man exceeds the quota. but he has not been reported as he should be.