Speech #670325584

Speaker. a law of Congress should be judged by its benefits. If no good results ensue it should be promptly repealed. What. then. of the 3 per cent restrictive immigration law of May 19. 1921? It has been In actual operation for the entire fiscal year ending June 30. 1922. That a supplemental immigration law was needed at the beginning of the special session of Congress only those opposed to restrictive immigration will deny. For a few years prior. to the war the average net increase of aliens. admitted into the United States was approximately 850.000 each year. Then came the World War: It acted as a barrier. cutting down the net immigration to as low as 19.000 in the year 1918. Since the war immigration has increased by leaps and bounds: For the fiscal year prior to the time when the 3 per cent law went Into operation the net gain was 552.000. Evidence was. introduced before our committee that the ports of southern Europe were congested with those seeking to come to this country. that unless a restrictive immigration law was passed there would be a virtual migration of foreign born to this country numbering from one to two million. The large number of ships created for war purposes were without. goods to transport. they would be idle unless tile. owners could enter into the lucrative business of immigration transportation. But what was the condition in America? During the war the construction of homes and schools was stopped almost entirely. Congress was confronted with the proposition that there were no homes wherein these people could live. no schools whereby. their children could be educated. and theAinerican workingman should not be compelled to compete for his work with those seeking to come here. It- was- not a fair proposition either to the American people or to the foreign born. Prompt and proper solution of theproblem was the passage- of the S per cent restrictive immigration law. Tiis. law in brief simply provides that new hutmigrants equal in number to 3 per cent of those foreignborn nationals who resided in the- United States as determined by our 1910 census coul be admitted during the fisal year. and that not mtore than 20 per. cent: were admissible during any one month. Not included: it this count. however. were govermnent officials of foreign countriesand their families. aliens visitilg the United States. as. tourists. or temporarily for business or pleasure. aliens who have- resided continuously for at least one year im mediately preceding the time- of their entrance into the United States in other countries of North. Central. or South America. or adjacent islands.. amd. aliens mder the age of 18 years who are children of citizens of: the United States. Thatthis law is a success is proclaimed by the good and beneficial results it has accomplished. Not only has the number of immigrants been reduced to a minimum. but the quality. of those who came and remained here is of the highest standard obtainable from other countriesi The Nworkman is protected- from foreign competition. Because of the law we have been able to learn many charac.teristic facts: concerninhg the nationals of other countries. For example. the people of southern Europe are more anxious to come to the United States than those of northern Europe.