Speech #670358550

President. at one American institution I have been informed are 3.000 homeless Turkish Armenian children. At one time in one place there were 18.000 of them gathered together. There were at one time 300.000 Christian refugees--many. if not most of them. however. being Greekswaiting at and near Smyrna for some method of getting out of Turkish territory. like " dumb driven cattle." frightened and running. Mr. President. I have added another clause to the bill proyiding that Armenian children. orphans or homeless. shall be permitted to enter during the year*1923 to the number of 25.000. provided that some orphans homereligious. governmental. or secularshall assure the immigration agents that they have places for them. and will give proper security that they shall be taken care of. clothed. and fed. and educated to the age where they can take care of themselves. and that amongst those Arrnenian homeless and orphan children there shall be permitted to enter others where American or Armenian families in the United States consent to adopt them and to take care of them. and make satisfactory showing to the immigration authorities that they can and will do so. In brief that is all there is to the bill. I am as much opposed as anybody to unrestricted immigration. I have. therefore. put a provision in the bill that the adult Armenians who are to be permitted to come here in excess of their 3 per cent quota shall be those who shall comply otherwise with all of our present immigration requirements. They shall be literates. shall be In good physical health. shall be neither anarchists nor governmentdestroying communists. I have tried to hedge the bill about so that we can do a great humanitarian work without hurting anybody in the United States. We surely. it seems to me. can do that much for the world. the Asia Minor part of It. in the day of its suffering. Its deportations. its ravishments. its suppression. and Its persecution. Those people are either political or religious refugees. the subjects of political or religious persecution. I admit that they have aroused my sympathy. The Armenians are not an Asiatic race. There are many who do not know that. but I made occasion to examine the literature upon the subject several years ago. They are a European race who must have gone into Asia Minor like the Gauls went Into Galatia from Europe around the Black Sea to their present homelands in Russia and Turkey. They possess the attributes and the excellencies. the industry and the intelligence and the energy of the European race. When immigration to this country was unrestricted there were fewer illiterates than among almost any. or. as I remember. any populations coming to us for homes. They are members of the oldest nowexisting Christian church in the habitat where they first became Christian. They are at home predominantly agriculturists.