Speech #670413006

Rejected In House May 3. 1921. Motion to recomisider entered in House .May 4. 1921. Comnatted to Immigration and Naturalization June 24. 1921. After much strenuous labor the committee favorably reported to the House on February 15 its constructive immigration bill as a substitute for S. 4092. which had passed the Senate by unanimous consent February 5. 1923. The Senate act provided for the admission into the United States of not more than 25 000 orphaned or homeless Armenian children under 16 .ears of age and. in addition thereto. the admission. to join relatives In the United -States. either citizens or declarants. of husbands. wives. parents. grandparents. unmarried or widowed daughters. granddaughters. sisters. sons. grandsons. and brothers under 18.years of age of the Armenian race who have fled from Turkish territory since 1914. admission to be oil the applica. tion of the residents. subject to the conditions of the immigrations laws except the quota act. The House committees bill. as a substitute for S. 4092. Is a comprehensive. constructive. permanent bill. more orderly than any heretofore presented. Carrying out scientifically the principle embodied in the existing temporary quota law. providing for the admission from each country now sending immigrants a mininmum of 400 annually plus 2 per cent of the nationals here according to the -census of 1890. :exempting therefrom the near relatives .of foreignborn citizens and aliens wilo have declared their intention to become citizens. thus relieving the hardship of dividing alien families. starting registration in accordance with President ]ardings rconlmendation by requiring future immigrants to bring a certifictte containing full information -about their liealth. civic record. political activities. and character-. permitting aliens here to return to their native lands for temporary visits: ending the present outrageous evasion of the immigration laws by which dangerous. loathsome. and contagious diseased aliens gain admission as seamen under the La Follette law. .by simply requiring alien seamen to pass the same immediate inspection and medical examination that immigrant aliens have to pass. excluding all aliens ineligible to citizenship unless entering for business. pleasure. or other temporary purpose. and otherwise perfecting and humanizing the existing immigration laws in order that America may be adequately protected from defective. dependent. and objeclionable or surplus aliens as our other laws protect us from defective seeds. diseased plants. inferior live stock. and even surplus foreign goods made by pauper labor. Two weeks were spent on the alienseamen provisions. Demands were made for additional provisions which. in my opinion. were beyond the jurisdiction of this committee. Within a fortnight after this substitute for the Senate bill was reported the legislative situation was about as follows: The calendars of both House and Senate were congested. A filibuster was in progress in one branch and similar obstructionist tactics were threatened in the other. The fear was expressed by leaders that. inasmuch as all immigration matters are highly -contentious. much debate and additional opportunity for -filibuster would be presented if the substitute bill should he brought up for consideration. Finally the chairman secured a promise of a rule. although he was informed that more rules were at that time authorized than could be considered during the brief time remaining before adjournment. Ascertaining this to be a fact. and after mature consideration. and in order to try to get through some of the immediate and urgently needed provisions of the substitute bill the chairman Introduced a short bill providing for admission of the near family relatives of American citizensfathers. mothers. husbands. .wives. and minor childrenwithout regard to quotas. and reducing. by way of compensation. the quotas from 3 per cent to 2 per cent. based on the census of 1910. as at present provided in the act of May 19. 1921.