Speech #680054684

Mr. Speaker. having been to Alaska and havIng some knowledge of the great stretch of territory to be protected. I expect to support this measure. not only in the hope that it may save human life. not only in the hope that it may help in the enforcement of our revenue laws. but I am going to support it also in the hope that it may help break up this smuggling of immigrants. which are now being slipped into this country. according to the Secretary of Labor. in numbers estimated at from 50.000 to 300.000 a year. Now. I hope that all of you gentlemen who have been fighting as I have for the enforcement of the prohibition law will get behind some movement here to put the entire force of the United States Navy. the Coast Guard. and every other agency of this Government behind the enforcement of our immigration laws. One distinguished gentleman said to me the other day. " I have fought for the enforcement of the prohibition laws ever since I have been in either House of Congress. and in my opinion our immigration law is being as flagrantly violated by the smuggling of aliens into the United States under the law we have as is the prohibition law." Now. we are on the verge. I hope. of the passage of a new immigration bill. I sincerely trust. at least. that in a few days we may pass viat is known as the Johnson immigration bill. or the bill now pending before the committee. in order to save America for Americans in the future. so that our country may not become the dumping ground for the riffraff qf the Old World. I hope those in authority will see to it that every agency of our Coast Guard Service. the Navy. the Army. and whatever else is necessary will be brought to bear to enforce the immigration law. This is one law that the American people today are interested in as they have never been before. and I realize that if we leave the great Territory of Alaska unprotected we are likely to have thousands of these foreigners pile in on her shores and make their way into the United States from that Territory. For these reasons. Mr. Speaker. I shall support this bill in the hope that in addition to the other services it may render in enforcing our revenue and prohibition laws and in saving human life. it may also render further valuable services in helping to break up the present practice of "bootlegging" aliens into this country in violation of our Immigration laws.