Speech #680069960

I was dealing with the proposition of a quota based upon the racial stock. I have tried to outline the difficulties encountered in taking the original 3.000.000 and endeavoring to trace the number that would correspond to that racial stock. Whn W6 come to the immigrants. we have 40 different nationalities. representatives of which have come here at different times. We have no reliable data as to those immigrants. or as to how many of them returned home. until 1908. we have no census reports as to races or peoples until within the last 25 years. beginning in 1899. How is It possible. therefore. to state tile number that would correspond to the racial stock of fortyodd nationalities coming under these conditions? Mr. President. I did not mean to go into this question of dhanging our quota basis. We have now a quota basis for Immigration based upon thenationals of the respective countries that are at present in the United States. but the question to which I have referred Will undoubtedly in the course of time come up for discussion. I did not intend to take so long a time on this subject of quota. The third proposition in the pending bill is the excepted classes. I wishto sayand then Ishall conclude in four or five minutesthat the pending bill is restrictive. both from a humanitarian and an economic point of view. It confines immigration absolutely within the quota. with the exception of the excepted classes. It has no nonquota classes. as there are under the present immigration law. except. of course. as to the excepted classes. These excepted classes include those who are not ordinarily classed as immigrants. as Well as the native born in this hemisphere. Section 3 of the bill provides as follows: When used in this act the term "Immigrant" means any alien departing from any place entsidethe United States destined for theUnited States. except (1) agovernment official. his family. attendants. servants. and employees. (2) an alien visiting the United States temporarily as a tourist or temporarily for business. study. or pleasure. (3) an alien in continuous transit through the United States. (4) an alien lawfully admitted to the United States who later goes In transit from one part of the United States to another through foreign contiguous territory. (5) a bona fide alien seaman servingas such on a vessel arriving at a port of the United States and seeking to enter temporarily the United States solely In the pursuit of his calling as a seaman. (6) an alien previously lawfully admitted to the United States Who is returning home from a temporary visit abroad. Hlere is an important provision: (7) An alien entitled to enter the United States under the provisions of a.treaty or an agreement relating solely to immigration. As -Senators know. we have commercial treaties with various countries.and thetraderswho come in underthese commercial treaties are not strictly immigrants. They come in for purposes of trade. They may reside here a greater or less length of time. but they nevergiving you. as I am perhaps without his authority. the opinion of the Secretary of Statehave been classified as Immigrants. and therefore they are excepted. Then. again. an agreement relatin.g solely to immigration is in thepresent text of this bill. That. of course. would leave the Japanese question. about which we have heard so mu.h. exactly in its present condition. excepted out of the quota law. Tlose classes of aliens also Who come here under treaties as traders are excepted out of tie quota law. In other words. so far as the text of this bill is concerned. we have left the Japanese question to be settled by diplomacy. and If Japan has construed the gentlemens agreement too liberally. it was the view of many members of the committee that at least before repealing that agreement she should be consulted inthe matter. I desire to say here that with regard to this last provision the committee have been under an embarrassment. for the reason that the Senator from California rMr.