Speech #680073927

It is. In my opinion. one of the most valuable documents ever put out by a conanittee of Congress. Why is it that. when only a few years ago so many people were saying we should not restrict immigration ait all. now so) many are demanding ain even heavier restriction than under the present quota law which expires on June 30? I will tell you why. We have discdvered that tIe reports that there are 600.000 persons in Russia who have already made application for passports and visds to come to their relatives in the United States are true. we have discovered that the reports that there are 70.000 persons. stacked up in Warsaw. trying to get to the United States are true. It is true also that refugees are temporarily domiciled In all the countries on the western border of Itussia waiting an opportunity to come this year. If you will notice. I say " temporarily domiciled." because those adjacent countries will not receive them as permanent residents. but ire permitting them to stop there. hoping that our quota law will die. that we will have nothing In its place. and that they then may move on to be guests and wards of dear old Uncle Sam. and ultimately his citizens. It is true also that on the books of the Italian emigration ofticials in Italy there are the names of nearly 300.000 wouldbe emigrants to the United States. That is the number already booked ip by time Italian emigration authorities. Italy has made a business of exporting emigrants. and out of about 300.000 sent by Italy to all the countries of the world in the year just ahead of the enactment of our first (uota law about 280.000 of ill those Italians got to the United States and not to the other new countries of the world. South America. or Canada. Not many went back to Italy. The United States from the beginning has been extremely generous with regard to immigration. but now the time has come to slow it down almost to the stopping point. If any Menmer will pause as lie passes through the lobby and look at the large chart which shows the arrival of immigrants by decades and notice the great peaks which show the immigration waves after the year 1890. that Member will find out exactly why this committee reported a bill with 1890 as the census basis. It makes no difference from whence they cometoo many come. Wbat I want to impress upon you is this: The mass of immigration that came to the United States at the rate of 1.000.000 per year for several years began shortly after 180. and it was so great that it caused the beginning of an intense agliation to shut down oi immigration. Although efforts to secure restrictive legislation had been under way for nearly 40 years. nothing was really done until the first quota law was passed. and that quota law. my friends. was the beginning of the end of the United States as an asylum. People have charged Congress with delay and neglect. and have wondered why Congress did not long ago cause the overseas examination of prospective immigrants. The reason we could not do that. my friends. was that this idea of an asylum prevailed. and as long as the United States maintained the idea that we must continue as an asylum for the oppressed of the worhl. you could not very well examine prospective arrivals in other countries.