Speech #680076413

Mr. Chairman. If I had my way and were permitted to write this law I would prevent all immigration except tile immediate members of t citizens family for a period of at least five years. I would try to Americanize those who are already here before permitting the entrance of others. Many who had not been naturalized. it Is true. fought for human liberty and the preservation of free government in the World War. and everyone Dralses them for their heroism. and they can become American citizens in fact. When that class of citizens are naturalized they will make Americans and will have our best interests at heart. This bill now under consideration limits tile number of immigrants to 2 per cent of tile number of foreignborn individuals of particular nationalities resident in the United States as determined by the census of 1890. and 100 in addition. The minority report complains th at this will reduce the quotas from the different countries. That is what we are trying to do by the enactment of this bill. In addition to this quota the bill permits the wives. children under 15 years of age. and parents over 55 years old of American citizens to be admitted. Tile bill provides for preliminary examination of immigrants overseas before coming to this country. and places the burden of proof where it belongs. on the alien instead of on the United States. No one has yet made a valid objection to those provisions. Some say that this bill will contravene treaties with certain countries. Our Constitution places the treaty making power. It Is true. in the Executive. but the same document also provides that treaties must be approved by the Senate of the United States. I do not believe that the Department of State is greater than the American Congress. and am opposed to that department. whatever the political complexion may be. making immigration treaties without suggestions from Congress. Let tile Secretary consult with the lawmaking body and then negotiate his treaty. If lie makes a treaty with any foreign country admitting more of the citizens of that country than is good for the United States. then it should be promptly rejected by the Senate. It Is the duty of Congress to make the laws. and the duty of the Executive to enforce those laws. Mr. Chairman. many patriotic bodies in the United States have passed resolutions for the enactment of more stringent immigration laws. The American Legion at its annual convention in San Francisco last October passed the following resolution: That Congress be urged to permanently deny admission hereafter as immigrants or permanent residents to all aliens who are Ineligible to citizenship under the laws of the United States. At the annual convention of the American Federation of Labor in Portland. Oreg.. October. 1923. the following resolution was adopted: We recommend that the executive council be Instructed to advocate before the Sixtyeighth Congress a more stringent Immigration policy. under which immigration shall be curtailed below the present quotas. In opposition to the bill. I quote from a resolution adopted at a conference of foreignlanguage newspaper editors and publishers at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York. December 11. 1923: Resolved. That we. the undersigned publishers and editors of the foreignlanguage press of New York. at a conference in Hotel Pennsylvania. on December 11. express our unequivocal opposition to any and every attempt to limit further the immigration into this country. and to establish cleavages In our democracy by discriminating against certain nationals and racial groups from Europe. particularly as applied in the proposition of the new Johnson immigration bill. which changes the census year upon which the quota is based from 1910 to Mr. Chairman. in the letter with which the resolutions were Inclosed. signed by the chairman of that meeting. Is the followIng statement: We call your particular attention to that part of the resolution which dwells on the proposition to base the new quota of immigration on the 1890 census. This Is the most objectionable part of the new Johnson bill. It is so objectionable that the United Foreign Language Newspaper Publishers and Editors are determined to carry on an educational campaign throughout the length and breadth of this country to enlighten all of our citizens on the iniquity of the proposition. The foreignlanguage papers will not deter any Member of Congress from doing his duty. Such attempted dictation to an American lawmaking body is an insult and i6 another good reason for passing this bill. The following is a table showing the number of Immigrants from different countries based on the percentage of this bill under the census of 1890. 1900. 1910. and 1920: Estimated immigration quotas based on census reports of 1890. 1900. 1910. and 1920- per cent plus 100 for eaoh nationality Estimated quotas based on 2 per cent of census plus 100 Country or region of birth Census Census Census Census of 1890 of 1900 of 1 910 of 1920 Albania ..... --......................... Armenia (Russian) _------------------Austria .................................. Belgium --------------------------------Bulgaria -------------------------Czechoslovakia ..........................