Speech #680076429

Chairman and gentlemen of the House. I have no fear for the future of this Nation. I do not stand here in fear and I trembling because of its institutions. for I can look back to my district. one of the districts made up of cosmopolitan people. and there I can see the representatives of almost every nation of Europea happy people. a prosperous people. with no race or religious prejudices. with no race suicides. but there happy. rosycheeked children of the immigrant playing in the playgrounds and upon the highwaysthey the future citizens of this Nation. Mr. Chairman. after studying this bill and the hearings held thereon by the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization a thing which strikes me rather forcibly is what appears to be an effort on the part of unscientific men to solve the problems of immigration by scientific methods. So forcibly has this point impressed me that I have searched the entire records of the progress of this bill and fail to find that the pseudo scientific claims of the sponsors of the bill have been substantiated from any scientific source. As a matter of fact this committee assuming to deal with the highly scientific subject of racial characteristics of man has failed to invite the opinion of any recognized scientific authority on the subject. The question of the desirability of one race of people as against another has been handled in a most slovenly manner. and this legislative bungle Is the result. a bill smattering of KuKlux Klanism. religious bigotry. and racial hatred. I have heard much said by way of recommending that the socalled Nordic race. as potential American immigrants. are more desirable than other races of people. and I wonder if these champions of the Nordic people really know what they are talking about. I wonder if they know the origin of these Nordic people who are now represented as bearing in their hands the panacea for the imaginary perils assailing American Ideals and institutions. the sedative for the hysteria which. strangely enough. had its birth so soon after the rebirth of the KuKlux Klan. It is not my purpose. nor my. desire. to plunge into discussion of the origin of the races of man.. their migrations. and their final blending into the types which inhabit the world today. but I would like to dwell briefly on the cycles of immigration to the United States which have governed the discovery. exploration. colonization. and development of our country. In the beginning there were no human beings on the American Continent with the exception of the American Indian. That fact given recognition. the only deduction remaining Is that all others now oil the American Continent are foreigners or descendants of foreigners. It is pertinent to ask. by what divine right do these foreigners and sons of foreigners ordain that this glorious corner of Gods green earth is to be set aside for their particular and peculiar benefits? Granting and in hearty accord with the principle that we have the right to control and regulate immigration to our shores. by what methods of reasoning do one class of Immigrants arrive at the astounding discovery that their race or type is superior to all others? After acknowledging that our American Indian is actually the only "100 per cent American" in our country we arrive at the next stage of our racial compositionthat of discovery. There is no need for lengthy discussion of this phase. but it is important to again note that a son of ItalyChristopher Columbusgave to us the wonderful heritage we enjoy today In America.