Speech #680076438

But It was done finilly by Action Of Congress in passing a law that forbade them to come. Later hnother treaty. only a little better. was made. and the same difficulty arose. One of the great dangers to America now is a danger involvIg the dignity and importance of this body. and that Is in the passing of control of immigration to the treatymaking power. With that power elercised in the regular way this body loses all voice and the foreign governments get a voice in our immigration policy. Let it be controlled by agreement made by the Executive with some foteign power by "gentlemens agreements" and not even the Senate has a voice. The gentlemens agreement with Japan is an instance. the Senate never saw it. nobody outside the 8tate Department knows what Is in it. There were different versions of it. A partial statement of it was pUblished In 1908 by the Commissioner General of Immigration. President IRoosOvelt. on page 414 of his autobiography. stated one phase of it which was never published to the American people elseWhere. so far as I have seen. That was that if the Japanese did not stop the immigration of laborers from Japan the Unitbd States would Vass an exclusion law. The developments now justify that. if it were not justifiable on other grobnds. In the case of a treaty you have the Executive. however large a conception he may have of his prerogatives. meeting the chancelleries of the world and agreeing to let their surplus population come and stay here.