Speech #680076438

It Would require the erection or acquisition of Suitable Stations and the organization of the forces. all of which would Involve an enormous expense ahd require much time. Therefore. American immigration stations will be maintained at the home ports. as heretofore. While it IS hoped that fewer excessquota Immigrants and a smaller number which have to be rejected for other reasons will be turned back from our ports. yet our stations and our home forces Will continue to be maintained. All those excluded under the act of 1917 or subsequent acts who chance to present themselves at our ports will be rejected and sent home. It would be unfortunate for the people of the United States and for prospective immigrants to understand that this bill is based on the foreign selection of immigrants. It only attaches to the work of the consulate the duty of counting immigration tertificates and vises and of refusing vises to those found to be Inadmissible as immigrants. but leaves the work of examination to be done at the home ports with an entailment of all the Consequences attendant thereon. except that it is hoped that the number of rejections will be greatly reduced. But let it be understood here and abroad that the Government reserves the right to reject at its own ports all found to be legally Inadmissible. It should be frankly recognized and avowed that the measure is intended as a highly restrictive one. by which the number of those admissible to the United States from Europe and other regions to which the quota provisions apply shall be reduced to about onehalf of those permitted to come under the temporary 3 per cent quota act of 1920. based on the census of 1910. This will be a substantial reduction. It is greatly to be regretted that the restrictive provisions of the measure have not been applied to Mexico and South American Countries and adjacent islandS. It would probably be necessary to apply the quota to Canada If It was applied to Mexico and adjacent countries. The United States Is now getting some 00.000 or 70.000 Immigrants per year from Mexico and a larger number from Canada. A 2 per cent quota tO Mexico. based on the census of 1890. would reduce the number coming from Mexico to about 1.500 pet year and would affect Canada in much the same way. The committee has found the task of regulating immigration from the Orient and from Europe and Africa and the Near East big enough for one undertaking. It will regard the country as fortunate If Congress successfully and adequately deals with that important undertaking at this time. but the Congress and the country should understand that the time is at hand when immigration from Mexico. South America. Canada. and adjacent islands must be more restricted and better controlled. At present our forces are utterly inadequate to administer such laws as we have. This act will fail largely unless additional funds and forces are provided for the enforcement of it and the act of The act pr*ovides additional selective tests. It leaves In force all the provisions of the act of 1917 relating to examination and inspection and adds the quota restrictlons and the other regulations carried In this act. The term "selective immigration." as often loosely usedmeaning one thing to one writer or speaker and another thing to anothercan be aptly applied to the act of 1917. It was and is highly selective. This act. in choosing the sources of immigration and regulating the number coming from different countries. Is made more selective. One cardinal principle which has controlled the committee in providing this additional method of selection is the consideration of racial homogeneity. In exercising its unlimited right to select the sources from which the countrys population shall be recruited the United States is under no obligation to use the latest census nor any particular census as tile basis for its count. It is certainly not bound tO receive greater numbers of the newer immigration merely because they are newer. which would be Involved in using the last census as the basis. The fairest basis would bq one which would make our immigration from European countries most nearly approximate in racial qualities the present population of the United States. That would make for the perpetuity of the old race. and its institutions and for peaceful accord and eooperation among Americas hundreds of millions who must find happiness and work out their destiny here. setting an example of order. peace. and cooperation. and leading the world toward the best things of which the race is capable. The limited time at my disposal will not permit me to further discuss the provisions and probable effect of this measure. If it were legislatively possible to do It. I would be glad to see a complete stoppage of general immigration. Of course. there would have to be provisions for the coming of certain exempt APRIL~ .