Speech #680076975

It is equally true of the Pole. of the Magyar. of the Bohemian. of the Italian. of the Rumanian. of the Yugoslavian. of the Lithuanian. of the Russian. of the Greek. of the Armenian. of the Turk. of all who have come to us from southern and southeastern Europe. To all should be extended the same measure of just and equal treatment. In the matter of immigration no one element of our population is entitled to any higher degree of consideration than the rest. The elements of our population that are derived from southern amnd soutleastern Europe would not be treated justly and fairly if the quota in the pending bill were based upon the census of 1.890. For instance. under that plan Italy would be entitled to only 4.089 immigrants. as against 42.057 under the immigration act of 1921the present lawand 28.038 under the quota of the pending bill. which is based on the census of 1910. And so with respect to Russia. from which a great portion of our Jewish population comes. Under the 1890 quota Russia would be entitled to only 1.992 immigrants as against 24.405 under tIle existing law and 16.270 under the quota of tile pending bill. In Baltimore city we have a large number of Italian citizens. or Italians on the way to citizenship. We also have a considerable number of Poles. and a large number of Russians of Jewish extraction. to say nothing of other inhabitants derived from southern and southeastern Europe. Many of these representatives of foreign nationalities are as good citizens as any that we possess. and if the flow of immigration can only be arrested for a time even the greenest of them will. I am satisfied. become thoroughly seasoned Americans. I Insist that neither the Englishnman nor the Scotchmian nor the Irishman nor the German nor the Scandinavian nor any other individual from western or northern Europe has any more title to recognition under the pending bill than have these individuals from other parts of Europe. In my opinion. the only absolutely just and equitable basis upon which to rest the immigration quota under the present bill is the "nationalorigins" basis. Under that plan each nationality in Europe would be entitled to representation in the immigration quota in the same proportion as that which the whole number of people in this country. native or foreign born. sprung from that nationality bears to our entire population. native and foreign born. If the "nationalorigins " plan should be adopted. it appears to me that no nationality in Europe would have any just cause to complain. On the other hand. injustice would be created in case we fixed the immigration quota exclusively with reference to our foreignborn population. instead of fixing It with joint reference to our entire foreignborn population and our entire native population. Surely the Englishman or the Scotchman or the Irishman or the German or the Scandinavian is entitled to become an immigrant in the future to the extent that representatives of his land have already become a part of the population of the United States. for in this respect the "nationalorigins" plan bestows upon him no measure of privilege that it does not also bestow upon the Italian and the other inhabitants of eastern and southeastern Europe. It is true that under that plan Italy would not be entitled to as.large a quota of immigrants as she is entitled to under the existing law. although she would be entitled to a !arger quota than she would be entitled to under the census of 1890. but she would have no just cause to complain. Italians would be admitted to this country in proportion to the whole nuaber of Italians that have already entered into the composition of the people of the United States. and the same thing would be true of every European in the other European countries. Nothing. it seems to me. could be more even banded. more just. fairer. or freer from objection than the scheme of apportionment which underlies the "inational origins " plan of restricted immigration. Consequently. Mr. President. when an amendment shall be offered to the pending bill as is proposed. basing the immigration quota upon the census of 1890. I shall vote against It for the reasons that I have given. I am not willing to disparage any nationality that has contributed to the population of this country. above all. I am not willing to proscribe any such nationality. I want all Immigrants to the United States to stand upon ani equal proportional footing: and consequently when an amendment shall be offered to the pending bill as is proposed. basing the Immigration quota upon the " national origins" scheme of apportionment. I shall vote In favor of that amendment. It will afford a most satisfactory. not to say complete. solution of all the vexed questions connected with the subject of immigration that we have been discussing In this debate with the exception of that relating to Japanese exclusion. which I shall take up on another day. And now just one other thing. Let me say here. though I am not saying it in exactly the proper connection. that in my judgment it would be infinitely better for the imperfectly assimilated elements of our present population themselves to have the pending bill go into effect than for the gateway of immigration to renmain at all widely open. All. or practically all. of the foreign peoples that have come to the United States froml Europe have made some contribution or other of distinct value to our national life. But to a certain extent all of them that did not speak English when they came have been standing i their own light.