I want it understood that I believe there are some splendid provisions in the Johnson bill. I think. first of all. it is constructive. I really believe the Johnson bill is a constructive immigration bill. I believe it is humane in many of its provisions. I believe it is a vast improvement over the present law. and for that reason I am anxious to have Incorporated in it a basis for computing the immigration which will not subject us to the criticism that we are being subjected tothat we are discriminating against races or nationalities. I will say to the members of the committee who presented this report that it is because I believe in so many of the provisions of this bill that I am so solicitous about getting a fair American basis for calculating the quotas. and for that reason I have proposed taking the average of four censuses. When you take a cross section of 40 years of American history you reach the people that came here back as far as 1870 and 1860. The immigrants of these decades from 1860 to 1890 were reported in 1890 as foreign born. so that you really go back 50 and 60 years. You understand that when you take my average for four census periods you include the foreign born who were registered here in 1890. but the people who were registered in 1890 might have come in 1880. 1870. or even 1860. So that you have at least a cross section of half a century. and I claim that is a fair proposition. As I said the other day. and as I repeat now. to take any one year. whether it is 1890 or 1910 or 1920. is manifestly unfair. because under such a plan you give preference to the people who arrived in greatest numbers nearest to these census years.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants foreign born