Speech #680110506

That this subdivision shall not take effect as to exclusion until March 1. 1925. before which time the President is requested to negotiate with the Japanese Government in relation to the abrogation of the present arrangement on this subject. And thereafter. on May 7. 1924. at 3 p. m.. the conferees met for the purpose of signing the report that the conference had theretofore finally and fully agreed upon on the evening of May 6. 1924. and as it now appears from the conference report filed the conferees accepted and adopted the Presidents proposed amendment to subdivision (c) of section 13. Immigration is purely a domestic question. solely within the control of Congress through its legislative power. the President having no control save and except in vetoing or approving legislative acts. The President of the United States has no constitutional authority or right with reference to legislative matters. except by advice. by message to the Congress. or by action of approval or disapproval of final legislative action. and therefore a transfer of the control of the immigration to the United States to the treatymaking power excludes the House of Representatives from any right or control of the terms of said treaty. is contrary to our form of government. and a yielding of the rights of the House to deal with immigration hereafter. This must not be. Mr. Speaker. I respectfully and courteously request that I be not interrupted. as I shall not yield. For 15 years I have labored upon this question of immigration with the Committee on Immigration. first with Mr. Burnett as chairman. and for the last five years and over with the gentleman from Washington . I have given my undivided time and attention to the legislation pending before that committee. at times neglecting practically every other thing. because I consider this one of the most important questions before as well as affecting the American people. After months of labor the committee brought out an immigration bill. and the records will show that many. many of the provisions of that bill were those that were penned by myself and adopted by the committee. and that those were provisions that gave the bill real teeth. Upon the floor of the House. when the bill came up for consideration. I did what I could to see that it passed as it was reported by the committee.