Speech #680200956

On the other hand. in returu for this neighborly attitude we show to Canada. Canada allows us to place at her ports. like Halifax. Montreal. and Vancouver. our immigration inspectors. and the immigrants who come in through those Canadian ports are examined by American officials as to their suitability for coming into the United States. It is an entirely satisfactory arrangement. It works very well. and the examination is very rigid. I find that about 5.600 immigrants coming to the United States were examined in those six months in Canadian ports instead of in American ports. As a matter of fact. it is practically impossible to prevent their coming across the border if they get into Canada. even If we try to do It. We have a long land border which is difficult to guard. and it is much better. from our standpoint. to examine the immigrants before they get into Canada and let them cross at will that imaginary line than it is to provide a Canadian quota. which is an unneighborly thing anyway and is practically impossible to apply. We have too many laws in this country now that look all right on the statute books. but which can not be enforced In practice. At all events. whatever the cause. Canadian immigration has fallen off in the current year by about onethird as against last year. Turning to Mexico. there. again. we are told that America "is being swamped by hordes of illiterate Mexicans coming across the border in great numbers." That is not true. Last year. the year that ended June 30 last. under the old law. we did gain 87.410 Mexicans. 89.000 came in. 1.900 only went out. That was under the old law. For some reason which I do not understand. but which I think is partly due to an increased zeal in enforcing the literacy test. the number has been very much reduced in the present year. so that in the first six months of the current fiscal year we took in only 11.701 Mexicans and we sent out 1.432. a net gain of 10.269. That is a reduction of 75 per cent In immigration from Mexico. although there is no check on It by the quota. law. A more practical check. It seems to me. is the application of the literacy test and the head tax which every Immigrant has to pay.