Speech #690137978

Section 11. subdivision (b). of the immigration act of 1924. which my House Joint Resolution. No. 250 seeks to repeal. by amendment to the act provides that "the annual quota of any nationality for the fiscal year beginning July 1. 1927. and for each fiscal year thereafter. shall be a number which bears the same ratio to 150.000 as the number of inhabitants in continental United States in 1920 having that national origin to the number of inhabitants In continental United States in 1920. but the minimum quota of any nationality shall be 100." This method of establishing immigration quotas Is generally referred to as the "national origins method." Subdivision (e). of the same section 11. further provides that the determination of national origins shall be made by the Secretary of State. the Secretary of Commerce. and the Secretary of Labor. jointly. This interdepartmental committee in determining the quotas for each of the foreign countries. may call for expert assistance and Information from the Bureau of the Census. Further these officials shall. jointly. report to the President the quota of each nationality. determined as outlined in subdivision (b). and the President shall proclaim and make known the quotas so reported. on or before April 1. Apart from the question of a just quota for any particular nation. on the very face of this law appears a most serious objection. Under the national origins plan. enacted by Congress. that body does not itself in fact legislate. On the contrary it shirks its constithtional duty of itself determining the �nuotas. by surrendering. or at least passing over to this inter.departmental committee the powers and prerogatives of Congress. in the premises. In other words. the legislative .branch of our Government abandons a part of its constitutional fonetions in favor of another branch of the Government. the .executive. Remember the three Secretaries. comprising the Interdepartmental committee. are members of the Presidents official family. Under this law these Cabinet Members. together with the President. under his duty and responsibility to proclaim the quotas determined by three of his official advisers. are made the only and final arbiters on the important matter of immigration quotas for each of the foreign countries. Moreover. this commission Is not even required to report to Congress or notify it of the specific reasons upon which it bases its findings in the matter of establishing the quotas. I hold this interdepartmental committee has such wide discretionary powers that their determinations. with respect to the establishing of the quotas. should never be permitted to pass on to the President for his proclamation. without first having been referred back to Congress for the latters consideration and approval.