Speech #690171074

There was little opportunity offered to answer the propaganda of these selfstyled patriotic organizations or the socalled 100 per cent Americans. Most of the magazines that published this propaganda refused to accept for publication statements or articles answering these attacks. This campaign was especially successful in the South and the West. where very few of the foreign born reside and where few of the immigrants go to. In 1920 Congress was told that there were on European shores millions who desired to come to the United States. These immigrants were described as Bolshevists. inferiors. and undesirables. Congress was asked to pass an emergency law to stop this alleged large influx of immigrants. and on May 19. 1921. the first quota law became effective as a temporary Immigration measure. The proponents .of this law declared In the Senate and in the House of Representatives that during the time the law would be In force the Immigration Committees of Congress would study the immigration problem and would later - submit a plan for a permanent immigration law. This quota law was extended to June 30. 1924. I believed that the Immigration Committees would study the question of distribution of immigrants and would propose a plan which would make It possible for many immigrants to migrate to sparsely settled States where the immigrants could develop those sections. Contrary to my belief. before June 30. 1924. Representative AI.BERT JOHNSON. chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Immigration. proposed to Congress that a 2 per cent quota law be enacted as a permanent immigration law. Under the emergency quota law the number allowed was limited to 3 per cent of the number of European nationals who were in the United States as shown by the Federal census of 1910. The permanent quota law reduced the quota to 2 per cent. based on the Federal census of 1890. The census of 1890 was used in order to further restrict immigration from eastern and southern Europe. For example. the combined quotas for Russia and Poland based on the 1910 census was .5.382. while the quotas for these countries by the use of the 1.890 census totaled 8.230. The quotas for Great Britainincluding Irish -Free Stateand Germany were not greatly reduced. Under the 3 per cent law they were allowed an annual quota totaling 144.949 and under the 2 per cent law Juiy 2 these countries received a combined annual quota of 113.801. Mexico. Canada. and the other North and South American countries were not included in the quota law. The immigration act of 1924 established three different immigration policies--first. no restriction for Mexico. Canada. and the countries in North and South America. second. some restriction for the northern and western European countries. and third. practical exclusion for eastern and southern European countries. The 2 per cent quota law of 1924 created two classes of immigrants. nonquota and quota. In the nonquota class were placed the unmarried child. under 18 years of age. and the wife of a citizen of the United States. ministers. rabbis. and professors and their wives and unmarried children under 18 years of age. students and returning domiciled aliens. A preference within the quota was granted to the husband. the unmarried child between 18 and 21 years of age. and the father and mother of a citizen of the United States. Skilled agriculturalists and their wives and children. under 10 years of age. were also placed in the preference class. No nonquota or preference status was given to the wives and children of those who were not citizens of the United States. The immigration act of 1924 has caused untold hardship to many citizens and to many resident aliens. These aliens were admitted to the United States before the passage of the immigration act of 1924. They came as pioneers and looked forward to bringing their wives and children to their adopted country when they had established a home for them. They desired to become useful citizens. but under our naturalization law they must reside in the United States at least five years before they may be naturalized. The State Department recently reported to Congress that because the annual quotas for about 23 European countries are very small it will take from 2 to 13 years to permit those who have already secured preference within the quota to obtain visas. to say nothing about the number of years it will take for the wives and minor unmarried children of noncitizens to receive immigration visas. In December. 1924. I introduced the first bill to amend this law so as to permit closei fireside relatives of citizens and of alien residents of the United States to be admitted as nonquota immigrants. On December 7. 1925. at the convening of the Sixtyninth Congress. I reintroduced this bill. and later Senator JAMiES W.