Speech #690172439

Mr. Speaker and gentlemen. it is probable that Members will be called upon this summer to answer many questions in regard to the " national origins" provision of the immigration act- of 1924. The " national origins" plan for the prorating of 150.000 quota immigrants according to the origin of the peoples who have made the United States since the beginning is to go into effect July 1. 1927. provided the President Issues a proclamation on the recommendation of three Cabinet officers--the Secretaries of State. Commerce. and LaborIf they can agree upon a statistical statement which shall serve as a yardstick for the prorating of the proposed limited immigration. You will notice the statemeat just made by me contains a "provided" and an "if". and we may all be assured that these two qualifying words will cause extensive hearings and much inquiry during the winter session. To date neither House nor Senate Immigration Committee has gone further into the "national origins" plan than at the time of Its incorporation in the act of 1924. In this connection. let me say that the statements which have been widely printed to the effect that Capt. John B. Trevor. who helped propose the original figures for a "national origins" division of immigration. is not a British subject. never was in the pay of the British Government. but is an American citizen of Revolutionary ancestry. He is not in the pay of the Carnegie Institution. or any other foundation or organization. but is a man of independent means. a prominent cit:zen of New York. a student. and the holder of many degrees and honors. His work in this matter has been entirely voluntary. and it will interest the Members of the House to know that the original " national origins " tables were made up for the purpose of supporting the House proposal for immigration based on 2 per cent of the population as shown by the census of 1890. A study of our population at that date showed that that quota. based on that census. followed closely the origins of our people. Under an extension of remarks granted to me two or three days ago I shall place in the RECORD a further statement concerning the national origins plan. without any comment for or against. but containing bibliography on the subject. Members may refer to this if they care to go into the subject during the summer season. In conclusion. I desire to express my appreciation of the work of the members of the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization. and to thank the Members generally for the confidence they have placed in that committee. In the seven niontlis of -the first session of the Sixtyninth Congress our committee has had before it 106 bills and resolutions and has taken action in some form or other on almost every one. and has now pending before it six or eight major subjects. including the highly involved problem of a modern form of naturalization. The committee has held a great many hearings. sitting several times a week. and has issued 16 pamphlets covering these hearings.. which embraced more than 1.500 pages of printed testimony. All Members realize that immigration problems. no matter of what magnitude. run at once to individual cases and disclose individual hardships and troubles. Individual appeals are hard to resist. but the fact remains that a substantial majority of the committee still believes firmly in restriction of immigration. the extension of time for naturalization. with the additional requirement of a working understanding of English as a basis for citizenshp.