Speech #700170404

I have explained how we determined the origin of the native stock by classifying It on the basis of the 1790 census. Table C Immigrant stock Census year GrandImmigrants Children of children immigrants and later Total generations 1890 ---------------------- 9.121.867 9.794.347 5.752.578 24.668.792 1900 --------------------10. 213. 817 13. 139. 149 9.183. 279 32. 136. 245 1910 --------------------13. 345. 545 15.907.074 14. 378. 163 43. 630. 782 1920 ---------------------- 13. 712. 754 19. 190. 372 20.629.219 53.532.345 Coming now to the immigrant stock: As shown by Table C. which I have inserted in the record. we can divide immigrant stock into three component parts. It includes the immigrants themselves. as shown in the second column of Table C. It Includes the children of Immigrants. as shown in the third column of Table C. and It Includes grandchildren and later generations. As regards immigrants themselves. the classification has been made by the census. There is no element of estimate there . the foreign born are classified In the census by co=try muster rolls of the State of Massachusetts show that at different times in the Revolutionary War over 150.000 soldiers had enlisted from that State when as a matter of fact the total population of Massachusetts was only approximately 300.000. Some one testifying in the hearings before the Senate comlnittee brought out the fact that investigation of the national origin of those who wrote the Constitution of the .United States had been made and that about 80 per cent of the members of the Constitutional Convention were of English origin. Statistics taken from the Century of Population and Growth shows the number of people of the various nationalities in the several States when the first census was taken. I am inserting these statistics in the RECORD at this point. The data referred to are as follows: of birth. and as regards children of immigrants. the classification has also been made for us by the census. We do not have to estimate there. The element for which we do have to estimate consists of grandchildren and later generations. the classification of which by country of origin has not been made by the census. Starting with the census of 1890 the number of grandchildren and later generations at that time was 5.752.578. as shown by this table. That forms only a comparatively small part of the total Immigrant stock. about onefifth of the total immigrant stock. so. as regards the origin of the Immigrant stock in 1890. we may say it was fourfifths known and onefifth unknown. I am emphasizing that fact to show that that portion for which you would have to make an estimate is relatively small. so that errors in the estimate would not affect the totals very much. Coming back to the question. how shall we determine the country of origin of the grandchildren as enumerated in 1890. numbering 5.752.578? It is evident that the country of origin of the grandchildren as enumerated in 1890 would be determined by the immigration which came to this country prior to 1870. Why do I say prior to 1870? Simply for this reasonthat the immigrants who came after 1870 could hardly have produced many grandchildren by 1890. They might have a few. of course. without appreciably affecting the total. but for the purposes of this computation I assume that it takes 20 years to produce a grandchild. So we assume that the distribution of the grandchildren by country of origin would be on the basis of the stream of Immigration coming to this country prior to 1870. If. for Illustration. the immigration was 33 per cent Irish and 37 per cent German. we estimate that the grandchildren would be 33 per cent Irish and 37 per cent German. These are not the actual percentages. but are given for illustration. So we determine or estimate the composition of grandchildren by country of origin on that basis. making some allowance for the different periods of immigration. because those Immigrants who camein earlier would naturally have a larger proportion of grandchildren in 1890 than those that came In later. Having done that we have completed our classification for 1890. the immigrants being classified by the census. the children of immigrants being also classified by the census. and the grandchildren and later generations being classified by the process I have described to you. It was unfortunate that the quotas based upon the foreignborn census of 1890 gave to some countries a quota far out of proportion to that to which they were entitled. It is within the knowledge of every student of history that the immigration into the United States has changed from the standpoint of nationality of those coming as immigrants. In the early history of the country immigration was almost exclusively from northern Europe. When Germany reached its period of great growth and development following 1870 the German immigration became very heavy. Quoting from a speech made by myself in this House on June 7. 1926. it appears that immigration reached its maximum in 1907. when 1.285.349 persons came to our shores as immigrants. To show the gradual growth of Immigration from 1820 to 1924. when the quota law was passed. and the restriction of immigration from that time forward. I am Inserting table of statistics: 1820 ------------------------------------------ 8. 385 1840 ----------------------------------------- 84. 066 1854 ----------------------------------------427. 833 1873 ---------------------------------------------459. 803 1881 ------------------------------------------------ 669. 431 1907 --------------------------------------------1. 285. 349 1914 --------------------------------------------1 218. 480 1921 ------------------------------------------ 805. 228 1923 ----------------------------------------------522.919 1924 ---------------------------------------------706. 896 1925 ----------------------------------------------294.314 Any census taken when the high tide of immigration was on from any particular country would. of course. be more than fair to that country and unfair to other countries. If the census of 1920 had been accepted. the quotas of the southern European countries would have been increased many times. Those who find fault with the nationalorigins plan have been asked repeatedly to furnish a better plan.