Speech #700189428

A prominent American journal recently said of my work in this House and on this committee that I believe that "the way to restrict immigration is to restrict immigration." I accept that as a correct interpretation and a compliment. The only objection which the antirestrictionists have to this bill is that it does not go far enough in the direction in which they want to go. The objection which restrictionists have to this bill is that it is a long move in a direction backward from the restrictionist standpoint. seriously impairing the. naturalization laws. making a serious breach in the immigration laws. and preparing the way for further backward movements on both these lines. The main provisions of this bill have never been before this House. They consist of the Copeland amendment. added by the Senate to the harmless and helpful provisions of the Vincent bill (H. I. 349). correcting some minor weaknesses in naturalization procedure. The Schneider bill . reported by the House committee in the absence of the chairman by a divided vote. carried some of the provisions of this measure. but some of the safeguards which the objectionable Schneider bill carried were. of course. eliminated by the Copeland amendment. and some entirely new and bad things were embodied in the Copeland amendment not included in the Schneider bill (H. I. 13793). The conferees are in this report handing the restrictionists of the House a "package" the like of which neither the House committee nor any conference committee have before called upon them to accept during my service in this House. While handing us this gas bomb the conferees and the other body have taken away the mask which our denatured deportation bill was designed to furnish. The history of our deportation bills will be interesting to restrictionists of this House and the country and will throw light upon the situation which presents such a proposition as this to the House and the country. During the Sixtyninth Congress your committee expended great labor on a deportation bill. which it reported to the House and which the House. upon mature consideration. passed by a large majority. That bill went to the Senate and was never passed. During the first session of this. the Seventieth Congress. your committee reported a somewhat modified edition of the deportation bill. which had already passed this House during the former Congress. but that second edition remained asleep on the calendar. After the purpose to bring forth some such measure as this fully developed. the chairman hurriedly threw together some matter on deportation which the committee hastily considered and which the House hastily passed. That bill contained much that was good. but having received immature consideration was in some of its parts subject to just criticism. The bill was as a rider placed on a Senate bill and went to conference.