Speech #700190895

We therefore can not assume responsibility for such conclusions. under these circumstances. The Senate on February 1. 1927. passed a resolution postponing the operation of the nationalorigins provision until 1928. The House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization amended this joint resolution so as to provide for the repeal of the nationalorigins provision. Since the Congress was about to expire on March 4. the joint resolution was recommitted to the committee which subsequently reported a resolution for postponement. and on March 3. 1927. the resolution for postponement passed the House by an overwhelming vote--234 to 111. The committee of Secretaries made a second report to the President on February 25. 1928. and their subcommittee then stated that they had made a further investigation of the subject matter and had secured the result of the investigations made by research experts. employed by the American Council of Learned Societies. which indicated that the English element. as given in the Century of Population Growth. published by the Bureau of the Census about 20 years ago. was too large and that on the basis of data which they had submitted and of information derived from other sources the subcommittee had come "to the conclusion that the English element. as there given. should be reduced by a little over 10 per cent and the amount of the reduction distributed among the other nationalities represented in the population of the United States in 1790." The subcommittee also stated that.it had revised its estimates for territory not covered in the census of 1790 and had also * made "estimates ". of the "unrecorded immigration which came to this country between 1790 and 1820." This report was so unsatisfactory that both the Senate and the House with practical unanimity passed another postponing resolution which became effective on March 31. 1928. The changes which had been made during the -year by the subcommittee. acting for the committee of Secretaries. affected about 10.000.000 of the present white population of the United States. This year the committee of experts has again reported to the President on February 21. 1929. that they have made further investigation. and that the processes followed in utilizing census and immigration statistics. as explained in their previous reports. have been reviewed and somewhat improved. The committee stated. however. that "as a result of the very considerable amount of effort thus expended. the figures previously submitted have been slightly revised." No claim is made that the figures are more trustworthy or reliable than they were in previous reports. In the presidential campaign last fall both of the candidates for President. of the Republican and Democratic Parties. declared their opposition to the nationalorigins provision. Presidentelect. Hoover said in his speech of acceptance at Stanford University. California. on August 11. 1928: No man will say that any Immigration or tariff law is perfect. We welcome our new immigrant citizens and their great contribution to our Nation . we seek only to protect them equally with those already here. We shall amend the immigration laws to relieve unnecessary hardships upon families. As a member of the commission whose duty It Is to determine the quota basis under the national origins law I have found It impossible to do so accurately and without hardship. The basis now in effect carries out the essential principle of the law. and I favor repeal of that part of the act calling for a new basis of quotas.