Speech #710024451

Mr. Chairman. before entering into the discussion of the question of the constitutionality of the amendment that will be offered to exclude aliens in making the apportionment of Representatives. I want to call attention to some statistics showing the population in certain States. and also the foreign population in those States not naturalized. These statistics are based upon the last census taken. that of 1920. and show some rather interesting facts. more especially in view of some of the very able arguments that have been made during the consideration of this measure by Representatives from some of those States. I do not want to be understood as claiming that any representative in either branch of Congress would be Influenced in his consideration of this measure by reason of a large foreign population in his State. and particularly a large foreign population not naturalized. Certainly this could not be the case. No doubt it is just one of those strange coincidences that once in a while occurs. and no explanation can be made as to why it occurs. I want at this time to call your attention to the State of Massachusetts. According to the last census it had a population of 3.852.356. of which there were 629.227 foreigners not naturalized---over a half million. That was over nine years ago. and the good Lord only knows what it Is at this time. That shows that at least 16 per cent of the population of Massachusetts was unnaturalized. while the State of Missouri had. a population of 3.404.055. almost as much as Massachusetts. with only 78.772 not naturalized. or 2 per cent. With aliens excluded. Massachusetts stands to lose two Representatives. while under the proposed bill Missouri will lose two. The State of Connecticut. the home of one of the fathers of this measure. which State is about as large as a goodsized Kansas county. had a population of 1.380.631. of which 233.634 were not naturalized. In other words. 17 per cent of the population of this little State was not naturalized. While the State of Kansas had 1.769.257. of which there were 48.509 not naturalized. or only 3 per cent. Connecticut stands to gain one Representative. while Kansas. with practically the same population and only 3 per cent as against 17 per cent unnaturalized. stands to lose one if aliens are counted. Take the State of Michigan. in which so many of her Representatives are taking so much Interest in this legislation. Michigan had a population of 3.668.412. of which 383.583 were not naturalized. or 10 per cent of her population. and from all reports there may be twice that number now. While the States of Nebraska and Iowa had a combined population of 3.700.392 and a combined foreign population not naturalized of 117.823. or 3 per cent of their population. Under the present arrangement of counting the aliens Michigan stands to gain two Representatives. while the States of Iowa and Nebraska stand to lose one each. The great State of California had a population of 3.426.861. of which there were 453.397 foreigners not naturalized. or 13 per cent. There Is no way of telling how many have been added to this number of unnaturalized foreigners in that State by the bootlegging of Japanese into that country since 1920. and it must be remembered that this is a class of foreigners that can never be naturalized but can be counted in the enumeration for the purpose of apportionment. The State of Indiana. with just a little less population. that of 2.931.390. had a foreign population not naturalized of 84.977. or 3 per cent. The pending measure will allow California with her Jap population a gain of from two to six Representatives while Indiana will lose one. I could make other observations along this line but what is the use. I repeat. I do not contend that this condition influences the Representatives from those States which will gain as shown by the proposed measure without a provision to exclude unnaturalized aliens. but I must say it has seemingly developed a lot of constitutional lawyers in those States. I suppose the same can be said of the Members in both branches of Congress from the States that stand to lose Representatives by counting aliens not naturalized. Mr. Chairman. from the CO.NkMiSSIONAL RECORD. it would seem that the opposition to this amendment developed in the body at the other end of the Capitol as being unconstitutional. is based principally upon a report from the legislative counsel of the Senate.