Speech #710026006

There were scarcely onefourth natives of Americaabout onehalf Irishthe other fourth were English and Scotch." Mr. President. I submit. in conclusion of that issue. that we do well to leave that alone as a basis of our consideration in the laying of any foundation upon which we are going to base immigration quotas. The regrettable thing to me In this entire controversy is the position taken by the American Legion and by the Daughters of the American Revolution. and other wellintended and wellintentioned patriotic organizations here in America. The attitude of the American Legion is doubly regrettable because of the lack of understanding which is so largely true of members of the Legion itself. a lack of understanding as to just what would be accomplished under immigration based upon the nationalorigins provision. I have had several letters from leading men in the American Legion. seeking to show where I was in grave error in championing or having anything to do looking to the repeal of so fine a thing as the nationalorigins basis of immigration quotas. I took particular pains in answering these letters. and went at length into an explanation from the record as to precisely what would be done under national origins to our immigration quotas. sending along such statements of facts as were then available. including a record of the hearings before the Senate committee. and in one case In a few days I received from the individual to whom I had written a letter apologizing for ever having asked me to do anything other than support the move to repeal the nationalorigins provision within the immigration act. Before this debate is over I hope to have permission to incorporate in the REcoRD the letter which I wrote and the answer which I received. to which I have just referred. It is not generally knownit is not. known in this body. at least it has not been until more recent daysjust what national origins would accomplish. Yet we are led to believe. and there are those who would cause us to believe. that the great and fine American Legion knows just what would be d6ne. and that they are all for the nationalorigins clause within the immigration act. Mr. President. I have deep regret. too. over the position taken by the Daughters of the American Revolution In this controversy. I have seen a letter this morning written by one of the leading members of that patriotic order in Illinois which. in substance. apologizes for having recommended to some one else that national origins was the thing upon which to base immigration quotas. The writer did not realize. she said in this letter. what it was all about. and did not realize just what was going to be accomplished and what was not going to be accomplished under national origins. These things are regrettable. The American people have not had that opportunity which they ought to have to realize. to study. and to come to appreciate just what national origins is intended to do and just what national origins would accomplish. It is said. and with feeling in many quarters. that immigration quotas based on national origins would bring us a splendid counterpart of our present population here in the United States. A comparison of the two bases under consideration. the 1890 basis and the nationalorigins basis. by one with average intelligence. it seems to me. demonstrates that there is a grave doubt as to whether under national origins we would bring in a serious counterpart of our real selves as we are constituted here in America at this time. Indeed. I look upon national origins. in so far as it may bring us a counterpart of our real selves. as something of a fallacy. In view of the representation which has been made that under national origins we are going to bring in this element of immigration each year which is going to be so much a picture and so much a counterpart of what we really areI am driven to ask. if so fine a thing as that is going to be accomplished. what is going to happen if one country falls down and fails to send us its entire quota? Here we are. bringing into the country under national origins this perfect mixture. this fine. perfect mixture of all Europeans. We are bringing them in in just those numbers that are going to represent just what we are today.