Speech #710026736

I regret that I am not more fully in accord with the Senator from Pennsylvania. I know his earnest and deep interest in the subject. After he had concluded reading the statement from Colonel Taylor. the representative of the American Legion. made before the Committee on Immigration. he asked a question of the Senate if anyone could say that that society representing the Legion had not made a deep study of the subject. I think. in the.interest of clear thinking and correct understanding. some challenge ought to be made to the implication suggested by the question. The American Legion early became interested in the question of restriction. Many legionnaires deeply had the idea of exclusion. It was natural. I think. that those who had served abroad during the World War and had come in contact there with the elements of the French Army which included the French territorial Asiatics and the French territorial Africans. and who had seen something else of the foreign element there. should look with alarm upon the idea of a great influx of those people or any of the foreign people to our shores. The Legion therefore very early took up the idea of restriction. It is true the Legion is committed. not only by Its national organization. but through its State departments and meetings of posts throughout the land. to the idea of restriction of immigration. I do not think it follows. however. and I say this with all respect to the opinion just expressed by the Senator from Pennsylvania. that because Colonel Taylor. who is a representative of the Legion here at the National Capital. has taken up the idea of national origins. that the Legion itself has made a study of the subject. Let me tell the Senator of an incident called to my attention yesterday or the day before. I received in the mail a newspaper clipping relating to how a speaker had appeared before a Legion post and how he had argued against national origins as a basis of admission into our country. how he had made the argument against it upon the ground that it took into consideration not only the American citizens. but it took into consideration the foreigners within our shores just as the Senator from Pennsylvania has so many times pointed out during the course of the debate today. He criticized that as being unfair to Americans and as being unfair to the foreigner who comes here and attains American citizenship and as putting a premium upon the foreignborn immigrant who comes here and does not even seek to attain American citizenship. According to the newspaper story. this speaker suggested that. after the next census. when the total number of American citizens was again brought down to date. we should revise our immigration law by the utter repeal at this time so far as that is concerned of national origins. and then that we should base it wholly upon the origin of the different groups who have attained citizenship as Americans in order to put a premium upon Americanism. That suggestion. which I am not proposing here as my own. according to the newspaper reports. the members of the post stood up and applauded. Let me say that that was merely an appeal. of course. to their patriotism. but it would indicate to me that. so far as that particular post was concerned. they were not very deeply wedded to the idea of national origins.