Speech #710094999

Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the House for the permission granted me to make a short speech in order to outline very briefly a bill introduced by me today for the regulation of Immigration into the United States from countries on this hemisphere. I am proud that I was present here to hear the Presidents message read concerning the plans for law enforcement. and that I was privileged to follow the reading of that message. I noticed that the Presidents message favors a consolidation of the various inspection services at our border. I also noticed that the Speaker referred the portions of the message relating to each phase of the various controls at the border to the particular committee that would have jurisdiction. This means that the immigration borderpatrol discussion will be referred to. the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization. of which I have the honor to be chairman. On the border many of our laws have to be enforced. Laws relating to plant and animal quarantines. narcotics. liquor. imports. customs. immigration. and other protective laws have to be enforced. The entire public wants all of these laws enforced. Our Immigration Committee set up the immigrationborder patrol and secured the first $1.200.000 by which it was established. There was no civil service of suitable employees available. so the turnover in men was heavy for the first two years. and then we began to enroll a fine lot of men of the type tMat works without regard to hours. men who ride their own horses. cook their own camp meals. and guard fully the sneakin places. These men travel frequently with customs or prohibition enforcement men. and our immigration men seize lots of automobiles and turn in many liquorlaw violators to the authorities of the other services. Gentlemen. I believe it will be well for these various border guardians to always travel in pairs or in threes. It will really be economy and will make for the safety of the men and the public. Our Immigration Committee has made an extended study of the subject. and much testimony is in ourfiles. We have tried hard to have our border patrol enlarged. I used to believe that a unified border patrol was the only thing. Then I visited various ports of entry on both borders. and I came to the conclusion that the United States could neverfor the salaries it payssecure men competent to lead the hard life of the border and at the same time acquire a good working knowledge of the highly involved immigrations. customs. prohibition. and other laws. and the regulations of the departments with relation thereto. That would be more than we should ask of the men that we can secure for the money paid. But all that will be determined by the various committees having charge of the various parts of the procedure. The enforcement of law is a nonpartisan matter. and I have no doubt that the various chairmen and the ranking majority and minority members of each committee which the Speaker named will soon find a method for coordination. Our immigration committee will have published certain hearings not heretofore printed. so that all nay read the testimony given by witnesses brought by us from distant border places. But. Mr. Speaker. I arose to discuss and explain a bill which I have this day introduced. a bill to apply a numerical limitation to immigration from all countries of the Western Hemisphere. This measure would apply a new quota system. permitting an influx into the United States equal to three times the annual immigration of American citizens to Western Hemisphere countries. It would also authorize the establishment of a plan of immigrant selection by the Secretary of Labor to "develop a homogeneous population in the United States." If the administration and the Congress are earnestly trying to improve industrial. crime. and other conditions in this country. there is nothing that can be done that will be more important to that end than limitation of Western Hemisphere immigration. We have cut off most of the immigrant stream from Europe and Asia. to our great benefit. but one result has been an extraordinary intake across our northern and southern boundaries. Depression of wage scales by Immigrant job seekers in New England and the Southwest is a notorious fact. That depression is evident in Los Angeles. Calif.. where paupers fill the asylums. while ablebodied workingmen walk the streets for work.