Speech #710127003

I am very glad the gentleman has asked that question. In 1924. when you passed your discriminatory immigration act. you cut down the number from the whole of southern and eastern Europe to almost nothing and you gave the favorite child of your immigration law. Great Britain. 75.000 or 80.000 out of the total of 150.000 quota numbers. and you almost froze out everybody else in every country of this great civilized world. and I believe the gentleman voted for it. As I then stated on this floor. why close the front door and leave the back door open to Mexico. but I was the only voice on this floor. outside the gentleman from Illinois . We appealed to the House in 1924 and stated that you were only closing the front door. that you were destroying families by enforced separation. that you were separating brothers from sisters. fathers from mothers. and at the same time you were letting all these Mexicans come to this country. but you paid no attention to me or my distinguished friend the gentleman from Illinois . who had served his State and the Nation with high ability on the Committee on Immigration.