Speech #710224333

Germany is paying a dole to over 2.378.000. Russia is feeding a line of unemployed of over 1.000.000. even Austria is having to look after 225.000 who have been out of work for over. a year. and Italy has 400.000 idle men. Conditions justify the suspension of immigration to the United States in order to protect the American workingman. In the United States there has been consolidation of Industries. both large and small. thereby terminating the employment of many faithful and industrious men and women. in spite of the fact that they have devoted the best part of their lives in helping build up and make these corporations a success. Then there has been a widespread introduction of new laborsaving machinery. making it possible for one machine and three men to do the work done previously by a dozen men. although in many instances new machinesr and new consolidations do create additional work and make possible better wages. Nevertheless. during the change or slack period. if too abrupt. many men and women are at least temporarily thrown out of work and suffer unnecessarily. Expansion of American industry has created a surplus of products for both home consumption and foreign trade. But the most important factor in the present employment situation is immigration. and the most objectionable newcomers enter unlawfully. whether bootlegged in. or lawfully here as temporary visitors or deserting seamen. becoming lost in our population and remaining here in defiance of law. Control of foreign immigration is strictly a domestic question for every country. America has the absolute right not only to determine the number. but to exclude immigrants of occupations not needed here. just as every other nation has that unquestioned sovereign right and exercises it. Charity and sentiment should begin at home. And yet the United States seems to be about the only country in the whole world today that does not absolutely bar the coming of the immigrant who will be detrimental to its economic working and production conditions. There is no telling how much worse conditions now might be had it not been for the Johnson quota restriction law. That law has kept out millions of aliens who were preparing to migrate to America in order to escape the aftermath of the World War in Europe. But good and effective as it is. the Johnson law does not go far enough. Of course. at the time that law was enacted it was impossible to anticipate the recent rapid development of laborsaving devices in the United States. But even now it is not too late to profit by present conditions and the example of other countries. We should authorize the President to suspend immigration whenever. in his discretion. economic and industrial conditions warrant it. We should stop. as President Green and other experts point out. the influx of unneeded labor. hurtful to workers already here. whether native or foreign born. Australia. for example. empowers its Governor General to prohibit by proclamation all immigration. when economic and industrial conditions. in his opinion. justify that step. Australia has not only such emergency legislation but it also has a dictation test which an immigration examiner can give all immigrants. either prior to entry or any time within two years thereafter. The immigrant can be required to write 50 words dictated in any language selected by the officer. Thus. Australia has two means of suspending immigration. The United States has a good selective and numerical restrictive law. but it is not flexible. in that the law does not lodge any discretion in the President or the Secretary of Labor or the Commissioner General of Immigration or give authority to prevent the coming of immigrants within the quota detrimental to working conditions here. The immigration act of 1917 prohibits the coming of the physically. mentally. and morally unfit. and was enacted because some foreign nations were actually giving passports to their deficients. dependents. and delinquents in order literally to dump them upon us. The act of 1924 limited the number that can come from Europe. because of a threatened inundation of immigrants. The law should go further and Cougress should clothe some official with full power to check unnecessary immigration in times of unemployment. The quota law of 1924. limiting annual immigration fr om Europe to 153.714. is not fully adequate. Four hundred and seventynine thousand. three hundred and twentyseven aliens lawfully entered our country. and 252.479 aliens departed. leaving a net alien addition of 226.829 to our population during the fiscal year ending June 30. 1929. Of these 479.327 aliens that entered the United States last year 199.649. or nearly onehalf. were nonimmigrants. coming here temporarily as visitors. tourists. foreign officials. and the like. with no declared intent to remain permanently. Our immigration restriction legislation is the most humane and generous of any country with any considerable immigration. Our laws permit many aliens to come without regard to quota restriction and list them as nonquota immigrants. such as wives. husbands. children. and other near relatives of American citizens. More distant relatives are allowed preference within the quota. So many relatives are coming from southern and southeast Europe that the quotas of these countries are almost completely filled with near relatives of nationals from those countries already here. On the other hand. comparatively few relatives come from northwest Europe. and the quotas of these countries are filled largely with new immigrants. The existing law gives skilled farmers preference. but few are taking advantage of it. in all only 8.309. And if it were taken advantage of. there is little likelihood that the skilled farmer would follow farming In this country. in view of the higher wages paid around .the factories and in the cities. While our lawful net immigration last year .was 226.829. to this must be added about 150.000 unlawful entries and about 25.000 deserting alien seamen. Thus our total net immigration at present may be fairly estimated at about 400.000. as compared with a million before the World War and before the really restrictive Johnson quota law was enacted. Such a volume of immigration is not needed and should not be allowed. The time has come for the United States to suspend all immigration. as suggested by President Green. at least during periods of unemployment. In Europe alone there are now 2.000.000 prospective immigrants who have already applied for visa admission to the United States. Such legislation should apply not only to Europe. but it should apply also to countries of the Western Hemisphere. Every other nation. either by law or by administrative order. seeks to protect its working men and women from foreign competition.