Speech #710316513

Speaker. ladies and gentlemen of the House. in my opinion the bill under consideration is merely another hysterical effort on the part of this Congress to do something to relieve unemployment. and under the guise of patriotic endeavor a great many Members of this House are being deceived as to the real purpose of the legislation. There is not any question but that one can appeal to the patriotic ardor of MembeTs of the House in this period of economic depression and get their support for an exclusion measure. but the bill before you is not as good in its provisions as are the regulations under which we are operating now. The Department of State. under the regulations which it is using. is excluding at least 93 per cent of the applicants for immigration to this country at the present time. This bill is a snare and a delusion. as far as being an exclusion measure is concerned. Gentlemen have not taken into consideration for a moment another principle involved in this bill. and that is the right of American citizens to have united to them their fathers and mothers who are now in the old countries. From an economic standpoint. you are making a great mistake if this bill is enacted. Over $300.000.000 a year is being sent abroad at this time to support the wives and minor children of aliens and American citizens resident in this country. If you can spell from this bill anywhere a regulation of immigration beyond that which you are receiving now. if you can get from it an economic benefit that we do not now have. then I believe you would be justified in passing the bill. but as a matter of fact. it is wrong from the standpoint of economics. it is wrong from the standpoint of humanity. honesty. and justice on the part of the people of this country.