Speech #720007273

Mr. Chairman. picture if you will the condition of this country had one and twothirds million immigrants been admitted to the United States during the last fiscal year. According to reports of American consular officers there was during the last fiscal year an estimated demand for- 1.695.284 immigration visas in the 67 quota countries. Every one of these intending immigrants was a potential wage earner. Upon being admitted to the United States many of them would have taken jobs from American workmen. and the rest would have been dependents or objects of charity. What actually did happen? Let us examine the immigration records for the last fiscal year. For the first time since the Civil War the net fiscal gain in population through immigration of foreigners into the United States has been less than 100.000. In the year just closed. only 97.000 immigrant aliens were admitted to this country. and during the same period of time 61.800 departed. In other words. there was a net gain of only 35.200 immigrants during the last fiscal year. In his annual message to Congress President Hoover deals with the subject in a masterful way. Congress should promptly enact into law the recommendations he makes. He said in partThat immigration restriction now in force by administrative action be placed upon a more definite basis by law. Tne President is entitled to credit for the decrease in immigration during the past year and for preventing by the reduction of immigration an increase in the number of unemployed in our midst. Friends of restriction in the last Congress failed to agree upon a definite plan of further reduction of immigration. In the meantime many of the nations of the world were in the throes of a depression. The United States was the last to be seriously affected. The demand for immigration visas mounted until there were. according to reports received by the Department of State estimating the number. nearly 2.000.000 aliens who wished to come to the United States. while the quota under the immigration act of 1924 was 153.744 per year. Many immigrants were admissible without regard to the quota. such as the unmarried child under 21 years of age. or the wife of a citizen of the United States. or the husband of a citizen of the United States by a marriage occurring prior to June 1. 1928. Furthermore. those born in Mexico. Canada. and the other countries of the Western Hemisphere were not restricted by a quota.