Speech #740169526

I will repeat portions of my address over the Yankee network last Tuesday. I do so because the address contains some statistics on this subject. and I am not sure how they jibe with the statements made by the Senator from North Carolina . From 1901 to 1914 nearly 1.000.000 immigrants entered this country each year. The average was a little more than 923.000. Under the act of 1924 immigration was reduced during the 6 years from 1925 to 1930 to an annual average of about 294.000. This was 31 percent of the prewar average. Early in the economic crisis consuls abroad were instructed to enforce strictly the clause in the act of 1924 prohibiting the issuance of visas to aliens likely to become public charges. By this ruling immigration for the 5year period 1931 to 1935 was reduced to less than 5 percent of the prewar average. or 44.041. For a country so large as the United States. with a population of more than 120.000.000. this figure is small There is another point which should be emphasized in this connection. Each year aliens abandon domicile in the United States and return to their old homes. During the past 4 years the number of such alien emigrants leaving the United States has exceeded the number of immigrants admitted. With comparatively few exceptions. the aliens in the United States today were admitted prior to 1931. For the last 5 years immigration has been reduced to less than 45.000 per year and is more than counterbalanced by the outflow of aliens. The number of aliens in the United States today is less than 5.000.000. The total is being rapidly reduced by naturalization and by mortality. Another matter concerning which there is gross exaggeration is illegal entry. It is frequently alleged that millions of aliens have entered the United States illegally. and are subject to deportation. A few aliens admitted as visitors overstay the time allowed them. a few evade the immigration border patrol and slip into the United States from Canada or Mexico. and a few more are smuggled. But there are not nearly so many of these cases as is commonly believed. and most of those who enter illegally are eventually apprehended and deported. The former Secretary of Labor. William N. Doak. and the present Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. Col. D. W. MacCormack. after going into this question carefully and weighing all the known facts. each reached theconclusion that the total illegally here and subject to deportation does not exceed 100.000. instead of three and a half to ten million. as frequently alleged. Let me state. as chairman of the Senate Committee on Immigration. that this Congress does not propose to relax in the slightest degree the existing restrictions on immigration. The country has determined on a policy of highly restricted immigration. and the policy meets with the approval of the vast majority of its citizens. Until employment can be found for the millions who are now jobless and on relief. it would be folly to admit new workers to compete with them. A word now about naturalization: There are many immigrants who have been in this country for years who have made no attempt to qualify as citizens of the United States. During the great flood of immigration. alien workers formed colonies of their own nationality in the great manufacturing and industrial centers. It is doubtless true that when these aliens were actively employed there was little incentive to prepare themselves for citizenship. even though educational facilities for such preparation existed and do exist through our publicschool system and other philanthropic and patriotic agencies throughout the United States. I think the attitude of the Government has changed considerably in recent years with reference to aliens becoming citizens. in that we are more interested in good moral character. the applicants attitude toward his home. his family. his neighbors. and the community in which he lives. My own idea is that we do not condone or care to have in this country undesirable aliens. There has been a marked increase in naturalization in recent years. During the past 5 years final certificates of naturalization have averaged over 125.000 a year. or three times the number of immigrants admitted. For the benefit of my committee and Senators I made an inquiry regarding the number of naturalization applications before one court. and was informed that at the present time there were from 1.200 to 1.500 per week. This is an Increase of two and onehalf times the number of applications before the same court prior to January 1. 1934. Much of this huge increase is due. first. to liberalization of State and Federal oldage pension laws. second. to those who have hopes of the adoption of the Townsend plan.