Speech #750001225

I have today reintroduced a proposal (S. J. Res. 40) to amend the Constitution of the United States so that in apportioning Representatives in the National House of Representatives aliens who have not cornpleted their naturalization shall not be counted. The Constitution now provides that in apportioning Representatives among the States the whole number of persons shall be counted. excluding only Indians not taxed. The effect of this is to give States with large alien populations additional representation in the popular branch of Congress. at the expense of those States whose population is largely made up of nativeborn and naturalized citizens. According to the latest census figures. there are some 14.000.000 foreignborn persons in the United States. Of these nearly 8.000.000 are naturalized citizens. These would be counted if the amendment I am proposing should be submitted to the States and should be ratified. There are more than 1.000.000 of these foreign born who have taken out first papers. these -would not be counted under the terms of my amendment until they had taken out final citizenship papers. After that they would be counted the same as are nativeborn Americans. The census also shows some 4.500.000 foreign born who have made no move toward becoming citizens. plus onehalf million carried in the census reports as having no citizenship records at all. In other words. there are about 6.000.000 foreign born in this country. not citizens. who are accounted in apportioning Representatives in Congress. In one State alone. New York. there are nearly 1.500.000 foreignborn persons who are not citizens. but who were allowed representation in Congress.