Speech #780122619

Mr. President. I say that we should stop all immigration now for 1 year after the war. which would afford us sufficient time to make a reexamination and reappraisal of the immigration question. and to study the whole question and find out what groups we can assimilate and what groups we cannot assimilate. what groups we want and what groups we do not want. I do not think anyone would protest against such action. I now wish to refer to the American Legion. My distinguished friend the Senator from Florida stated to the Senate in an eloquent address today that the American Legion favored the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. I read in that connection a portion of an editorial from the Washington Post of Thursday. October 28. 1o43. entitled "Immigration." in which the following appears: This resolution urges that "all immigration be barred from the United States from the date of the end of hostilities of the present war until employment has dropred to less than 1.000.000." . Mr. President. that is the language of a proposed amendment sent to me today by a representative of the American Legion with the request that I today submit -it as an amendment to the pending bill on .the floor of the Senate. The amendment proyide& that no one shall be permitted to enter the United States as an immigrant in competition with our own American people if we have here unemployed 1.000.000 persons or more. So I offer the amendment.