Speech #790105921

I assure the gentleman from Michigan I will yield to him the usual 30 minutes for debate on the rule. Mr. Speaker. this rule makes in order the bill to authorize the admission into the United States of persons of races indigenous to India. to make them.racially eligible for naturalization. and for other purposes It provides for 2 hours of general debate after which the bill will be read for amendment under the 5minute rule. The purpose of the bill is to permit approximately 100 of the 390.000.000 of East Indians to enter the United States annually under the immigration quota law. and to allow the naturalization of approximately 4.000 East Indians who have been in the United States for many years. providing they are able to comply with the regulations governing naturalization. who under the existing law have been precluded in obtaining citizenship. The enactment of this legislation will place the East Indians in the same status as the nationals of other Asiatic nations who are permitted to enter the United States in limited numbers and whose subjects residing in the United States are eligible for naturalization if able to meet the requirements for citizenship. I am informed there is a general demand for the enactment of the proposed legislation. Only 2 years ago the House passed a similar bill to permit the same number of Chinese to come to the United States under the immigration quota law. The Senate also favorably considered the bill and the President signed it.. This action had a wholesome effect upon the Chinese Government and its people and served to cement more firmly our ties of friendly relations with that country. In 1917 the Congress passed a restrictive immigration law. I am pleased to say I was a member of the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization at the time that law was enacted. Naturally. we have amended the law from time to time and I am of the opinion that we should further amend it at this time to accord the same privilege of admission to 100 of the 390.000.000 East Indians to our country annually. and the same right or opportunity of naturalization to those who have resided in our country for a long period as we have accorded to the Chinese people. The legislation was recommended and urged by former President Roosevelt. also by President Truman. by the Attorney General and the Department of State. and all who are familiar with conditions in India and who have the best interests of our Nation at heart. Mr. Speaker. I know the gentleman from Illinois . who is a member of the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization. will later explain more fully the need for the enactment of the proposed legislation.. There are many sound and pertinent reasons why the measure should pass. Of course. I realize there are a few gentlemen in the House who will endeavor to create an issue and shout that the enactment of this bill will open the door for the admission of millions of immigrants. Such assertion is not unusual on the part of these gentlemen who fail to realize that our country has not been injured by the admission of immigrants in the past but. to the contrary. has benefited to a great extent by reason of the large immigration prior to the First World War. Those immigrants have shown a true democratic spirit and love of our country and have proven their patriotism in the last and present war. Some of the gentlemen of the opposition will claim today. as they have in the past. that the admission of the limited number of East Indians will affect the standard of living of our country and that it will compete with American labor. Such statements are unwarranted because today. notwithstanding the tremendous immigration in the past. the standard of living in the United States is far beyond that of any other nation and the wages of American labor higher than in any other country. Despite the higher cost of production we have been able to compete with the world and have been able to outsell any other nation. regardless of the low wages paid in other countries. The opposition is aware and familiar with these facts and their opposition to the pending measure is due to unwarranted and unjustifiable prejudice. I repeat there are many reasons why this bill should be passed. The present immigration law is discriminatory in that it excludes East Indians from admission to the United States. It has served as a bait for other foreign nations in insinuating to the East Indians that our country does not deem them as worthy of admission to our country. Such insinuations have been useful to other foreign nations in obtaining political advantage and fostering favorable commercial relations. and which have militated to our disadvantage.