Speech #800189726

They say that in passing this bill we shall be depriving veterans of homes. preventing them from rehabilitating themselves and from securing employment. Mr. President. in addition to this one organization specifically devoted to lobbying for the admission of displaced persons as immigrants. every leftwing organization in the country has been lobbying to the same end. What appears to be a public clamor for lowered immigration barriers is actually a synthetic and largely alien demand. It Is the old Gideon technique whereby a few make so much noise that they are mistaken for a multitude. Let us not be deceived by this synthetic clamor. The real voice of America is the millions back home on the farms. in the factories. in the offices. in the stores. and in the home. Were these real Americans onetenth as articulate as these lobbyists. they would let us know in no uncertain terms that they favor a strengthening of our immigration barriers rather than a relaxation. Mr. President. one of the appeals made by this potent immigration lobby is the "our share" appeal. We are told that America has "a moral obligation to do its fair share toward admitting these displaced persons." The hypocrisy of this argument is shown by the fact that we have already done far more than our share. We have already accepted 600.000 refugees since 1933. not to mention a vast number which have entered the United States illegally. While I do not know whether the figures are accurate. I am reliably informed that more than 300.000 have come into this country as students but who. in reality. have come here to remain permanently. I have already pointed out that America spent over $350.000.000.000 in the war itself to liberate the peoples of Europe. including those we are now asked to accept as immigrants. We have spent $22.000.000.000 already in postwar loans and relief and are about to spend $17.000.000.000 more under the Marshall plan. Vast sums have been contributed by private charity. No other country in all history has spent onetenth as much. no. not onehundredth as much. to succor foreign lands. as has the United States. So far as accepting our share of immigrants is concerned. I would like to point out that we have accepted 2312 times as many as have Canada and South Africa and 21/2 times as many as has Australia. even though these nations are thinly populated and can use immigrants far more readily than can the United States. Those countries are offering inducements. they are advertising. they send commissions and attempt to get immigrants to come there. I agree with the distinguished Senator from Michigan that this is a problem growing out of the war. which must be solved. There is a saying that the sun never sets on British possessions.