Speech #800199409

House would make the kind of appeal that has just been made by the Representative from Michigan. Certainly. this is the last place in the world where anything even resembling an appeal to religious prejudice should even be whispered. The fact of the matter Is that under our immigration laws there are no quotas according to religion. a quota Is according to nationality. When. therefore. the Representative from Michigan talks about the number of Jews who came into this country he is doing it for the deliberate purpose of appealing to the baser instincts of people who do not sit in the halls of the Congress of the United States. I do not believe this Committee ought to adopt this amendment for the reasons that I stated on yesterday when I opposed another amendment which had as its purpose the accomplishment of the same thing. I think we would be rendering a great disservice to the English people if we would encourage immigration of people who are making a contribution to their export trade which means the dollars so necessary for their survival. As I stated on yesterday. these Polish soldiers are being well provided for in England. The gentleman from Michigan. who spoke a moment ago. told me on yesterday in a private conversation that these men could not get employment because the British labor union would not permit them to work unless a British labor union member were given a job at the same time. I say to you that that is far from the truth. because you must bear in mind this fact. that in order to produce coal the British have very bravely created unemployment in other fields and have directed the unemployed workers in these other fields into the coal mines. into jobs that are today being held by many of these brave Polish soldiers. I am entirely in sympathy with what the gentleman seeks to accomplish. but it certainly seems to me the way to do it Is through an amendment to the immigration laws. This bill is designed for one purpose and one purpose alone. namely. to get these concentration camps. and I use that term advisedly. off the backs of the taxpayers of America. I am of the opinion that if this bill is enacted into law and if these people. who will be carefully screened as they will be. come to the United States under the provisions of the bill other nations will do their full share toward locating these people to the end that these camps can be abolished within the 2year period.