Speech #810154754

President. the proponents of displaced persons legislation have so beclouded the issue with cries of religious discrimination and persecution that there is no wonder the people of this country have been misled and deceived. It is a sad state of affairs when such spurious tactics must be resorted to in order to put over legislation which could never be passed if the true situation were revealed. The fact is that we are faced with the same old immigration problem that has beset the Congress ever since the restrictive laws of 1921 and 1924 were written into our immigration statutes. It is strictly an immigration problem. We again have hundreds of thousands oi Europeans knocking at the doors of the paradise of their fondest dreams. At one point in the history of this country they found welcome. but when it became evident that eastern and middle European nations were imposing upon the United States by sending us all their undesirables along with many more desirable elements. a halt had to be called. The immigration policy of this country had developed over a long period of years. After all the controversial issues had been studied and determined. the first restrictive measures were passed in 1921 and finally the immigration act of May 26. 1924. was passed. That legislation settled once and for all our immigration policy. By that act we gave notice to the world that we would no longer take unlimited numbers of unfortunate Europeans into the economy of the United States. Quotas were set for each of the European nations. based upon the ability of the country to absorb all nationalities into our Englishspeaking society. There was great danger under the plow of immigration prior to 1921 that our longestablished traditions and our American way of life might be destroyed by the great influx of continental immigrants with their inborn hatreds. their closeknit traditions. and their strange tongues. The restrictions were absolutely necessary to the preservation of our Nation. How many of my colleagues would for one moment consider repeal of our immigration laws so that the floodtide of these unfortunate refugees from the hard times of Europe might again rise? That. Mr.