Speech #810274553

The parts of Asia under European colonial powers were increasingly turnIng their eyes and hopes from Europe and other parts of the world to America for the new inspiring leadership of the future. And then our country did something that was both wrong and a mistake. To correct the labor troubles. particularly on the Pacific coast. arising from the lower wage standards of oriental immigrants. we declared all Asians ineligible for American citizenship. There was a real problemnobody denies the difficulty presented by the oriental who could and would work for a fraction of the white mans wagebut Congress adopted the wrong solution for the problem. If we had given as the reasons for excluding Asians the economic reasons which in most cases were the real reasons. there would have been hardly a murmur of protest. They know we are a sovereign nation and have a right to regulate our own immigration. But we do not have a right to insult people because of their race or color. at least not if we want them to be our friends and allies. Unfortunately the reason we gave for exclusion was the color of their skins. We branded every person anywhere in the world who is of the yellow or brown races as being biologically inferior to ourselves. No matter what his* or her education or brilliance or culture or charm or refinement or other accomplishment. he or she was publicly stigmatized and permanently barred from ever being admitted for naturalization as a ritizen of the United States. which at the same time proclaimedthat God created all men equal. That day we turned Japan over to the militarists. They taunted the liberals who were our friends: "Oh. yes.