Speech #820201212

Mr. Chairman. this Is an effort to modernize this immigration law at the same time we are trying to codify it. and to modernize It insofar as we can by making the standard for determining the national origin quota the latest decennial census which is available for that purpose. 1940. instead of utilizing the census of 1920. which is the present law. and which this bill continues. The reason I do not use 1950 is because upon inquiry from the committee. I was very graciously informed that it would take about a year for the analysis of statistics to catch up with what would be required should we change the provision in this bill. But. certainly that does not apply to the decennial census preceding it. which is The reason for this amendment is this. The national origins quota system has been very much assailed on the ground that it is discrirhinatory against the present complexion of the United States based on national origins. and that whereas in 1920 we had an extremely heavy quota for Anglo Saxon peoples. if we took a later census. the census of 1940 or even. indeed. the census in 1950. if we could. it would begin to correct that complexion to some extent and give a greater quota to countries of southern and eastern Europe that are. suffering very seriously under the whole quota system.