Speech #820244785

Speaker. the veto message of President Truman on H. R. 5678 presents convincing reasons why the President should have vetoed this bill and why the House should sustain his veto. Among other reasons. the President stressed strongly. and properly so. the unfairness of the socalled national origins clause of the 1924 immigration act as our basic law in determining quotas for other countries. While the nationalorigins clause as a basis of our quota allocations was incorporated into the 1924 law. it was suspended from time to time by the Congress until 1929. when it finally became effective. This is rather clear evidence that the very Members of the Congress who passed the immigration law of 1924 entertained serious doubts in relation to the wisdom. soundness. or fairness of the nationalorigins clause as the vital part of our organic immigration law in determining quotas that the various countries of the world should have. I remember well that the first speech I made in the House as a new Member was against the nationalorigins clause. And now. over 32 years later. President Truman in a ringing veto message. calls attention to this very clause. its unfairness and the fact that this quota systemalways based upon assumptions at variance with our American idealsis long since out of date and more than ever unrealistic in the face of the present world conditions. This clause was unrealistic when enacted into law in 1924. and when it became effective in 1929. It is equally unrealistic now. Its result. if not objective. in 1924 was to reduce far below what was fair and equitable immigration from certain countries of Europe. At that time one of these countries was Ireland. as were the countries of all of southern Europe. The result. if not the purpose. on the other hand. was to give other countries a much higher quota than the rule of fairness and equity called for. I opposed the nationalorigins clause before it became operative in law because I considered it unfair. contrary to American fairness. and inconsistent with American ideals. It brought about a quota system that was an insult to many racial groups that made up our people. For we must remember. heretofore and now. Americans are not a race. they are a people. Any effort to base a quota system upon such a concept as the nationalorigins clause is wrong from the outset. While it must be tolerated and adhered to as long as it is the law. the fact that it has been in operation for 32 years does not make it right. President Truman has made a ringing contribution to a restoration of American idealism and justice in relation to our quota system by his condemnation and repudiation of the nationalorigins clause. The bill is the result of 4 years of study and effort by the members of the committee who considered the same. The veto of the President is not a reflection on them. The drafting of a codification or of a new immigration law is a very difficult task. There is much good in the present bill. However. in addition to the objectionable nationalorigins clause there are other provisions of an objectionable nature that justifies the action taken by President Truman in vetoing this bill.