Speech #840102647

And you and I and our friends will have to do something about it. Now within the meaning of the words "What is wrong with our American Government?" you can very easily take anyone of three topics. You could take our immigration laws. and I touch upon that first so there will be no doubt in anybodys mind that I am not being political in my criticisms about government today because although I am a Democrat. I am very much ashamed of the fact that the immigration laws of this country bear the names of two Democrats and I think most highminded Democrats disown the principles of both the late Senator McCarran and my colleague. who still sits with me in the House of Representatives. Mr. WALTER. as written into the McCarranWalter Immigration Act. I have said many times before. and I will say many times again. that act is a blot upon the history of our country and both parties are responsible for it. However. the leader of the Republican Party. the President of these United States. must bear the responsibility for that law not being corrected. and. to his everlasting shame. history will record that he made a deal. a political deal with the authors of that Immigration Act not to press for amendments of it. in exchange for a refugee act that is a fraud and a scandal. If the act has not been properly administered up to the present time. he must also bear the blame for that. In blaming him for that today let us recall that a certain Senator. whom I need not name. no longer holds a whip hand over the President or over his Secretary of State or over the Republican Party. If the McCarthy nominee in charge of that program is still there and in charge of It. our President. together with his Secretary of State. must bear the blame for it. I refer to the Immigration Act because it indicates a lack of sympathy on the part of Americans in high official place. a lack of sympathy for the needs and for what must be done to help people outside of our country who cant otherwise be helped. Now I come to the second of the things that I think is wrong with our Government. It is typified by the following quotation from a member of the Presidents Cabinet and if when she reads it. if she does read. in the newspapers anything that I have said here tonight and says that the quotation was taken out of context of the speech she made on Thursday. my answer is "Yes." Deliberately I have taken it out of context.