Speech #890120738

I take these few minutes to express my conviction that this is good legislation. It may not go as far as some would in liberalizing the restrictive covenants we have had based upon quotas. which were based upon unreal ethnic qualifications. However. at times problems have come up. and will come up again. on the basis of whether or not this Nation at this stage in its history can have a complete open door such as it had in the 1880s and the 1890s. up to about 1910. when we were seeking immigrants to this country In order that we could develop our mills. our mines. and our shops. and build our railroads and other facilities. Too many times when we talk about contributions to America we talk about those contributions which can be seen because of artistic value or because of what has been contributed to the cultural life of this Nation. But the real contribution that has been made was made by the sweat of the brows and the bending of the backs of millions of those who came from where my father and mother came. from middle Europe. from Italy. who contributed the sweat that made this country what it is.