We are indebted to the gentleman from New York. the Honorable EMANUEL CELLEa. chairman of the Judiciary Committee. who provided the leadership on this issue. We are also indebted to the gentleman from Ohio. the Honorable MICHAEL A. FEIGHAN. chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Nationality. for all of his tireless efforts. We owe a vote of thanks to the members of the subcommittee which spent the long. arduous. and necessary hours holding hearings.. drafting and redrafting the bill we now have before us. Another man whose great contribution to immigration reform should be acknowledged is the gentleman from New Jersey. Congressman PETER W. RODINO. JR. He has continued to strive. not for months. but for many long years. in the hope and in the knowledge that his efforts would one day help abolish the national origins quota system. Through the tireless efforts of a great number of Americans. we have reached the day when we will at last erase a great stain on our countrys honor. For 40 years. the national origins quota system has remained on our statute books. in contradiction to every American concept of equality and justice. making a mockery of the ideals we so cherish. The basis of Americas greatness has always been a commitment to the value and dignity of the individual and a willingness to admit immigrants of diverse backgrounds and talents to our land. We have always measured a mans worth by his capacity to contribute and not by his religious beliefs or nation of origin. We must adhere to this conception and continue to be a nation of nations.
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Immigration immigration national origins quota immigrants