President. I approve the conference report. I should like to say that. although the distinguished Senators from Massachusetts and New York differ with me on the desirability of placing a limitation upon immigration from the Western Hemisphere. they did an exceedingly fine Job and merit the thanks of the Senate for their work on this legislation which now nears fruition. I believe that one of the most meritorious features of the bill is the limitation on immigration from the Western Hemisphere. The provision for this limitation removes one of the serious defects in our existing immigration law in that it removes the discrimination in favor of the nations of the Western Hemisphere as against the nations of the Eastern Hemisphere. Although there may be no great hemispheric immigration problem at present. it is better to lock the stable door before the horse is stolen. The countries of the Western Hemisphere. outside the United States. had a population of approximately 67 million people at the beginning of this century. At the end of this century it is estimated that the same countries will have a population of approximately 600 million people. The United States simply cannot absorb unrestricted immigration from the Western Hemisphere. I believe that the bill is the best obtainable at this time in our Nations history. I believe that we will offend our Latin American neighbors less by placing a limitation upon immigration from South America and the West Indies. as well as the independent countries of North America. outside the United States. now. before a great many of the 600 million people demand entrance to this country.
Keywords matched
immigration