National origins provision of immigration law

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1796380105

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-196168

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: National origins provision of immigration law

Place of publication:: Washington

Publisher:: Gov. Pr. Off.

Year of publication:: 1929

Scope:: III, 171 S

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Statement of Edward R. lewis, chairman executive committee, Immigration Restriction Legislation, Chicago, Ill.

Collection:: Economics Books

NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW 97 see that a good many persons were on these ships who were not British. A second element that enters into this question is that, when the foreign immigrant came to these shores—and that was particularly true m the Philadelphia port—those fearful-sounding names rang rather harsh and strange in the ears of the British officers, who could not pronounce them, much less spell them. So they just proceeded to Anglicize them at the very moment of entry into this country, and wrote the name down as it sounded to them and not according to its European speliing. There were many cases of this kind, I am told. Another very important element that enters into this is the fact that to trace national origins means largely as a rule to trace the name, because up until a very recent date those statistics were not analyzed for that purpose, and we know they are not available. Marriage would change it; you would have the classical example in this book by Faust, that has been quoted by Mr. Lewis, as to what happens to a man who marries an Irish woman who had an English father and a Swedish mother, and so on down the line; and it takes you entirely into the realm of the impossible. Then, too, there were a lot of Germans and a lot of Italians and others of all nationalities—Slovaks and Ukranians and so on—who had unpronounceable names, and who Anglicized them for matters of convenience, business, or politics. You will find many thousands of such cases in the records in the courts of those States which require a regular procedure to do that sort of thing. Senator Reep. But not prior to 1790? Mr. Mowrrz. Not, perhaps, prior to 1790. But the difficulty is that prior to that time there were no substantial records available, and all of it is based upon guesswork. Now, those of us who be- lieve that the first duty of an immigrant is—and the first duty of those who preceeded them and who have had the advantage of the teachings and the institutions of this country—is to, as quickly as possible, bring that new immigrant’s mind to a point where he will readily assimilate into our social structure. And when we do that we get away from the idea of keeping nation- alities in this country segregated because of their nationalities, and we give them a new interest which will lead them to the position of mind where they will not, as Mr. Lewis has quoted General Pershing, decide American questions from an European standpoint. I think that was very well put, and it concerns one of the great evils which we must avoid. You know there is rivalry between nations. But I am not one of those who even before the war believed in twisting of the lions tail every time you wanted to get a cheer out of a crowd of listeners, and therefore I do not say this in the sense of jealousy or rivalry with the British. But I do say this, that when you are confronted with a schedule which is based palpably upon a guess, and which while it gives overwhelmingly to one nation at the expense of other nations, there must inevitably arise the question of unfairness and discrimination—and if it is not a guess, then all the journals I am prepared to quote to you, all the writers, all the authorities are wrong, and the administrations was twice wrong in refusing to put it into effect

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