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

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Statement of J. Edward Cassidy, executive director United States Air Force Association, Washington , D.C.

Collection:: Economics Books

148 NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW incident to the independence of this country. Under the 1890 status the late comers who did not share in the hardships and sacrifices of the founders of this Republic are given preferential consideration over the parent Anglo-Saxon stock to the exclusion of the latter, to such an unwarranted degree as to make the present basis not only unsound but dangerous. The two principal reasons for the enactment of the immigration act were (1) the necessity of not further deranging our economic life by a flood of immigrants from countries with specially heavy war burdens and (2) the reduction of the number of immigrants to a point where they can be assimilated. We discovered after we entered the World War that the ‘influx of foreign population had been altogether too great to be assimilated. As this is an English- speaking Anglo-Saxon country, it is clear that English-speaking people from other countries will assimilate much more readily than people from countries not using the English language. For this reason, if there is any preferential basis to be established. it should be given to people of Anglo-Saxon origin. I do not mean to intimate for a minute that there are not large numbers of people from countries other than English-speaking who have done their full share as citizens since they came to this country, but that does not entitle their country of origin to an unwarranted preferential basis over the countries from which the bulk of our parent stock originated. Proponents of the Nye resolution have used a few complications in the matter of origin of individuals in an attempt to show the futility of determining the country of origin, but such cases would amount to only a small fraction not sufficient to detract from the soundness of the national origins basis. From my observations during the World War I do not believe that doubt in national origins cases would exceed 15 per cent, and, to my mind, a proposition which shows a margin of 80 to 85 per cent of definite determination is certainly a sound one. From data which has come under my observation from time to time the doubt as to the workability of the national origins basis has been initiated by those who know the unsound basis of the 1890 foreign-born population, under which certain countries get a prefer- ential status to the detriment of other countries. Under the national origins basis the 1890 census basis would be replaced by a more equitable basis, under which this unwarranted preference would be eradicated. We recognize fully to-day the necessity of the assimilation of for- eign elements, if the country is to remain in control of its Anglo- Saxon founder stock. If the World War had not forcibly brought this fact to the front it is possible that this country would have suffered the fate of the Roman empire, which fell because of the great influx of foreign elements who were not assimilated, and for that reason were not interested in the principles on which the Empire was founded. In 1908 A. P. Schultz, in Race or Mongrel, page 257, states: Up. to the middle of the last century a distinct national character was developing in the United States and certain distinctive traits were forming. The addition of millions of other races has caused a recomposition which pre- vented the endurance of these characteristics and caused this development to PR SO—

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