National origins provision of immigration law

Bibliographic data

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 Dr. Herbert Friedenwald, Washington, D.C.

Collection:: Economics Books

NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW 61 cases of that sore wash out one another, and that most persons born in Ireland are Irish, and most persons who are born in Germany are Germans; and that the exceptions rather cancel one another and our common senge tells us that most persons are born in the country in which their race lives. } } The national-origins calculations, you see, take into account all those persons who have immigrated into the United States since 1790, and for many of them we have precise statements of their origins. We have statements of the 1920 census of the country of origin of the persons born here whose parents were born abroad; and there again we have an element that is very definite. What method do you prefer to national origins? Doctor FriepENwALD. I do not know, but I would like to see any sane method but that method utilized. If you want to restrict immi- oration, if that is your point, then .do it on some basis which can be justified not merely by the calculations which are largely based on guess of men who are called statisticians, but on some rational basis, either upon a reading and writing test as we do now on the basis of population. But you can not determine national origins. Take my family. T do not know what it is. Take the Jews, par- ticularly. They probably are about as pure a race as exists. There are no pure races. There is no such thing as a pure race. “There ain’t any such animal.” The Jews are probably as pure a race as exists. But they have intermarried, largely among gentiles, all over the world, and. as in the case of my own family, there has been a perfectly enormous intermarrying of Jews and Christians in every country where Jews have ever lived. How can you determine what racial origins is? And national origin means racial origin, practically, as worked out; and that is the reason I regard as hopeless any racial-origins standard. I can not understand it and I am pot attempting to. It is perfectly im- possible for me to do it. Senator Rerp. We are seeking light from you, Doctor. Of course, it is perfectly obvious somebody must do something. What should we do to substitute a method for national origins? Do vou believe in numerical limitations of immigration? Doctor Frmpexwarp. I may state quite frankly that I do not believe in restriction of immigration except to keep out the people who are lame, halt, and blind, who are diseased and are liable to become a public charge. In other words, any able-bodied man or woman, I believe, is an asset to the country. Senator Reep. Now, let me interrupt, Doctor, at that point. Doctor FriepeNwarp. Let me finish what T wanted to sav? Senator Rep. Certainly. Doctor FriepeENwarp. Now, then, the country has determined to differ from me, and I accept that. The method by which you de- termine who may enter the country is upon the basis of population already existing here. Why do you want to complicate it? That method is complicated enough. Why complicate it more by adding to it what to my mind is absolutely impossible of working out on any basis, not only of reason, but in fairness to the people here or the people we want to allow to come in? IERRE_ 90K

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: National origins provision of immigration law

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation