NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW 167
»f the committee for the purpose of determination by your committee as to
whether or not the commission has complied with the provisions of the law
in its search for facts and if the facts reported are of such a character that
the committee in its judgment feels they ave sufficient and substantial enough
to form the foundation of the immigration policy of the United States.
It must be clear to everyone that the limitations conferred by law upon the
fact-finding commission extend also to the Committee of Immigration in this
care. The committee sits in a judicial capacity in judgment on the report
and the report of the commission must form the foundation of your decision.
Under the law .it seems plain that the committee is confined to the report of
the commission. It. therefore, becomes important to learn what is the founda-
tion of the commission’s report,
Therefore. I call the committee's attention to the testimony of the chairman
nf the commission's experts” whose duty it is to report to the commission
of three cabinet officials in order that we may learn upon what their report
is founded.
CENSUS OF 1790 BASIS OF REPORT
On page 14 of Senate document dated March 15, 1928, and designated as
Hearing before the Committee on Immigration, United States Senate, Seven-
deth Congress, first session, we read the following:
“ Senator SuipsteAD, Doctor, upon reading the report I got the idea that
fhe census of 1790 plays a very important part in your report.
“ Doctor HILL, Yes; that is true.
“ Senator Smresteap. It is almost a foundation for the entire report, as I
read it.
“ Doctor Hirr, Well, you are talking now about the census records, not
about the century of population growth?
“ Senator SmrpsTEAD. I am talking about the census record, and the century
nf population growth is based, as I understand it, upon the census of 1780?
“Doctor Hin. Yes. ; .
“ Senator SHIPSTEAD. So the census of 1790 becomes the key to the arch of
the whole basis of calculation as I understand the report. I wanted to know
if that is your idea.
“Doctor FILL. Yes; for that part of the population which we call the
ariginal native stock, representing about 45 per cent of the total. '
“ Senator SmipsTeap. Can you tell us how many or what percentage of the
statistics gathered in that report were destroved when the British burned
the Capitol here?
“ Doctor Hirn, Well, the records for New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia, Ken-
ucky, and Tennessee. These records have been lost, but it is not altogether
sertain that they were destroyed when the British burned the Capitol. al-
though that is the tradition. x
“ Senator SurpsTEAD. It Was given at one time as something like six or seven
Htates of which the statistics were burned at that time, so given by one of the
Commissioners of Immigration.
« Senator Corerann. Does the Senator mean that the records relating to those
States were burned?
“ Genator SHIPSTEAD. Yes.”
In Renate Document dated December 22, 1926, and des gnated Hearings
before the Committee on Immigration, United States Senate, Sixty-ninth Con-
gress, second session, on page 4, while making a statement on the provisions of
the law specifying the source of information upon which the commission was
instructed to base its conclusion 1 made the following statement:
“mhe number of inhabitants in continental United States in 1920 whose origin
by birth or ancestry is attributable to such geographical area. Such determina-
tion shall not be made by tracing the ancestors or descendants of particular
individuals, but shall be based upon statistics of immigration and emigration,
together with rates of increase of population as shown by successive decennial
United States censuses, and such other data as may be found to be reliable.”
It will be seen from the above that the most important element in this deter-
mination ig * statistics of immigration and emigration.” The next important
slement is © rates of increase of povulation as shown bv successive decennial
[Tnited States censuses.”
As reliable statistics of immigration and emigration are not in existence the
whole plan fails and leaves the determination to mere guesswork or coniecture.
“ Qenator Rep. In the absence of statistics. vou sav?
