142 NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW 
because it agrees with my viewpoint, and any man who disagrees with 
me I respect his right to do so and his reasons for it. 
Senator Rerp. 1 want to ask you just a few questions before we get 
to these other things. 
Rrepresentative McCormack. I am not going to take up your 
time. 
Senator Rep. Will you permit me to ask a question? 
Representative McCormack. I will be glad to answer any question 
Senator Reep. Where was the last convention of the Legion held ? 
Representative MoCormack. 1 think it was held out West. 
Senator Reep. Was it not at San Antonio? 
Representative McCormack. Yes. 
Senator Rep. You spoke of some action taken at Saratoga. Do 
you know the action the Legion took at San Antonio? 
Representative McCormack. No. 
Senator Rep. Did you know that the national convention of the 
Legion, without a dissenting vote, went on record as favoring 
national origins? 
Representative McCormack. I assume—I do not know one way or 
the other; but it would not disturb me either way; it would not 
change my opinion. 
Senator Rep. Just a moment. If, in fact, they did go on record 
as favoring national origins at their last convention, do you think 
that the representatives of the Legion in Washington are in any 
way reprehensible for voicing that sentiment? 
Representative McCormack. The word “reprehensible,” of 
course, is probably stronger than I might go. 
Senator Reep. But I took it from your opening statement that 
you thought they were not speaking for the Legion? 
Representative McCormack. Exactly. 
Senator Reep, Well, how could the Legion better express its sen- 
timents than by unanimous vote in convention ? 
Representative McCormack. Unanimous vote in convention is 
entirely different from a referendum submitted to its members. - I 
realize the practical difficulty of it. If you ask me that, yes. But 
there is a difference between coming out in favor of the principle of 
national origins and quotas established thereunder. You can not 
disassociate the quotas from the principle. The right of the Amer- 
ican Legion to express its opinion on the principle is one thing, but 
the right of the the American Legion to express itself upon quotas 
which would be established thereunder is an entirely different 
proposition. 
Senator Ree. But, Mr. McCormack, you said you had read the 
Legion’s statement. There is nothing in that about any particular 
quota, is there? Is it not exclusively devoted to the approval of 
the principle of national origins? 
Representative McCormack. As I remember it, it says “ We em- 
phatically oppose the underlying principle of national origins.” 
That is the language, as I remember it. 
Senator Rexp. Exactly. Do you say they ought not to do that? 
Representative McCormack. Exactly, considering that the quotas 
Shed thereunder can not be disassociated from the principle 
itself.