54 NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW
of the country, until we can determine what really should be done.
As the country has determined to have this restriction of immigra-
tion, I accept the determination. Now, the point is not to jump to
do something such as this national origins scheme which means
absolutely nothing to me. I can not make out what it means; and
the thing to do is just as Senator Nye suggests, have this postponed.
Senator Resp. Beg your pardon: the President-elect suggested
its repeal.
Doctor Friepenwarp. Better still.
Senator Reep. If it were repealed, what can we substitute in its
place?
Doctor FripenwarLp. We do not have to determine that between
now and the first of April; that is a matter to be determined after
the most careful consideration, not ask me to say, “right off the
bat,” what should be done. You have been considering this for
years. You do not know, or, at least, apparent you do not know,
from your question.
Senator Rrep. I do not know any method that is as good as the
national origins.
Doctor Frirpenwarp. I do not know any method that is possibly
worse than national origins.
Senator Reep. Have you considered the 1890 foreign-born method?
Doctor Friepenwarp. Only in a desultory way. I am not prepared
to make any statement about it. I looked into the national-origins
method slightly, when it was first brought up. I did not pay much
attention to it, because I did not think anyhing so silly could be
included among the laws of the United States. I may have been
mistaken, but in all events, I have never changed my mind.
Senator Reep. It was enacted five vears ago. Nobody has sug-
gested anything better.
Doctor Friepexwarp. Has the question you put to me ever been
asked to any group of men to do? Certainly we are not aware it has
been put to any Jewish organizations I know of.
Senator Remp. Oh, yes: their representatives have many times
urged many bases.
Doctor Frizpenwarp. I have been out of touch with things for the
last 15 years, and I do not know exactly what has been going on,
except as I read in the newspapers.
Senator Remp. Did you ever read a book called The German Ele-
ment in the United States?
Doctor Frizpexwarp. By Rosengarten?
Senator Rep. By Doctor Faust, I think.
Doctor FriepENwaLp., Oh, yes; Dr. A. B. Faust. He was a college
mate of mine, just one year ahead of me at Johns Hopkins.
Senator Reep. Do you recall what he claimed to be the German
proportion of population of the United States at the present time?
Doctor Friepenwarp. No, sir; I do not. But I know that Doctor
Faust is a very distinguished professor of German, and I will accept
anything he says about the German language or almost any modern
language. But I would not accept his opinion on a statistical matter
of that sort any more than I would accept the opinion of any man in
the street, because he does not, and could not, know. He has devoted
all of his life to the study of the German and Teutonic languages.
and he can not know anything about immigration statistics.
