NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW 135

Mr. Roper. Oh, yes.
Senator Reep. So the discrimination is one against Germany?
Mr. Ripper. It has nothing to do with Germany. I am not objecting
 on the ground of discrimination against the Germans. I
would be just as ready to protest if I thought the discrimination
were against the British. I am speaking personally in this matter.
But it 1s a wrong basis; in other words, the basis would be wrong
if it gave the Germans 100,000 and the British 10,000; it would still
be wrong.
Senator Resp. I think we are in agreement that we ought not to
{iseriminate against a people because of nationality?
Mr. Ripper. Nor should we base this on theory, set up with those
back so very far. In other words, what happened in 1790 we say
zhould not be used in dealing with the situation to-day; should not
be used as a basis in dealing with a situation to-day, because conditions
 are different.
Senator Rep, Why should we not base the quota on the foreignborn
 1920 basis exclusively?
Mr. Ripper. If you are going to base it on anything, you could
take that as well as any: but I think there should be an entirely
Jifferent basis.
Senator Reep. Then really one-seventh of our immigration would
be Polish, one-sixth Italian, and about one-eighth German? :
Mr. Roper. That would not change anything; that basis is still
wrong. It does not make any difference who comes in under it,
if the basis is wrong.
Senator Reep. You do not believe in the quota system?
Mr. Ripper. I am not down here to protest against this basis, because
 it is going to cut German immigration and increase the British.
[ am down here to protest against the injustice toward any immigration,
 to basing this immigration law on something so intangible. In
other words, if the basis is fair, everybody ought to be willing to
take what comes to them, take their medicine if it is against them,
and accept the benefits if there are any. But there ought to be something
 everybody, at least, could agree is a fair basis, and that 1790
basis does not seem to us to be a fair basis. In other words, if the
country had been wholly organized then as it is to-day, and if we
could say that the immigration that came over at that time could be
placed definitely, so there would not be created in the minds of anyone
 who has studied it at least a very marked doubt that this basis
is a weak one to go on, that is unscientific, is not really worth much, is
not anything a business man would base his judgment on in deciding
a business matter, then our protest would not be quite so loud. But
when it comes to a matter based on something like that we sav there
aught to be a better basis than that.
Senator REeEp. And you believe, then, in limiting the aggregate
and choosing immigrants by selection as to their worth? )
Mr. Ripper. Yes; I think that we micht have a larger auota then,
what is the total, 165,000%
Senator Rep. One hundred sixty-four thousand.
Mr. Ripper. One hundred sixty-four thousand. It would be my
judgment we could go above that if we knew that the immigration
coming over was as nearly desirable as we can get it. Of course,