76 NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION, OF IMMIGRATION LAW 
(4) During the World War 2,000,000 persons resident in America 
of foreign birth, claimed exemption under the draft because of their 
alienage. Yet, should we continue to base our quotas upon the for- 
sign-born population, the countries of which these slackers are 
natives would be allowed to send additional immigrants to America 
on their account, although no account would be taken in immigration 
quotas of the native-born Americans who responded so admirably 
to the call of their country. 
Page 90, table 23, of the second report of the provost marshal 
general, 1919, shows that 1,703,000 aliens were registered in the draft 
up to September 11, 1918. Page 452 of the same book, paragraphs 
E and F, shows that 914,950 aliens were deferred and exempted 
because of their alienage. These were: 
Alien enemy exempted, 334,949; resident alien, not enemy, claim: 
ing exemption, 580,003; total, 914,952. 
This was more than one-half—to be exact, 53 per cent—of those 
registered, claimed exemption, or were exempted or placed in a 
deferred classification because of their alienage. and were never 
called. 
What better argument for the national-origins provision could be 
advanced ¢ 
The issue can be brought squarely between patriotism and slacker- 
ism—shall slackerism be represented in selecting our immigrants over 
patriotism ? 
The American Legion has more than 860,000 members and our 
auxiliary 350,000 members. We number within our membership all 
races, creeds, and nationalities. Tt is a cross-cut of the Nation. We 
are not the advocates of immigration from any special nation or 
oroups of nations, but we emphatically uphold the theory underly- 
ing the national-origins provisions, which 1s that immigration quotas 
based upon the entire population of the nation is not only the fairest 
method for selecting immigrants but is the most certain method of 
retaining for the future the blend of population and racial mixtures 
as they exist in America to-day. 
The national-origins provision is a part of the basis law of the 
act of 1924. The temporary basing of the quotas upon the census 
of 1890 was an arbitrary expedient placed in the law until such time 
as—and only until—the national-origins provisions could become 
effective. This required additional study in order to determine the 
quotas which would be provided under it. 
The charge has been made that national origins as a basis for 
quota immigration is unworkable. Nothing could be further from the 
truth than this statement. The Congress can set up arbitrary quotas 
for any foreign countries, regardless of population and census fig- 
ares—can chose immigrants or exclude them as it sces fit. 
Any system of selecting immigrants based upon the foreign-born 
population at any particular period is open to the charge of dis- 
crimination, and justly so. But to base these quotas upon the na- 
tional origins of the entire nation, can not be open to the charge of 
discrimination, for under such a plan the newest immigrant coming 
to our shores stands upon the same footing as the descendants of 
those who came here 300 vears ago and founded this Nation in the 
wilderness.