Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-04-10
PTOP Immigration
| FOR NEXT s YEARS,
HARRIS PROPOSES
Atlanta Journal News Bureau,
4os Evans Building,
BY THEODORE TILLER

WASHINGTON, April 7.-Offering
proposal to stop all immigration
Eor five years and urging more re-
&trictions than are carried in the
bending immigration bill, Senator
William j. Harris, of Georgia, spoke
n the senate Monday afternoon. AS
b member of the immigration com
nittee, Senator Harris helped to
Frame the restrictive legislation, but
advocated a still more drastic check
|bn immigration from Europe. he
- Blso referred to the present LABOR
situation in Georgia.
"For the first time in the history
i Of this great country, the foreign
white stock exceeds the native white
|tock," said Senator Harris. The
characterization of these thirty-slX
EAd a third million of our population
rs in many cases only skin deep, ana
merely a mask to be quickly
Thrown aside when the interests OF
1 heir dear fatherland are involved,
as has been abundantly shown by
! he conduct of the so-called German
Americans during and since the
World war Our much Wanted melt
I ne pot has almost ceased TO tunc'
! ion. The fire of American patriot
SIN and American ideals does not
fuse the huge chunks of foreign
1stock, and as a result we have rufai
settlements and urban communities
where the people converse in foreign
onsues. It is we'll known that large
numbers of them send parts of their
EARNINGS to their native countries
from month to month, or year 10
year. and they themselves later re-
/ urn with all they have saved our
ng their soiourn in America.
Promotion off Balance
Senator Harris said he had no
prejudice against the foreigner tnat
came to the United States with ms
. mind made up to become an Amer
ran, but when the foreign stnck' d.
r. does now, exceeds in numbers the
native American stock, Immigration
.Ehould he halted. He acknowledged
he accomplishments as the result OF
! dn,ixt,1re of races, but said the lot
'eign stock is already so large that
tts assimilation will require many
Wears.
"If his fve-year suspension pro
Iposal is defeated, Senator harris salu
Rhe would offer an amendment 10 cuo
he ouota. to one per cent on the lS9O
census basis instead Of the l9l0 cen
| sus as proposed in the senate plll
'The Johnson bill in the mousse uses
&Lhe 1890 census.
"There is grave danger TO our
country from immigrants who I'VE IN
racial groups, read papers In theil
own language, work, live and Vote
Hin racial groups and not as Amer
rams. Many appeared before oul
committee as representative or Ia
hal groups and national1tles, anu
#heir principal arguments agalns,
he hill were based on the claim tha'
In disseminated against the country
III their birth" said Senator Harris
The Labor Situation -.
Referring to southern labor conol
| lions Senator Harris said: In my
|own state, one-siXth of farm laooreIs
have left within two years and nNAsty
FRIENDS of mine, some Of them ~f9n
Ilarce plantations and facing snort
b 90 of labor, have urged, me not tc
[r1nnort restricted immigration, sc
that foreigners would continue =.
| come to supply labor for the noftI
and east and our labor would not D.
Irnolested. We cannot lose slSht o.
THE future when we consider thif
Imeasure-the very salvation OF oui
country is at stake. This Will no'
he the same America unless we
change our immigration policy we
must think only of the future OF
America"
Senator Harris said no reflection
on the American citizens OF torelsL
birth was meant when he voiced the
1undisputed fact that many of those
who have come to this country &c
not measure up to the average OIL the
neonle of their native land. our
country will remain great as long as
! orr neople are so, but we can not
1continue great if we allow inferior
neople to fill up this country. we
must have selective restricted imml
grafton. and the present percentage
JulIOtd SnOulu D6 ISoQCIo ~ wv -
Erent. if we do not entirely proh1bl'
Immigration for the time being,
kconlmented Senator Harris.
Mexican Immigrants
Pointing out that 1888 Mexican
limmierants came to the United
states last year without heinf
i charsed to a quota, Senator Harris
proposed the same restrictions toi
countries of North and South Amer
lea as exist for other countries.
In the census reports, Senator Har
ris said, the white immigrant i
classed as foreign born white anf
his children by foreign wife becom,
native whites of foreign parentage'
The children of an immigrant by al
American wife, he added, ARE class
cd as native whites of mixed paren
tage." THE aggregate Of these thre.
classes" Senator Harris clteo
"sometimes enormously referred t.
as foreign white stock was NOR
than 36,000,0 900 in 1920, or 3S.4 pc
cent of the entire white population
of the United States"