Although two of its major sections urged reform of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Act, to eliminate the national origins quota system, the American Bar Association, holding its annual meeting here, last night sidestepped such action by ordering the tabling of a resolution on the subject. The association’s ruling House of Delegates adopted the tabling resolution by a vote of 123 to 7.
The two sections of the ABA which backed immigration law reform were those dealing with international law and with administrative law. Victor C. Folsom, of Boston, and Harry N. Rosenfield, of Washington, argued that Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson supported legislation for the elimination of the national origins quota system. Under that system, northern European immigrants are favored, although the northern European quotas are never filled, while immigration quotas from southern and Eastern Europe are always oversubscribed.
Former Congressman Ed Gossett, of Texas, opposed the resolution, demanding of the House of Delegates: “Haven’t we got enough pipelines of poison into the American bloodstream now, as it is, without letting in more?” Some of the opponents of the resolution favored the present law, while others thought the ABA should not deal with the issue at all. The tabling resolution which was adopted was offered by Gov. Franklin Riter, of Utah, who held that the issue was “too remote” to require association action.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
