Bigots and British Liners Behind Immigration Move, is Charge

Charges that the proposed House immigration bill is deliberately framed to discriminate against Italian and Jewish immigrants in favor of English immigrants and that the Department of Labor is “susceptible to British influences” were made in a letter sent yesterday by Congressman-elect F.H. La Guardia to Representative Frank W. Mondell, majority floor leader of the House.

“The proposed law”, Mr. La Guardia wrote, “is no doubt the result of an alliance between the bigoted and narrow-minded, nursing religious and racial hatreds, and the British steamship companies. Such a change would immediately throw a large passenger trade to the northern ports now entirely controlled by the British steamship companies. With the present makeup of the Department of Labor susceptible to British influences, it can be readily seen how the mathematics of the bill was worked out in order to bring about the desired result.”