Hearing on National Origins Provision Before Senate Committee

Arguments on the merits off the national origins provision of the Immigration Act occumend the attention of the Senate Immigration Committee at the heating yesterday on Senator Nye’s resolution to their operation of the clause for another wear. Under the law, the Present is authorized to issue a proclamation on April 1, putting the national origins provision into operation on July 1, 1929 and would result in the apportionment of immigration contras within a total of 150,000 a year on the basis of the racial composition of the population in 1790, instead of upon the lass off 2% of the inveigh born groups in the United States as shown by the 1890 census. Hearings will be resumed on Saturday morning at 10 O’clock.

The only witness opposed to the national origin plan who appeared bedtime the Committee yesterday was Dr. Herbert Friedenwald of Washington, a member at large of the American Jewish Committee, who declared that he appear only in a personal capacity and not for any Jewish body. He explained that he came at the express information off Senator Nye. He undertook to show the unworkability of the national origins protection by recounting his own ancestry.

I was born in Baltimore off this ancestry religiously and racially Jewish in my father’s side of people accidentaly horn in Germany; on my mother’s side I am the son of a woman born in England, raised in Ireland, married in the United States to a natural born American citizen, but inasmuch as my mother’s grandfather was a non-Jew, a German of a family of distinction in state of Hanover, who was cornered to Judaism, I wish this Committee, because it is a question that I am unable to determine myself, would tell me what is my national origin,” he declared. Later during the hearing Dr. Friedenwald asked “if I had been born in Ireland would I have been Jewish?”

I think an Jewishman answered that question once” said Senator Reed, “by saying that ill a cat had kitten in an mean they would not be biscuits.” The many of the national origins provision said Senator Reed, is that most people born in Germany are Germans are most of those born in Ireland are first and that exceptions tend to ca(###) another.

Dr. Friedenwald declared that determination of national origins on the (###) of the 1790 population was made (###) on the basis of names and that admiration by names is almost (Countinued on Page 4)

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futile.” He did not think that President-elect Hoover, in view of his declared opposition to the national origins provision, should be embarrassed by being called upon to put that law into operation at the outset of his administration, Dr. Friedenwald said.

Demarest Lloyd, representing the National Immigration Legislative Committee, was the principal witness in favor of the national origins plan. Putting into effect the plan would be more equitable than the present 1890 basis, he asserted.

“Is the 1790 census beyond attack?” asked Senator Nye referring to the national origins plan which would be based on the population of that year.

“I believe it is beyond any serious attack.” Mr. Lloyd replied, adding, with reference to the existing quota system “I don’t think there is any rhyme or reason on a basis that gives the Irish Free State, with a population less than the city of New York, nearly as much as Great Britain.” When Mr. Lloyd said that the organizations opposed to the Nye resolution invite a comparison of their patriotism with that of the opponents of the national origin system. Senator Nye asked: “Mr. Lloyd, do you question the patriotism of the two candidates for the presidency in the late campaign?” Mr. Lloyd’s reply was that the candidates must have acted on misinformation or misapprehension as to the meaning of the national origins provision.

“Is it your opiinion,” asked Senator Johnson of California, Chairman of the Committee, “that Mr. Hoover was laboring under a delusion when he advocated flatly the repeal of the national origins provision?”

“I think Mr. Hoover must have been misinformed,” Mr. Lloyd replied.

Senator Johnson pointed out that Mr. Hoover was one of the three cabinet officers to whom was intrusted the duty of compiling statistics and estimating quotas which would be allotted under the national origins clause. Mr. Lloyd assured the Committee that those organizations represented by him were not actuated by any prejudices against any particular racial groups.

The other witnesses who appeared before the Committee, all of them in favor of the national origins plan, were Captain John B. Trevor, representing the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York and the National Restriction Conference; Frank S. Steel, secretary of the Sons of the American Revolution; Mrs. Sayde Linkletter, representing the Daughters of America; Miss Bell Gurnee, representing the National Civic Federation and the Immigration Restriction League.

At a recent meeting of the Onatha Athileifice consisting of 1500 members, Isidor Zeig(###) was elected President of the Club. Mr. Herbert has been President of Temple Israel (###) and has been prominently identified in Jewish causes.