Remarks at the Signing of the Columbus Day Proclamation.

Senator Pastore, the greatest keynoter that ever walked the planks of Atlantic City and all of your assembled friends here today; distinguished Members of Congress; Your Excellencies, the Ambassadors from Italy, Spain, Nicaragua, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the Apostolic Delegate, Director General Mora; my friends:

Proclaiming Columbus Day is much more to me than just another ceremonial function. Because this event gives me a chance, along with all of my fellow countrymen, to reflect on the beginnings of this Nation-and on the men who began it.

It reminds us that every citizen in this land is the descendant of men who were once foreigners--who were once strangers from afar.

This is what our great President Franklin Roosevelt was thinking about one day in April when he addressed the Daughters of the American Revolution by saluting them as "My fellow immigrants."

Today we think of Christopher Columbus--a son of Italy--as the first immigrant: the first in that long procession of strangers who, over the centuries, have come to enrich our lives, our statesmanship, and our culture here in America.

Today we think of Columbus Day as a time for honoring not only that great explorer, but also all of those Italians whose gifts have been freely given to make this Nation great.

Their names form a long list of excellency in every field of endeavor: Enrico Fermi, Frank Capra, A. P. Giannini, Fiorello La Guardia, Max Ascoli, Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Pastore.

I would like to call the name of each of you, because you mean that much to me and you have made great contributions.

Steve Martini, who cuts my hair here at the White House and has cut the hair of Presidents for several years, is one of my most influential counselors, believe it or not. He is also one of my most recognized comforters in moments of distress and depression.

I just cannot resist adding Jack Valenti and Joe Califano, because in the period that I have been here, no two men have given their country greater or more rewarding service.

In the past year, I am very proud that by all of us working together we have made it much easier for people of such ability to come here to the United States.

You may remember it was on October 3, last year, standing beside the Statue of Liberty, that I signed a new immigration bill that we had been trying to pass for years and we had finally, successfully gotten it through both Houses. That measure ended, I think, once and for all, the discrimination-the discrimination which, for nearly 40 years, handicapped those who wanted to call our land their home.

Under the old system, even Christopher Columbus would have found it difficult to come to this country--simply because Christopher Columbus was born in Italy.

Under the old system, a person born in England was 12 times more welcome to America than a person born in Italy, and far more acceptable, Mike, than a Greek or a Portuguese or a Pole.

Under that old system, countries like Italy had very small immigration quotas. They had long lists of persons who were waiting to emigrate to the United States. At the same time preferred nations were failing to even fill the very large quotas that were assigned to them.

But the Immigration Act of 1965 has not "opened the floodgates" to immigration as its opponents claimed that it would. In fiscal year 1966 the State Department granted 309,000 visas--only 9,000 more than the year before. The increase is almost invisible when you consider that the internal growth of the United States was over 3 million, while we had an increase of 9,000 coming in.

The Immigration Act of 1965 does assign quotas on a basis of equality. It does not ask: "Where were you born?" But rather it does ask: "What skills can you perform?"

The act has been in force only since December 1 of last year but its effects are evident:

Italy was granted 9,987 immigration visas in fiscal year 1965. In 1966, under the new law, Italy received 24,967.

Portugal was granted 1,798 visas in 1965; 9,017 in 1966.

Greece: 1,900 visas in 1965; 8,900 in 1966.

The Philippines: 2,489 in 1965; 5,204 in 1966.

The list goes on through all the countries with citizens desiring to relocate here in America.

So in its short life, this Immigration Act of 1965 has brought happiness to many homes, has reunited many families that have been kept apart very cruelly for a good many years.

It has brought us capable people that wish to put their skills at the service of the United States.

It has earned us the friendship of nations which had resented this unfair treatment under the unjust quota system.

It has demonstrated the desire of the people in the United States to end discrimination and to end it in every corner of our national life.

For years, America has been a beacon of change and progress to men who wanted to escape old lands, old ways, and old injustices. That is what brought our fathers here; it still brings people here.

But to men across the world, we have been the land whose revolution did not end; we have been the land whose eyes are always forward.

So today, all around the world, we hear the cry for change. And the cry for change is rising. It is rising in our own country. We are listening--and we are acting. We welcome it--for we hear, in that sound, the echo of 1776.

This is what I believe and this is what I remind you of: this echo of 1776, as I meet here with you in the Cabinet Room today to sign this proclamation.

When Columbus Day comes in 1966--or when it comes a century from now-our American Revolution is still going on and is still going to be going on, because we are still going to be changing. We are still going to be reforming. We are still going to be improving. We are still going to be building. Men from Italy and men from a hundred other lands are going to be doing this job for this land. And any man who has courage and a will to work and who has a love for liberty is free to join our ranks-as a "fellow immigrant."

Thank you very much.