The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-15
1nd,scr:mlnst, immigration.

Indiscr.minets immigration
The evil effects Of indiscriminate foreign
immigration to this country form the sub
ject # an article By Peri Auder in the Au-
gust number of the Arend The writer
does not intend 20 touch upon the political
and &c monte points Of the question; he aims
to cor fine himself TO its social aspect. lie
says, 1.-THE common veal, which is gfter all
but another name for commonwealth,
does not depend solely or
chiefly on material resources nor on the ex-
tent Of the national domain. OF true ma
tiOnal &. eatness material resources, how
ever important an element, are not the ORR
gin or source. The whole history Of the
human race shows that moral considera-
tions, moral Influences ard tendencies are
far from permanent and lasting. Upon the
character # the people has rational great
ness depended in the past upon the charac-
ter Of her people do American greatness
aud American civilization depend today"
SIca reflection should raise the whole
subject above mere partisan consideration,
the writer thinks. So it should, but right
here Dir. Ander Internationally opens the
How are we TO judge which immigrants
would make good citizens aud which bad
citizens. Mr.. Ander says if we cannot sift
the immigration, which is pouring in upon
US, shut it out altogether. What would be
the economic aud political effect of such
course! We might say we could
do without foreign immigrants,
since the intrinsic value of what they
add to our national wealth is compare
lively little But their labor is needed and
necessary, and it must be admitted after
all that they have helped to build up this
country, and that if the good and bad re-
suits of immigration are weighed the bal
ance is in favor of the immigrants
Indiscriminate exclusion, therefore,
would not be a remedy for the evils of in
discriminate immigration, and to discrimi-
nate Ia favor of immigrants of one nation
ality and against those of another would be
worse still. Such action would be met with
retaliatory measures by the governments
Disseminated against. China has already
threatened to retaliate upon US for shutting
out Chinese immigrants But the Chinese
are less desirable immigrants than some of
those who come from Europe; yet some of
our leading statesmen hold that IL was bad
policy to establish such a precedent as the
Chinese exclusion act.
The middle course, restricted immigra-
ton, would probably be the safest plan.
We could then sift our immigration,
although there already exist laws
which, 1t is supposed, enable the authorities
to keep out the paupers and the worthless
scum of European countries, but
they are either not enforced or are
evaded. The eastern and ce trail
northern coal, coke and iron industries
have been rapidly passing into the hands of
class of laborers who are curse to the
country and menace to our institutions.
They are ignorant to the point of vagery,
brutal, wholly destitute of morality aud
common decency in their social and do
nestle relations, never learn the Ian
guage Of the country and make
no effort to educate their children.
They work for half wages, live like ogs, and
as soon as they have gathered up few hun
dred dollars they go back to their European
homes. Such people should never be al
lowed to land on our shores. But they are
not the most dangerous element we are re-
ceiving by the tens of thousands yearly.
The anarchists, socialists and communists
are matchmaking the least Intelligent of
the laboring people of the country with
ideas utterly subversive of law, the peace
of society and the safety of the state. We
cannot afford to give an asylum to such
men, nor permit the landing of half-savage
creatures and their employment in our
industries, and the crowding out of our
Intelligent and capable working people.
They should be excluded The exclusion of
them would be real protection to labor and
our industries and our homes.