New-York tribune., 1891-05-17
THE PROBLEM OF IMMIGRATION.

In conversation with gentleman of this city
few days ago foreign diplomat now in
Washington declared that he saw many signs
of rapidly growing hostility to foreign immi-
grafton in this country, which, in his opinion,
would ere long result in the passage by Congress
of a stringent Anti-Immigration law. While
the remark is far from being an accurate state
ment of the real feeling of this country in re-
gard 10 immigration, it is undoubtedly true in
so far as it suggests a general dissatisfaction
with the kind of immigration we now get. Inc
people of this country are not opposed to 1mm-
grafton per Sc. The great majority OF them
are either themselves immigrants, or the i'm
mediate descendants of immigrants. 1t is
simple matter Of fact that the descendants OF
Revolutionary Americans are an exceedingly
small minority of the population of the United
States and the most robust advocate OF Amer-
canism will hardly venture to deny that the
immigrants who have come to our shores since
the Revolutionary War have intellectually added
to the glory and strength of the Nation. With
out them, indeed the United States would not
be the power it is.
But while, therefore, in the nature of the
case, there can be no hostility in this country
to immigration in itself, there is among all
classes of our people, even among those who
are themselves immigrants or the sons of imm
grants, strong and well-defned feeling that the
time has come for some further restrictions to be
placed on immigration. Looking at the matter
from a merely practical and perhaps selfish
point of view, we no longer need the great
armies of foreigners who are pouring into this
country. Our territory, large and expansive as
it is is being rapidly settled. And instead OF
giving our vacant lands to foreigners who have
no real claim upon us, 1t is felt that they ought
to be reserved for our own growing population.
In word, we have about reached the point
where il would be wise to cease promoting the
welfare Of foreigners at the expense of our own
people.
But the case against immigration Is made
much stronger when it is borne in mind that
| naturally, and perhaps inevitably, we are get
| ting immonse numbers of most undesirable immi-
| grants. 1t is a well-known fact that agents of
| railroad companies and steamship lines are scat
tered all over Europe, persuading the vicious,
the lazy, the helpless the incompetent and the
ignorant to come to a land where gold can be
picked up in thc Streets and where life will be
| one long dream of pleasure. OF course, the
| agents work among these 'classes, not only be-
cause it is more easy to dupe them but be-
cause, on general principles, they have every
thing to gain and nothing to lose by emigration,
while, on the other hand, the better and more
intelligent classes of foreigners, are, as rule,
content to remain at horne. The cruel injustice
OF Turing such immigrants to strange land.
| where their condition is often worse than it was
at home, is apparent to all. But overshadow-
| inn hn ininc ttna dnpA b.
done to this Nation by those who, for base and
interested motives, dump them on our shores.
If the wisdom of any longer encouraging desr-
| able immigrants to come to this country NAV
| be questioned, surely there can be no possible
doubt that undesirable immigration should be
promptly checked. We have no use for foreign
| criminals or paupers we have no use even for
foreign good -nothings, though they may be
| free from the stain Of crime and we have no
use for foreign ignorance, however virtuous it
may be. Even if we could assimilate the Off
| scourings of Europe we have no desire to do So.
We have already as much to do in the way Of
assimilation and education in good citizenship
| as we care to undertake; and we have enough
problems Of our own to solve without helping
| Europe to solve it's problem of population by
providing an asylum for the vicious, ignorant
and helpless people of whom it desires TO be rid.
| 1t is true that under the present law certain
classes of Objectionable immigrants are exclud-
| ed bnt it is notorious fact that the law is
constantly violated. And besides, it permits
many immigrants to land who are, to all intents
and purposes, quite as undesirable as those who
are excluded. What we want is law that will
exclude all who, for any reason whatever, will
not make good and useful citizens even though
they may not be criminals. paupers or insane
| persons.