Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-08-03
HEBREW IHu,anASrs.
seeretary Fosters Letter to McsArs.
Wolf aud Abraham.


Wolf and Lewis Abraham, president
aud secretary respectively Of tn, Unlon
OF American Hebrew Congregations,
In reference to overtures made to the
Department for the release from de.
tention Of Russian.Hebfew Immigrants
held Mt New York and Boston as
''asslsted immlgrants,D whose landing
N forbidden by law.
In their letter. TO the Secretary
Mcssra. Wolf and Abraham stated That
the Hebrew societies Of the United
States, while they drnlnfed this Kind
Of immigration and bad advised their
brethren In foreign countries 10 pre.
vent u, were willing 10 stand the OK.
pense Of caring for tho Immigrants,
and were ready TO give the Govern.
ment n satisfactory bond guaranteeing
That nose Of these refugees should be-
come public charges within the mean.
ing Of the American law.
In his answer TO the communication
Secretary Foster says, IN part: 81 fully
concur In your estimate N the mag.
nitude Of the present calamity which
has bcfailun NO many Of your mcc, ns
well rs in your hope that an early
mitigation or cessation Of current
measures ofc.pulsion may render un.
necessary any general migration OF
Russian Hebrews TO America or else.
where. Unqucsuonably great and
sudden Influx OF destitute aliens VI any
race would 10 great misfortune u
any country, aud the American
hohfuws act periodically aud hu.
namely when they advise the Jewish
refugees against coming hlther, bat nj
the same time 10 UndcavOr TO tender
Hcli.suppOrling those who finally come.
Obviously tho support of number. of
dependent peru0ns h q tax upon tho
resources Of the country, oven though
paid from private funds, aud qu tn ~
plainly industrial conditions here
might be- seriously disturbed by the
sudden arrival and enforced c0mpc.
tltion Of multltudos Of needy poor.
Silence II Il Important 10 the last de
gree that tho volume Of this refugee
immigration ~ not excessive or thIea.
tening, and that with the outlra Ger
tainty thatlt shall be promptly and
widely distributed, 20 M 10 aupply a
Z Snl want In scattered communities
and interfere as little M possible with
the existing and normal Industrial con.
ditlons.
"Thc apparent scope ami thorough.
ncss OF your plgua for securing this I'M.
mediate and wide distrlbutiOn Of OK.
pVctoJ refugees are most gratifying.
aud uyon the success " your a-s0oia.
ton IN carrying out theee plan- will
largely depend the possibility Of the
government meeting your views. In
other RESPECTS. while ths immigration
laws VI tho United States must aud
will be enforced, | agree with you
that those laws were never enacted Ia
abrogation Of the plalncst require
ments u humanity, aud no worthy
Immigrant who In all other respects
meets the demand OF our statutes
should be- excluded from tho country
because, through the actions OF Others,
he IL for the time being
homeless aud without property.
81 shall rely upon your voluntary
assurance that you viii actively urge
upon your brethren In Europe tho nttl.
tude Uf our laws toward unnssis,od i'm.
migration. also beg 10 remind YOU
that any tendency abroad to defect
toward this country movement 0f ic.-
tltute refugees or 10 stimulate their
migration hithcr would be distinctly
hostile 10 tho spirit manifested in your
letter and TO the spirit In which the
government Of the United States de-
slre- Ia treat this difficult aud delicate
problem"