Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-17
AN ISSUE OF GROWING GRAVITY.

The question nofimmigration of is becoming
a very serious one in the United States.
Its whole character has changed, of late.
While its volume has never been so
large as now, it has never been of such
an undesirable class. Much OF it is from
Italy. Hungary and the other countries
of Southern and Eastern Europe. 1t is
estimated that less than twenty per
cent. of these immigrants have ever
spoken a word of English. We are in
debted to the Republican party for this
enormous and undesirable immigration !
This professed friend of the American
worklngman is the most insidious enemy
of those who earn their bread in the
sweat of their faces. One can go all
through the coal and iron regions of
PENNSYLVANIA and Ohio, and the sight
of an American workingman, or one
who can speak the English language, is
rare thing indeed. While piling the
duties high to protect so-called Ameri-
can labor the iron barons have steadily
flooded their mines and mills with the
cheapest kind of foreign labor. That
immigration must be regulated after
some fashion, all intelligent men admit.
1t has ever been the pride Of the people
of the United States that their country
has been the refuge of the oppressed OF
all nations, and no patriotic
American would wish to see it lose
this proud rank. But there is dis
tinction with difference between hold
ing our doors Hospitality open for desir-
able immigrants, and for the victims Of
political and religious prescription, and
allowing muititudes OF ignorant and i'm
pecunious people to be dumped on our
shores. The Fiftieth Congress started
legislation looking to remedies for this
state of things, and this was followed
up by statutes forbidding the importa-
ton of foreign labor on the contract sys-
TEN. But more sweeping measures
are needed, or we shall plainly
be inundated with an undesirable
class of immigrants. There is also a
growing feeling that there ought to be
some safeguards thrown around the
exercise OF the right of suffrage. Many
clt1ZenS auvOcaue Jne extension OF the
probationary period, some suggesting its
prolongation to twenty-one years. This
will by no means meet the appreciation
of the majority of the American people.
There is no desire to impede any man
who ls worthy to exercise the voting
privilege from attaining the goal of his
ambition. The present probationary
period is long enough. The mass of
American voters would be content with
the adoption of an intelligence qualifi-
cation. When the aspirant for citi-
zenship solemnly renounces the prince
to whom he has owed allegiance he
should be compelled to answer questions
which would show that he knew what
he was intending to do. If he cannot
tell why he wishes to cease to be an Eu-
ropean subject and desires to become an
American citizen he should be set back
and kept back forever if he fails to rem
der himself eligible by study and in
quiry. 1t was never intended that the
oath should be mockery.
The regulation OF immigration and
the throng OF safeguards around the
right of suffrage-both reasonable
in their scope, and neither con-
ceived in the spirit of bigotry-are
live issues of the day, and their solution
involves the highest plane of statesman
ship possible in the comparatively un-
-eventful days in which we live. We
have found it necessary to exclude the
Chinese because of their alien and un-
assimilative characteristics. We find
it desirable to regulate immigration
because the privilege is being grossly
abused by the Republican benefciaries
of the tariff. The numerous battles
royal which have taken place in every
center of labor in the east in which
Italians and Hungarians have particle
pated show that the danger signal can
not be hung out too soon.
We have been indifferent as to this
grave peril for long while. Public at
tention was first called prominently to
the dangers OF an INDECENT and criminal
immigration by the discovery that
Switzerland and Great Britain were
quietly assisting their paupers and GRIM
inals to the United States. This was
compliment which we failed to appre-
ciate. 1t very naturally excited clam
or which has gained force from day to
day, until now there is an almost uni
versal sentiment in the United States
on the subject In which intelligent for
eigners share.