The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-06
THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION.

1t is said that the immigration question
is likely to be taken up by congress at its
present session. At the last session the
question was trihed with; the house would
not agree to the bill adopted by the senate,
nor the senate to the bill adopted by the
house. The presidential campaign then
impending made both parties timid. That
objection is now removed, and both parties
ought to act at once upon question which
is not one of partisanship but of patriotic
craftsmanship and public welfare. The
opposition to such legislation will be enor-
nous on part of the great ocean steamship
and domestic transportation lines. The
immigrant traffic is of great consequence
TO these corporations. and they will fight
iercely all measures which contemplate
Its serious restriction. Our citizens Of for
eign birth will not resist intelligent legis-
lation for the restriction of immigration,
Tor they are as deeply interested as any
native American in the exclusion Of unde-
sirable immigrants.
Among these undesirable immigrants
are those who come to the United States
to work during the pleasant months and
return to Italy at this season of the year
to spend their earnings. The number of
these immigrants has become so large
that the two German steamship lines are
this fall running their best ships to Italian
ports, in addition TO the regular Mediter-
ranean lines. The Fulda recently took
800, and left several hundred behind, and
another steamer turned away 700 Of these
Italians for lack of room. 1t is estimated
that over 10000 Italians will 60 back to
Italy to spend the winter or remain there,
and they will take with them at least
$1,000, 900, saved during their stay on this
side. Do we want this kind of immigra-
tion2 They do not come here to live;
they bring no families, but they save
enough to be able to live in Italy long
time. One of these men testified before
the congressional committee on immigra-
ton, sitting in New York, as follows:
A: home 1 was a farmer. Ny pay was 10 cents
a day and meals. @. Meals for yourself alone,
or yourself and family? A. No. the meals were
for me. and the family fed on the 10 cents @.
No lodgings were included; you had to lodge
n
you landed in this country were you in posses
sion of any money or property? A. Nothing,
Sir. No property. @. We're you able to live ON
this 10 cents a day in Italy and eat three meals?
A. Well, it was found to be enough by taking
care and paying as best could
To such a man 5000 is in Italy a great
sum. He gets $1.35 here for the same
amount of work for which he was paid "a
cents without meals in Italy. He comes
here to compete with Americans and then,
like Chinaman, takes himself back to his
own country to spend his earnings.
Surely We don't want this kind of Italian
trash to come back to our shores. The
workingmen are probably not in favor of
absolute prohibition of immigration; they
would not object to agricultural workers,
or to immigrants with capital enough to
become even small employers, or pro-
fessional men, but the workingmen are
generally disposed to exclude all other
classes OF labor, whether skilled or un-
skilled.
We do not expect that any radically
effective exclusion acts will be passed.
The West and South want immigrants and
will oppose any legislation that will pre-
vent their coming. There will be some in
creased restrictions enacted, but nothing
short of total prohibition for a term of
years will abate the present evil.