The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-10
For tho National Defenss.

b.
: 1t is only about ton years since this
country began to defend itself by ]cgis.
lation against some Of tho evident evils
OF the immigration that had been and
then was pouring in. Little by little
We hayo added to the laws on tho sub,
ject, some OF them good enough as for
as they 60, all OF them moro or less
modified by administration, nope Of
them getting down to tho root Of tho
evil.
But the years since the beginning
have not been lost. There has been a
steady and marked growth of public
sentiment favorable to such measures
as shall more etiectually provide fos
the public defense against tho evils
which touch tho bread-winning capac.
ity of our people and degrade tho quail,
ty OF our population and citizenship.
Ten years ago proposition to DIS
courage immigration and establish a
process Of selection by the imposition
OF good round head-tax would have
been regarded with something like
horror. It has taken time to get Away
from the notion that this country il
and must remain the helpless proy OF
any hordes that may invade it go long
as they do not force their way With
powder and shot.
Our young people had read about this
country as ian asylum for the OBJ.
pressed OF every land;" and older heads
had notion that something Of this
eort is stuck fast in the constitution
never to be got out. 1t is decided
gain to have come out Of this night.
mare.
To-day the people are demanding
something more and better for the
national defense, and the best minds in
the country are exercised on the line,
Newspapers OF character are falling in
with the general proposition, Soho
years ago advanced by the INrELbIGsS-
GER, that short cut is to be found in n
stiff head-tax. Noto what tho New
York Times says:
Tho truth Is that to restrict immigration sye
must mako 1t moro expensive. substantirI
head money tnE, In no case amounting TO leSss
IMAM The cost Of Storage passage, is the remedy
the Times has long been advocating. It has now
advocated ~ n NM -Nrh,
TO fix tho head money at 500 Such On imposi.
tion would undoubtedly accomplish the pnr.
poses OF restricting immigration, and It Would
TSSSf BY fnf it We
can in effect proscri BIO them. o. tho undesirable
nmons them by such measure. 1t Is not that
we need the money, but that we need the les.
We need 10 be assured that the Immigrant IL
n person OF some substance, which Is tbs
best guarantee we Gun have OF his cnerr+.
thrift, .nnd character-that Is to say. Of 6iis,
desirGblcness us 4 citizen. Accordingly. thrrs
would DO no harm In making the tax q dePoSit,
tobe repaid within two or three years to the In,
migrant or his representatives. provided be has
maintained himself and behaved himself In tho
interval. It Is not disputed that this measure
1aAtically and without the cumbersome and IN.
trustworthy apparatus that would be Required :,
investigate individually half million Casa
SSbesHb yea The ony 4Ss9n about
torily sscertataed orly by trying. But Il T.
cannot be passed, 1t cannot be passed simply ~.
cause 1t Is an effective measure, and in that Case
amounts to anything.
The public man referred to by tho
Times VIC, take to be General Francis A,
Walker, OF Massachusetts, superintend.
ont OF the tenth census, principal OF the
Massachusetts Institute of TECHNOLOGY
and one OF the closest thinkers in the
country. General Walker would put n
head-tnx OF 500, returnable after a Ger.
tain time and under certain conditions
The 1NTELLlGENcEE thinks n tax OF S2OO
is not too great. The points, however,
not SO much the amount OF the tax that
shall be imposed as tho fact that the
propositionto put on considerable tax
is meeting with favor in influential
quarters.
With the masses OF the people aud
the leaders in thought and acton
aroused, there is good reason to think
that Congress will see its way clear to
come to tho public relief and meet the
public expectation. The politicians
will do we'll to address themselves tc
tho question before it gets into politics
as partisan movement.
Two Kinds ofFishters.
When tho Gar OF Russia heard thai
d 4 . A y D.. %.
the Emperor OF Germany had remarked