The evening times., 1901-01-26
DEBATE ON IMMIGRATION
The Question Discussed by New
York Women.
Arguments for and Against the Ad-
mission of Foreigners to the nit
pecunious NobIcmeu. Artists, and
Others should BE Excluded.


much acqufescent applause greeted Mrs |
Frederick Nathan's assertion yesterday at |
The debate of the League for Political
Education. that the foreign noblemen, ar
lists. actors. musicians. and elocuti0nists
we're the only proper subjects for an e1-
cIusion :.9Iicy Tie subject of the debate
was Should the United States make and
enforce laws to restrict the immigration
of unskilled laborers2"
Miss Helena Zachos opened fok the al
frnsative, saying that 1t is no less true
for the nation than for the individual. that
s'sels-ureservation is the first law of ma
tIre'' Until the last quarter Of a century.
she said the laws prohibiting the landing
OF criminal insane. diseased, and pauper
classes had been sufficient = protect the
national life, but the change in the char
acter of immigration has been so great
that the nation as whole is menaeed-
Up TO 1881 the greater influx was from the
hardy northern races OF Europe. branches
Of the same tree as the American and ca
pabIe of readily assimilating- Now the
tide of immigration is from southern and
far eastern Europe. and consists Of races
whose characteristics render them unable
10 become a homogeneous part of the ma
lion and having neither brain nor
Drawn. -.,,=.,
seventv-fve per cent OF the hall million
who landed here last year was The scum
of southern and Eastern Europe no"
long can We stand II. asked Mss Aachos'
without feeling the t2int2 IheSe peoPie
fiji our charitable Institutions, insane aSy-
luus and prisons. and make our slums-
I ne a
dation Of cur great heritage OF race oy
| taking in hose who are 50 tar below even
| the average Of their own racesZ Il IS no
| real charity to those nations 10 relieve
/ them Of this undesirable element me
/ or way that any people can rise IS 20
/ work out the problem OF progress III
| themselves. Otherwise they grow more
degenerate and We, as constantly nave
! their degeneracy thrust upon US How
! long viii it take Us 10 degenerate our
selves under these conditions
! Mrs. Frederick Nathan opened the mega
/ rive side of the question by saying that
| it IS we'll TO shut out the pauper. The Grim
/ inaI. and the insane, but America IS not
| Justified n excluding Unskiiled iabOrers-
| There is ample room for them in the un-
! titled acres OF the South and West,
she said. and even IN the cities they are
needed, as Americans viii not do labor
l
and every department OF constructive
work uHskiIIed Iabor-the labor OF the
/ banfs-fs a necessity. Some Of the fore
most pioneers we're OF this class. Andrew
CarEezie told ne himself that he came
here a rcanllass errand boy Who can
tell what new environment and new op-
portunities may develop from TIE TN
skilled labcrer?
Mr5. Nathan denied the truth of the as
he maxi
/ coed citizens pointing TO the fact Jaat ne
Russian and Polish jews after d year or
/ tr-o u. our scno9is. take the head OF their
CLASSES and win the prizes. Sac compared
! the New World to a raft on "hlca tne
! AngIo-SaxCns we're sailing in safety, and
would push on all cIinging hands OF other
/ peoples Incidentally she said that the
really Objectionable immigrants are the
/ Door musicians elOCutionists. artists ana
| actors VINO come over and demand our
houses. CUr purses. anf our patronage
They. 4 you Ike. may be excluded, 10 ouE
. great cCuIfort-
Mrs Clarence BurEs said for the afir-
native that the raft metaphor might b
used on that side It would surely be
tlnyvige 10 take OF so many that the raft
would be -1ped over and everybody drown
( ed The points she made were that tbs
/ foreign unskIIied laborer undersells tbs
, / market that his low social standard makes
MN FdtHGte1S aH 2 CU4lE NtklC4 anu tAH1l TX
brings seventeenth century modes OF livins
/ into ths present with consequent hind
rance ID progress. Statistics prove. saiC
, Mrs Burns. that the skilled labor repre-
santed by trades unions has suffered
through immigrant labor by having wage
reduced and the working season curtail
e1
The remedies she suggested were, TX
2 / close United States pCr.s 10 ordinary m
> | migration for several years and TO max
| / exception only for those who have paiC
! their own passage and proved their pos
/ session Of thrift. energy. and self-denta
1 ; BY having with them sum equal TO st-
g I months wages n the United States. This
! | Mrs. Burns thought would give time 70
ameIicra.ion Of present conditions.
= John Martin closed he argument in n
= negative b. chaTacterizing any policy 0
1 exclusion as "a Chinese wall and sal
= New Workers are too apt to think tha
c Mem York is the United States There /
? room in the country for all who com
{ ana enough work 3or everyone
IL summing up for the close OF the de
q bate Miss ZaChOS answered Mr. Martin
Y ! assertion that there is room enough 1
3 the country for all who come by quot
ing from an official record OF the immi
8 grafton Of the last year. 10 prove hg
4 an immensely large proportion remain
< in New York city and State
Il The vote on the merits Of the que5tio
- was strongly IN the affirmative