New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-01
er,-z,vEyT.LyTY IND IMMIGRATION.

sryTywEyTALIgY IND IMMIGRATION.
Tho minority Of the Committee On Legislation
Of the Board OF Trade and Transportation re-
r,crted the other day against further lm'hiSra-
ton restriction on the curious ground that; An
educational test Is so utterly opposed 20 tAe
principles q q free republic, 50 contrary 70
tho spirit OF cur institutions, that 1t Is incred-
.fbe that a large proportion OK our people
should favor It's imposition
We hear 60 much about things contrary 70
che spirit OF OUT institutions" the propriety OF
which the architects % those institutions &c
cenfoa a. 4 matter Of course. that we ought not
20 wander nt my new discovery OF this kind
II womb lie interesting, however, 10 know JUST
what principle Of free republic is violated Oy
q law which prevents It's being ovcTwLeliaN'
py.a tide OF ignorance. The notion ilat re-
uuhlican principles mean that one man Is as
good as another E0d that nations ooors
must DC opened 10 all men regardless OF uieH
ability 10 become useful members OF TIE com
r,,urftv IS prevaleut but erroneous The tathers
OF The republic had no such thing In MIND
when they talked about equality they meant
+bst the Law should be administered Impair
tally. and that all citizens should nave lhe
same pers nal rights. They did not even mean
thar an citizens should have equal political
rights No SF0te II me tAatOu A-oN YIN
ed manhood suT fage, end from the foundation
Of the government 10 The present tine prop
er+v or educational qualifications have been re-
ouired in some part OF the Union Much less
did the fathers think that the spirit OF our IN
s-iru7ions forbade them TO guard their own
liberty from outside invasion on any terms they
thougnt wise That mott u is the product OF
vague sentimentalism which had no place In
the sane, bard headed thinking OF our elGh-
tecuth century statesmen They made srch
regulations concerning immigration az the SIT
nation then seemed 10 require. and had they
thought national interests called FOR closer
restrictions they would undoubtedly have APP
piled them
Ii is q mistake to suppose that " tmmigra-
tion had been restricted OF even suspended sew
euty-lve years ago the United States to-day
would be a relatively feeble power" The error
comes from the assumption that without immi-
grafton the increase Of tie original stock ~ould
have been no more rapid than with IL IL would
M, badly have been much greater. General
Francis 4. walker once estimated that II left
10 themselves the descendants Of the Revolu-
tionarv Donulation would have fallen not far
short Of the actual number Of inhabitants.
The growth Of population is largely controlled
by pbvsical conditions. A new country oner-
fnc nicutv of food and Industrial opportunities
Is hound to ell up. Marriages and births be-
come more numerous the chance 10 support
families Increases CT comes earlier TO young
people On The other hand, with overcrowding
and pressure from newc Juers the fscundity Of
those with the highest standard Of living de-
creases most rapidly. Immigration has been
check on the increase OF the old American race.
Its children. who might have been willing to
DO tie drudgery q industrial Development
among themselves could not work beside for
eiCucrs whose way OF living was repuS1ant
10 them. SO unskiled manual labor was largely
left 20 the foreigners and the natives sought
other occupations not consistent with carly par
entage and large families. England and Wales
have had practically no immigration. and hive
instead sent hundreds Of thousands t. people
other lands but their population nearly quad
rrrplcd IN the nineteenth century merely I'm re-
sponse 20 the opportunities Of living for a larger
population offered by machinery and growing
commerce. and there Is reason to believe that
the United States would to-day be as prosper
Gus and populous II immigration had from the
first been much restricted.
Tho remedy for the present dangers. we nre
told Is stric1cr natura liza ton laws rather than
exclusion % undesirable aliens. But the United
States cannot safeguard itself in that way.
Many States allow foreigners on mere dec
laraton OF intent 70 be naturalzed 10 vote Tor
( members OF Congress and Presidential electors.
When they are once here the pressure Of dema-
coSCcs 70 secure votes makes the erection OF
any adequate barrier to the sway Of Imported
ignorance and passion in our affairs impossible.
Have the disorders Of Slavic and other for
. ci-Iers in the coal regions tended 10 show that
they possess the same spirit Of patriotism and
loyalty displayed So conspicuous,y by earlier
immigrants: and does the disposition shown
IN many quarters TO tolerate the violence Of
ignorant immigrants, ind.ctrinated with the
notion that all government is tyranny, and that
loyalty 10 their private organizations is a
higher duty than obedience 10 the law. give
any warrant for the belief that the inner door
. OF naturalization IS protection OF ordered lib
eI1y ard American Institutions when the outer
door OF admission is thrown open 20 give
danger q free geld within the worksi