The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-23
More Than 100000 Will
Come in This Year
HEAVY TAX is PROPOSER
President Roosevelt viii Pr2S/
Recommend That Congress,S o
on the Matter--Many o.
Them Undesirab'

Washington. May 22.-(Special) )-Presi-
dent Roosevelt is considering the idea of
presenting the immigration problem to
Congress as containing a serious peril and
urging drastic action, immigration this
year is breaking ali records. The figures
indicate a total immigration for the year
of over a million or one-eightieth of the
population and most of 1t comes from
Italy, Hungary and Russia.
Two methods are under consideration
the limiting of the number of immigrants
who can be landed in a month and the
increase of the head tax to a prohibitive
figure. The latter is the one likely to be
recommended by the President. The pur-
pose is to check and reduce the immigra-
tion as much as possible. Immigration
from Great Britain, Ireland Sweden, Nor
way, Germany anu other countries, fur
nishing desirable ci liens is vanishing and
is being replaced by an enormous immi-
grafton of the least desirable classes from
the three countries above named If the
immigrants from these three countries
would go to the country the problem
would not become so serious and it might
not be necessary to consider the idea of
checking the rush at all. But they stay
in the cities.
In the south " said Secretary Metcalf
today Immigration is urgently needed.
We get appeals from the south all the
time for immigrants. louisiana alone
could use 100000 of them. In parts of the
west too they are neeoed."
The Secretary produced a photograph of
a powerfully built immigrant with
sturdy wife and seven lusty looking chill
dren.
THAT family" he said "landed with
S16O and subsequently received $3.50 more.
With that money they went to Dakota.
They will be useful there and help to de-
velop the country and they will undoubt-
edly become good citizens. If this sort of
thing was more common we would not
have so much of a problem"
The plan for placing an arbitrary limit
on the number of immigrants who can be
landed in a month is regarded as admir-
able If it could be successfully put in
practice The difficulty would come with
the apportioning of the number of admis-
sable immigrants among the different
countries. To permit one country to send
more immigrants than another would
give rise to charges of discrimination and
perhaps be regarded as unfriendly to the
country disseminated against. 1t looks
as If the immigration from each country
would have to be limited to the same
number so that, for instance, Great Bri-
tain could not send any more immigrants
than Italy. This is not regarded as an
ideal arrangement for the immigration
from the northern and western parts of
Europe Is welcome
The increase of the head tax is looked
upon with much favor by the administra-
ton. At present it is 81 a head and out
of the head fund thus raised the expenses
of the immigration inspection service are
paid. The plan under consdera tion is to
raise the tax from 81 to $25, which would
be practically prohibitive in a great num-
ber of cases and would undoubtedly re-
duce the immigration of the poorest
classes combination of both PROPOSE
tions is considered and there is also talk
cial of the commerce department pointed
out today, the immigrants who can pass
the educational test are frequently of the
very worst class. while many immigrants
who have little education are honest and
intelligent.
Recent publications about conspiracies
in Europe to evade American laws con-
cerning the health of immigrants attract
little attention at the commerce depart
ment 1t is said there that the evasion
of the law on the other side makes no
difference as the immigrants who have
been legally shipped are caught on this
side by the inspection service.