Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-22
Proposition to Bring Thousands
of Slavs to Iowa Receives
Serious Attention
PLAN OF STEAMSHIP COMPANIES
immigration to This Country for the
Year Ending June 80, 1905, Will be
About One MiIIion-Many of Them
arc IlIiterate-seheme for Distrib-
utins Aliens.
Special to Times-Republlcan.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines June 22.-The propose :
ton to dump thousands and thousands
of undesirable Slavic and Iberic races
into Iowa is brought forcibly to the at
tention of the state officials by let
ter received from the immigration Re-
striction League, of Boston, Mass. The
idea, it is claimed, is the suggestion OF
the profit making steamship compan-
les and the classes they propose TO
send to the western states is that class
which are unable to read or write any
language and have an indehectlble
tendency to congregate in the CITY, out
detest the country life. The letter
gives the startling information that
the immigrants to this country 1or the
year ending June 80, 1905, Will De
about one million or considerably
over one per cent of the population OF
the state and a number greater than
the population of eighteen of the states
Of fhe Union. 1t is further claimed
that the greater part of this multitude
comes from the southern part OF
Eurone and is composed of the Slavic
and Iheric races which are the races
least capable of being absorbed anc
assimilated. The league calls atteh-
tion to the movement to get these peo-
pie to come to the western ana SOUTH
ern states and propounds long list Oh
questions asking chiefly whether iowa
desires that class of immigrants. me
letter says:
cone fourth of this million will be
absolutely unable to read or Write
single word of any language. 1t IS the
coming and competition OF undeslra-
Tble southern Europeans. with tnelr
low standards OF living that nave
caused the decline in the NUMBER OF
assimilative immigrants from the
north of Europe. Slight judlclous dls-
crimination would counteract the ar
tificial stimulation, by the steamship
cornpanies, of the less desirable part OF
this south-Europe immigration, anu
would allow the better class OF aliens TO
come and get foothold in our lnous-
trial regime.
GINA srn11ch as a scheme for d1StrlD-
,,+;oc tha aliens now landing as well as
tho aliens of the slum districts OF our
eastern cities. into the country as
tricts of the various states is under
consideration, and is being adVocat-
ed chiefly by transportation agencies
we feel that it would be of great value
To learn what are the wishes OF our
states at the present time in regard TO
tho kinds and nationalities of immi-
grants desired. BY far the greater
mart of recent immigration has settled
in the large cities OF three OF ioui
eastern states, increasing the conges-
ton. sickness, poverty ana misery
there. 1t is now proposed to distribute
thousands of just such people thruout
the south and west. Are they the k1nd
of Immigrant labor you want? Most
of them have an inherent aversion to
country life and are likely to give
rise to another difficult race problem.
.1rhis league is not an anti imm1-
grafton society. 1t was formed In 1891
by voluntary group OF business ana
professional men to make study OF
irnmieration investigation revealed
a startling change in the nature and
character of immigrants; that they
were beginning to come in large NUM-
bers from southern Europe; and that
there were among these newcomers
many undesirable; such as paupers'
ex-convicts, persons defective physl-
cally, mentally and morally. the Sc
lection of whom was left to the profit
making choice of the steamship COM
nanies. and to the foreign nations anX-
ious to get rid of their social refuse.
1,he bulk of this new Slavic Iberic i'm
migration is averse to country life, has
an indefectible tendency to congre-
gate in the cities, and is unfit to take
part in enlightened democratic gov
ernment.'
The letter is signed by j. H. Patten.
the assistant secretary and with it IS
enclosed blank form giving list of
the undesirable classes and asking
how many of them Iowa would like to
have represented on her soil. The first
question asked is: "Is amy further i'm
migration needed or desired?" Then
follow a list of eight classes OF immi-
grants, such as the GeF1naIl, billlSlI,
north Europe, and the like. and a list
of six of the undesirables, and the state
is asked to designate the classes it de-
sires. other questions are: "Have you
a surplus of labor in your state" do
Won favor the exclusion of immigrants
of poor physique?" "do you favor the,
increased head tax of say s25 in order
to improve the quality?" "do you think
the United States should exclude as
sisted immigrants" "would you be in
favor of restricted immigration SO as
to get the better classes"
Another attraction for the visitors at
the state fair has been contracted for
in the Indian band that played at the
government building in St. Louis dur
ing the exposition. The band will be
at the fair for the whole five days
and will give concerts. With the other