The Washington times., 1905-12-05
IMMIGRATION
Advocates International immigration Conference Better
Distribution of Aliens in this Country and
More Leniency to High class Chinese

The question of immigration is OF
vita! interest to this country.
In the year ending June 30. 1905 there
came to the United States /, ,026. 900 alien
. immigrants. In other words. in the sin
/ gle year that has just elapsed there
/ came to this country a greater number
of people than came here during the
one hundred and sIxty-nine years of our
! colonial life which interviewed between
the first landing at jamestown and the
Declaration of independence.
! 1t is clearly shown in the report of
the Commissioner General Of Immigra-
tion that while much OF this enormous
( immigration is undoubtedly healthy and
natural a considerable proportion is un-
desirable from one reason or another:
moreover. a considerable proportion of
! it, probably a very large proportion. in
Guiding most Of the undesirable class.
. does not come here OF its own initiative.
! but because of the activity Of the agents
! of the great transportation companies
] These agents are distributed throughout
Europe. and by the offer of all kinds
/ of inducements they wheedle and cajoie
many immigrants. often against their
/ best interest. to come here.
/ The most serious obstacle we have
: to encounter in the effor. to secure a
proper regulation OF the immigration
co these shorss arises from tie deter
mined opposition OF the foreign steam
chip lines, who have no interest what
! ever in the matter save to increase the
returns on their capital ry carrying
masses Of immigrants hither in the
Storage quarters OF their ships.
As I said In my last message to the
/ Congress. we cannot have too much i'm
should have none whatever Of the
wrong sort OF course. it is desirable
{ that even the right kind of immigration
should be properly distributed in this
country. We need more of such imni-
grafton for the South; and special effort
Should be made TO secure IT,
Limit Northern Ports.
Perhaps It would be possible to limit
the number CT immigrants allowed to
come in any one year TO New York and
other northern cities, while leaving TN
limited the number allowed to come to
the South; always provided, however,
tlat a Etricter effort Is made TO see
that only immigrants Of the right kind
como to our country anywhere.
In actual practice is has proved so
difficult to enforce the immigration laws
where long stretches of frontier marked
by an imaginary line alone intervene
between us and our neighbors that /
recommend that no immigrants be al
lowed TO come in from Canada and
Mexico. save natives of the two ccun-
tries themselves. AS much as possible
should be done to distribute the immi-
grants upon the land and keep them
away from the congested tenement
house districts of the great cities But
distribution is palliative, not a cure
The prime need is TO keep out all Imml-
grants who will not make good Ameri-
can citizens.
The laws now existing for the ex-
clusion OF undesirable immigrants
should be strengthened Adequate
means should be adopted. enforced by
sufficient penalties. to compel steamship
companies engaged in the passenger
business to observe in good faith the
law which forbids them TO encourage or
solicit immigration TO the United States.
Moreover, there should be a sharp limi-
tation imposed upon ali vessels coming
10 our ports as to the number OF imuI-
grants in ratio 10 the tonnage which
each vessel can carry. This ratio should
be high enough to insure the coming
hither OF as good a class of aliens as
possible.
SuTeT PunlShH ent.
Provision should be made for the
surer punishment Of those who induce
aliens to come to this country under
promise or assurance Of employment. 1t
should be made possible to infiict a
sufficiently heavy penalty on any en-
ployer violating this law to deter him
from taking the risk.
Tt seems to me wise that there
IL.
held to deal with this question of i'm
migration, which has more than a
merely national signifcance; such a
conference could, among other things,
enter at length into the methods for Sc
curing a thorough inspection OF would
be migrants at the ports from which
they desire to embark before permit
ting them to embark.
In dealing with this question II is
unwise to depart from the old American
tradition to discriminate for or against
any man who desires TO come here
and become a citizen, save on the ground
OF that mans fitness for citizenship.
1t is our right and duty to consider his
moral and social quality. His stand
ard of living should be such that ne will
not, by pressure of competition, lower
the standard of living OF cur own wage
object of our legislation to keep high
their standard Of living. II the man
who seeks to come here is from the
moral and social standpoint OF such
a character as TO bid fair to add value
to the community he should be heartily
welcomed
We cannot afford tn pay heed to
whether he is of one creed or another |
OF one nation or another. We cannot
aHord to consider whether he is Catholic !
or Protestant, Jew or Gentle; whether
ne Is Englishman or IrishThan, French |
man or German, Japanese. Italian
Scandinavian. SiaV. or Magyar. What
we should desire to find out Is the in
dividual quality of the individual man.
In my judgment. with this end in View
we should have to prepare thorough our
own agents far more rigid inspection
in the countries from which the irnmi-
grants come. 1t Will be a great deal
better To have fewer immigrants, but
all Of the right kind than a great num-
ber of immigrants. many of whom are