Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-12-05

lHhlsIatioH 70 these shores arises IRON
ne determined opposition OF tue toreigi
steamship lines, who have no Interest
Whatever In the matter save TO increas,
thc returns on. their capital 10y carry
ing masses OF Immigrants hither iu IN,
steerage quarters OF their sntps.
As 1 said IN my last message TO tn,
cohsfess, we can not have too much i'm
migration OF the right sort. anu VI
should have none whatever Of the Wront
sort. OF course II IL desirable that ever
the right kind OF immigration should b,
properly distributed ttrthts country. W
need more OF such immigration Tor IN,
south; and special effort should be- MAD,
10 secure II. Perhaps 1t would he pos
sible to limit the number = immigrant,
aiIowed 70 come IN n one year to New
YORK and other northern cities. with,
leaving the number 70 com,
70 the south; always provided. now.
ever that a s%trictcr effort Is made tC
see tina only immigrants Of the righl
KIND come To our country anywhere, IL
actual practice II has proved 80 diff.
cult to enforce the immigration law
where long stretches of frontier marked
by an imaginary line alone intervene be-
tween us and our %neighbors that rec,
ommen that no immigrants be allowed
TO come in from Canada and Mexico,
save natives of the two countries them
selves. As much as possible should be
done to distribute the immigrants upon
the land and keep them away from the
congested tenement house districts OF
the large cities. But distribution is a
palliative, not a cure. The prime need
is to keep out all immigrants who will
not make good American citizens. The
law now existing for the exclusion of
undesirable immigrants should be
strengthened. Adequate means should
be adopted, enforced by sufficient pen
%alttes, to compel steamship companies
engaged In the passenger business TO
observe In good faith the law which for
bids them to encourage or solicit lmmi-
grafton 70 the United States. Moreover,
1 There should be a sharp Limitation i'm
posed upon all vessels coming to our
ports as to the number of immigrants
In ratio to the tonnage which each yes
sci can carry. This ratio SHOULD be high
enough to insure the coming hither Of
as good a class of aliens as possible.
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
he made possible to iuflict n sufficiently
heavy penalty on any employer vio-
lating this law to deter him from taking
the risk. II seems to me wise that
there should be an international con
ference held to deal with this question
OF immigration, which has more than a
merely national Significance; such a con-
ference could among other things enter
at length into the methods for securing
a thorough inspection Of would-be I'M
migrants at the ports from which they
desire TO embark Dfore permitting them
to embark
In dealing with this question it is I'M
| wise to depart from the old American
| tradition and to discriminate for or
| against any man who desires to come
L WV hlIh W II lNi1tii ohNt OA NAiN
ground OF the mans fitness for citizen
| snip. 1t is our right and duty to con-
slider his moral and social quality. His
| standard OF living should be such that
he Will not, by the pressure of competi-
zion, lower the standard of living of our
W wage workers; for IT must ever be
a prime 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
10 the pnmmnniIN he should he heartily
welcomed. We can not afford to pay
heed to whether he is one creed or an
can not afford to consider whether he be
Catholic or Protestant, Jew or Gentile;
whether he is Englishman or lrishman,
Frenchman, or GermaS' japanese, ltal-
What we should desire to find out is the
individual quality of the individual man.
In nay Judgment, with this end in view,
we shall have TO prepare through our
own agents "A far more rigid inspection
In the countries from which the immi-
grants come. 1t will be a great deal
better to ave fewer immigrants. but all
Of the right kind, than a great number
Of immigrants, many of whom are nee
essarily of the wrong kind. AS far as
possible, we wish to limit the immigra-
ton to this country to persons who pro-
pose to become citizens of this country,
and We can well afford to insist upon
adequate scrutiny of the character OF
those who are thus proposed for future
itizenship. There should be an increase
In the stringency of the laws to keep
cut insane, idiotic, epileptic. and pauper
Immigrants. But this is by no means
enough. Not merely the anarchist, but
every man of anarchistic tendencies, all
violent and diorderely people, all peo-
pie of bad character, the incompetent
the lazy. the vicious, the physically I'M
fit, defective. OF degenerate should be
Kept out. The stocks out of which Am
erican citizenship is TO be built should
De strong and healthy, sound in body,
mind and character, If it be objected
that the government agents would not
always select well, the answer is that
they would certainly select better than
DO the agents and brokers of foreign
steamship companies, the people VINO
now do whatever selection IL done.
Vexatious Chinese Problems.
The question arising in connection with
Chinese immigration stand by them
selves. The conditions in China are such
that the entire Chinese coolie class, that
s, the class of Chinese laborers, skilled
md unskilled, legitlmately come under
the head Of undesirable immigrants to
his country, because of their numbers,
the low wages for which they work, and
their low standard of living. Not only
IL Il TO the interest of this country to
deep them ont, but the Chinese authOri-
lies do not desire that they should be
admitted. At present Ntheir entrance is
prohibited by laws amply adequate TO
accomplish this purpose. These laws
nave been. are being, and Will be, thor
oughly enforced. The violations of them
ire so few In number as TO be infinttes-
NAL and can be entirely disregarded.
There is ne serious proposal to alter the
immigration law as regards the Chinese
laborer. skilled or unskilled, and there
Is no excuse FOR any man feeling or af-
citing to feel the slightest alarm on the
~ ~.
But in the effort Ia carry out the policy
II excluding Chinese lahOrcrs, Chinese
coolies, grave injustice and wrong have
zen zone by this nation to the people
of China. and therefore ultimately TO
this nation itself, Chinese students, bus
mess and professional men of all kinds
not only merchants, but X doc
tors, manufacturers. professors. travel,
RS. and the likC-shOuld be encouraged
to come here and treated on precisely
the same footing that We treat students
business men, travellers. and the like OF
other nations. our laws and treaties
should be framed, not SO as TO put these
people In the excepted classes. but to
state that we will admit all Chinese, eN-
cepl Chinese OF the Coone class, Chinese
skilled or unskilled lahOrers. There
would not he the least danger that any
such provision would result In any re-
Taxation OF the laws about laborers.
These will, under all conditions, be kept
ont absolutely. But It will be more easy
10 see that both justice and courtesy
are shown. as they ought to be shown,
to other Chinese, # the law or treaty is
framed as above suggested. ENamina-
tons should be completed at the port Of
departure from Chinn. For this pttposl
there should be provided a more adequate
consular service In china than We now
have. The appropriations, both for the
Offices 81 the COnsuls and for the oiiiCe
forces in the consulates, should be In
creased.
As a people we have talked much Of
he open door in China, and We expect,
and quite rightly intend to insist upon
Justice being shown us by the Chinese,
But we cannot expect TO receive equity
unless We do equity, We cannot ask tho
Chinese to do to US what we are un-
UnsNHNnn 90 a. . - NhARa TNhnVH Would hn 40