Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-05
IMMIGRATION.
Proper Kind Desirable but Il Should
BE Distributed.

Inc question OF immigration is OIL VT
al interest to this country. In the
year ending June 80 1905, there came
to the United States 1,O26,00O allen
immigrants. In other words, In the
single year that has Just elapsed there
came to this country a greater number
OF people than came here during the
1879 years OF our colonial life which in
tervened between the first landing at
jamestown and the Declaration Of In
dependence. Ii IL clearly shown I'm the
report of the commissioners general OF
immigration that while much OF this
enormous immigration is undoubtedly
healthy and natural, a considerable
proportion Is undesirable from one rea-
son or another moreover. a consider
able proportion of It, probably very
large proportion, including most of the
undesirable class. does not come here
Of It's 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 cajole many immi-
grants. often against their best interest,
to come here. The most serious OBJ
stacle we have to encounter In the effort
to secure a proper regulation OF the
immigration to these shores arises from
the determined opposition OF the foreign
steamship lines who have no interest
whatever IN the matter save to increase
the returns on their capital by carrying
masses OF Immigrants hither IN the
Storage quarters OF their ships.
As | said In my last message to the
Congress, we can not have too much
immigration OF the right sort, and we
should have none whatever of
aN 10 A.
is desirable that even the
right kind OF immigration should be
properly distributed in this country. We
need more of such immigration for the
south; and special effort should be
made to secure It. Perhaps II would be
possible to limit the number of immi-
grants allowed to come In any one year
to New York and other northern cities.
while leaving unlimited the number dl-
lowed to come to the south always pro-
vided. however, that a striCter effort
is made to see that only immigrants
OF the right kind come to our country
anywhere. In actual practise 1t has
proved so difficult to enforce the immi-
grafton laws where long stretches OF
frontier marked BY an imaginary line
alone intervene between us and our
neIghbors that | recommend that no i'm
migrants be allowed to come in from
Canada and Mexico. save natives Of the
two countries themselves. AS much
as possible should be done TO distribute
the immigrants upon the land and keep
them away from the congested tene-
ment-house districts of the great cities.
But distribution Is a palliative not a
cure. The prime need is TO keep out all
immigrants who viii not make good
American citizens, The laws now ex-
isting for the exclusion of undesirable
immigrants should be strengthened.
ADEQUATE means should be adopted, en-
forced by sufficient penalties, to COM
pei steamship companies engaged In the
passenger business to observe In kood
faith the law which forbds them to en-
courage or solicit immigration to the
United states. Moreover there should
be sharp limitation imposed upon all
vessels coming 10 our ports as 10 the
number of immigrants In ratio TO the
tonnage which each vessel can carry.
This ratio should be high enough to in
sure the coming hither Of as good a
class Of aliens as possible. Provision
should be made for the surer punish
ment of those who induce aliens 10 come
to this country under promise or as
surance of employment II should be
made possible to lnhlct a sufficiently
heavy penalty on any employer violat-
ing this law to deter him from taking
the risk. II seems to me wise that there
should be an international conference
held to deal with this question OF Inn
migration, which has more than mere
Is national significance; such confer
once could among other things enter at
length into the methods for securing a
thorough Inspection OF would-be lmmi-
grants at the ports from which they de-
sire 10 embark before permitting them
to embark.
In dealing with this question It is un-
wise to depart from the old American
tradition and 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 citi-
zenshlp. IL TX our right and duty 70
consider his moral and social quail
ty. His standard OF living Shouts
be such that he will not, by pressure
of competition. lower the standard OF
living Of our own wage workers; for II
must ever be prime object OF our leg
islation to keep high their standard OF
living. II the man who seeks to come
here is from the moral and social stand
point OF such a character as 10 bid fair
to add value 10 the community he
should be heartily welcomed. We can
not afford to pay heed to whether ne IL
OF one creed or another, OF one nation
or another. We can not afford TO con-
slider whether he is Catholic or Protes-
tart, jew or Gentle, whether he is
English or Irishman, Frenchman or
German, Japanese. Italian, scandina-
oion Slay. or Magyar What We should